Let’s face it. Oklahoma summers are just plain hot. But as the days grow long, why not enjoy those extra hours of light (and hopefully more moderate temperatures) and check out one or more of the metro’s many evening concert series? The series range from weekly to monthly and offer up a huge selection of artists and styles, so you are sure to find a concert or concerts to fit your musical taste. Many of the events offer food trucks and additional entertainment. Some venues require people bring their own lawn chair, food and/or beverages, and may have other restrictions, so make sure to visit their websites before heading out. Enjoy the beat! BONUS: ADMISSION IS FREE TO ALL THESE CONCERTS!
Concert Venue #1
Beats and Bites
Riverwind Casino
1544 W. State Highway 9
8 p.m., First Saturday of the Month
Riverwind.com/entertain/beats-bites-stage
Why you should go:
Riverwind Casino’s Beats & Bites music and food truck festival is a free, family-friendly summer monthly concert series held from May through August. Feast on food from the best food trucks in the metro and explore various retail vendors. The event also features bouncy inflatables, the coolest merchandise vendors and a beer garden. And July will, of course, feature a fireworks display. This monthly event is brought to you by the COOP Ale Works.
Concert Venue #2
The Depot's Summer Breeze Concert Series
Lion’s Park, Norman
450 S. Flood Ave., Norman
7:30 p.m., Every Other Sunday
Why you should go:
Now in its 19th year of offering this free concert series, held in Lion’s Park, the Summer Breeze Concert Series offers family-friendly concerts. Come early and visit Lions Park, located off Flood and Symmes, then stay to enjoy a longtime Norman favorite tradition. Guests will want to bring seating and refreshments to fully enjoy an easy, breezy evening in the park. Bring friends and family and listen to a wide variety of music groups from around Oklahoma and the United States.
Concert Venue #3
Wheeler District Summer Music Series
Wheeler Ferris Wheel, OKC
7-11 p.m., Third Friday of the Month
Why you should go:
Gather under the Wheeler Ferris Wheel lights as local bands take the stage this summer in Oklahoma City. Wheeler Summer Music Series audiences can expect not only live performances by local talent, but also an ever-changing line-up of food trucks and a selection of beers from the Big Friendly beer bus. Cap off a relaxing summer evening with a browse through the pop-up shops on the lawn.
THE BANDS
CODY CANADA AND THE DEPARTED
Riverwind Casino’s Beats and Bites, Norman
Americana roots rock band; food trucks, inflatables, beergarten
Why you should see them:
Cody Canada and the Departed is a three-piece, Americana roots-rock band based in New Braunfels, Texas. The band is composed of front man Cody Canada, bassist Jeremy Plato and drummer Eric Hansen. The result is poignant, thoughtfully crafted songs delivered with bold guitars, boomy bass lines and plenty of muscle. The new iteration of The Departed offers concert-goers a well-rounded sonic experience: the Red Dirt ghosts from Canada’s upbringing and the re-emergence of favored Cross Canadian Ragweed tunes, plus a revival of classic country gold from Plato-led vocals.
KYSHONA
The Depot's Summer Breeze Concert Series
Lions Park, Norman
Soul, gospel, rock and folk; nearby playground
PASNorman.org/programs/summerbreeze
Why you should see her:
Music therapist-turned-singer-songwriter Kyshona Armstrong, who will perform at the Depot’s Summer Breeze Concert Series on July 28, is delivering her roots-soul originals with articulate warmth and newly claimed authority. Kyshona was such a hit at The Depot’s Winter Wind last year that she has been invited back, with a backup band, for the Summer Breeze crowd to enjoy. NPR Music said of her: “Kyshona Armstrong has been called upon to represent for soul and gospel in roots, rock and folk lineups and to bring singer-songwriter sensibilities to R&B bills. But wherever she plants her feet, she does so with righteous conviction and a strong sense of her own voice."
WIGGLE OUT LOUD
Wheeler District’s
Summer Music Series
Wheeler Ferris Wheel, OKC
The July 19 concert will feature a live music preview of Wiggle Out Loud. Since its origin in 2012, thousands of members in the metro have joined The Children's Hospital Volunteers at Wiggle Out Loud: OKC's free, outdoor family music festival! This year, Wiggle Out Loud has expanded, bringing live music and health and wellness themes to the community in even more ways. This month, Wiggle Out Loud is teaming up with the Wheeler Park Summer Concert Series to host a night full of kid-friendly music and fun! With performances from the groups MicroGiant, Race Dance Company and the Sugar Free Allstars, this night is sure to be fun! Learn more at WiggleOutLoud.org.
the calendar
JULY
THE DEPOT’S
SUMMER BREEZE CONCERT SERIES
Lions Park, Norman
14 – Seth Glier returns to Norman with some great electronic additions to his recent rave-reviewed Winter Wind performance.
28 – Kyshona Armstrong is delivering her roots-soul originals with articulate warmth and newly claimed authority. Kyshona was such a hit at The Depot’s Winter Wind last year that she has been invited back, with a backup band, for the Summer Breeze crowd to enjoy.
Wheeler District’s
Summer Music Series
Wheeler Ferris Wheel, OKC
19 – This evening will feature a live music preview of Wiggle Out Loud, a free, active-family music festival that’s held at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in the fall.
RIVERWIND CASINO’S
BEATS & BITES
Riverwind Casino, Norman
6 - Cody Canada and the Departed consists of three bandmates—Cody Canada (singer/songwriter), Jeremy Plato (bass) and Eric Hansen (drummer)—whose songs blur the lines between hard-edged country, rock ‘n roll and all the gritty sounds in-between. Canada was the frontman of Cross Canadian Ragweed, a wildly influential band that dominated the Texas Red Dirt scene for over 15 years.
AUGUST
THE DEPOT’S
SUMMER BREEZE CONCERT SERIES
Lions Park, Norman
11 - Rising out of the Austin, Texas, music scene, the Greyhounds, a duo comprising guitarist Andrew Trube and keyboardist Anthony Farrell, feature a unique sound that mixes R&B, soul, funk and the Bakersfield country of Buck Owens into a style that’s been described as "Hall & Oates meets ZZ Top," and the duo's exciting live shows have earned them a large and loyal fan following.
25 - A project inspired by the wealth of musical talent in our own state, Homegrown Volume I will bring together a diverse array of Okie musicians to perform an epic Summer Breeze jam.
WHEELER DISTRICT’S
SUMMER MUSIC SERIES
Wheeler Ferris Wheel, OKC
16 – This concert will feature Lincka, BiG WoRm and Changing Frequencies. The Oklahoma City-based band Lincka is named for lead vocalist and front woman Lincka Elizondo. They’ve played at the Norman Music Festival; they were also featured on NPR, from where they were invited to appear at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. BiG WoRm is a rapper/producer from OKC.
RIVERWIND CASINO’S
BEATS & BITES
Riverwind Casino, Norman
10 – John Michael Montgomery is an American country music singer from Kentucky who has had more than 30 singles on the Billboard country charts, of which seven have reached No. 1.