Livin' on Tulsa Time

Shannon Grady and Kendall in Tulsa, OK

Other poorly lit iPhone photos from Bears on the Run are located HERE. (Chris has better photos HERE)

After dropping Joey off at the kennel pet hotel, Chris and I drove up to Tulsa on Saturday. We got off to a late start and thought we might miss some of the show, but Bobaloo called me saying they'd be on gay time. Well, after a boring time driving through dozens of small Oklahoma towns, and a few speed traps, we checked into the hotel, and made our way to the industrial area where the Tulsa Eagle was at.

Oh, and I got princess parking. Why? Because it was a bit too early for people to show up at the Eagle. The bar isn't too big, though there's a sizable patio, and there's a decent stage area. It seems that Chris and I go to the small shows, as there weren't many people in attendance in Dallas, and fewer in Tulsa, for a while at least.

Let's just say Tulsa is weird not only is it a city where most every way in or out is a toll road, but there's just something off about it. I've been to Oklahoma many times, and yes, it's a strange world - this from someone who lives in Texas, but Tulsa, we'll that's another story. From the reactions and talking to a few locals, I'm guessing they just don't get a lot of visitors. Of course a couple of the guys were smitten with Kendall - not unusual by any means, but this was in a creepy, stalker way.

I think that one reason the crowd wasn't too big was that there's not an LJ community there. Not one of the performers, nor those of us who traveled to be there, knew anyone from Tulsa. It's like an LJ black hole.

The show itself was awesome. Although the locals seemed to react in some mysterious ways, the boys put out a fine show. Since seeing them in Dallas, they seemed much more sure of themselves. Transitions between artists went better and they were just more seasoned. There were more collaborations and fine tuning to make sure the set lists worked with the crowd. Adding Josh the violinist helped round out the music.

You could tell that they were better in relating to the audience, too. Despite the small crowd, they were there specifically for the event, and stayed with them. some folks who came in at the tail end of the show, ready for their Saturday night out, weren't quite so respectful of the performers, though

I know that on future tours I'd like to see a closing set featuring all of the artists. I understand on this first tour they didn't have a chance to collaborate while on the road, but perhaps next time.

I couldn't be more happy that the tour has been a success and will likely spawn more opportunities of these guys.

It was cool to be able to be groupies, heading out to a late dinner after the show (I still can't recommend Denny's, for food, or waitressing, but we had a good time), and then seeing them again, and talking about their road experiences the next morning (we stayed at the same cheap motel). We exchanged a little bit of contact information with those we didn't know so well, but hope to keep up with, and sent them on their way to Wichita.

Chris and I turned west and went to Stillwater where I showed him where my fraternity's national headquarters was, and went to Eskimo Joe's for lunch. I've gone there many times with frat brothers when we would visit, so it's always a special, fun place. I've bought several of their famous T-shirts, too. Chris wasn't so impressed, but I think it's just a place that has fond memories for me.

We drove up on US 75, but took I-35 back through Oklahoma City. The swing around the city is still bad where I-35 and I-40 meet. Here I thought they fixed that. I thought about going to the memorial where the Murrah Federal Building once stood, as I was there back in 1995 when it was bombed, but I've never returned to see the memorial. Unfortunately it was already getting late and I didn't have good directions, so we kept on going so we could pick up Joey at the pet hotel.

It was great getting to see another show, and to meet Mark from Homopod Radio - which I guess i need to listen to. It was also great to see the BotR guys (Elijah, Shannon, Kendall, Bobaloo, Matthew and Josh) again and see how well they had done, and spend time with them after the show. It made for a very special weekend, even if it was in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I'm impressed with what they did, and how they pulled it together, and makes me want to find the courage to put myself out there and do something bold, too.