Chase Sanford

Photos of the Chase Sanford Band at two gigs

The Turnpike Troubadours closed down Choctaw Casino’s long-and-well-used Event Center in style Friday night (May 8, 2015), the last band to be playing in this 5,000-seat arena. It’s seen hundreds of national superstars and regional favorites over the many years in use.

Turnpike Troubadours, one of those regional favorites nearing national superstar status, set up a stage full of monitors and sound equipment, yet managed to pull off their solid acoustic-feel music style along with equally solid harmonies. The band, including Kyle Nix on fiddle and who wore a Waylon Jennings T-shirt, managed to show their allegiance to the Jennings gent, but capped it off even more with their signature Red Dirt style, created in their native Oklahoma by Bob Childers and carried forward by such bands as this one, Brandon Jenkins, the Red Dirt Ramblers, Stoney LaRue, and others. But, with all that Red Dirt sound, their folk music influence is just as noticeable.

Others in the band are Evan Felker with his distinguished vocal sounds, plus acoustic guitar, harmonica, and banjo; R.C. Edwards on bass; Ryan Engleman on lead guitar and steel guitar; and Gabe Pearson on drums. All of them provide harmony vocals behind Felker’s leads.

The band treated the crowd, almost full in spite of tornado warnings all over Texas and Oklahoma, to a good mix of the songs from their past three CDs, Bossier City, Diamonds & Gasoline, and Goodbye Normal Street, along with several new songs they said will be out on their next record project, now in the works! 

The Turnpike Troubadours’ tour schedule is online at TurnpikeTroubadours.com, and shows them to be back in Texoma/North Texas on July 4 at Billy Bob’s Texas. Between now and then, they will be in Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico, and several other places in Texas. Not bad for a band of country musicians who paid its dues in as many backroad bars and small festivals as their time and vehicles would take them.

For many photos, click here.

Meanwhile, keep checking SceneInTown.com’s Live Music Calendar for other major events up at Choctaw Casino in Durant, and in Grant, as well, including Luke Bryan and Dustin Lynch on July 9 in its new Grand Theater. It’s actually Aerosmith who will inaugurate that new event center, on June 27, but if you don’t have your tickets already, well — that show sold out about 45 minutes after the tickets went on sale.

MUSIC LOVERS TAKE NOTE:  Anytime you want value for your dollar, check out Choctaw Casinos, The two on the north side of the Red River, in Durant and in Grant, Oklahoma, offer great music on several stages. Here’s a few recent bands’ photos, and TAKE ANOTHER NOTE: On Saturday, April 18, Kevin Costner and his band Modern West will be at the Choctaw Event Center in Grant, and the event center remains friendly and as up-close-and-personal as event centers can be.

For Dirty River Boys photos, click here (I promise to take more care of Nino next time — he was on the far end of the stage.)

For Easton Corbin photos, click here

For Rob Thomas photos, click here

For Mark Shelton & The Greater Good photos, click here

For Blackjack Billy photos, click here

For Nashville Rebels photos, click here

Darryl Worley and band

For more photos, click on the link below

For the second time in as many weekends, a performer for the Choctaw Casinos gave an incredible show to a packed crowd in spite of suffering from extreme illness. National singer/songwriter Darryl Worley gave a stellar performance at the Event Center in the Grant, Okla., Choctaw Casino. And, he did it was grace and charm that, as did his music, kept his audience completely on his side. (Last week, Kevin Fowler performed at the Gilley’s in Durant, equally ill, but equally as entertaining and dedicated.)

Worley explained at a pre-show meet-n-greet gathering with fans, that he was on the healing side of the illness, that his doctor said it was not the flu or pneumonia, and that he was taking the meds prescribed for him, which began helping pretty quickly.

Darryl Worley

Worley is the songwriter, or co-songwriter in some cases — of a multitude of national hits, including “I Miss You My Friend,” “Have You Forgotten?,” and “Awful, Beautiful Life,” which he took to the No. 1 spot himself.  He also wrote, and performed Friday night, “Sounds Like Life To Me,” which went into the Top 20 and resulted in a high-placing video as well. He told the crowd at the Event Center that the expression was one of his dad’s favorite, which he heard often when growing up and complaining of the bad things that happen.

The next coming up at this great, friendly Event Center is Joe Diffie, who will play on Friday, Feb. 27, with the show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets for all these concerts are available through Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.

For many pix, click here

Kevin Fowler

For photos, click here

It was a very ill Kevin Fowler who played Gilley’s inside Durant’s Choctaw Casino Saturday night (1.24.15), but it was an incredible show that he gave his overflow crowd of enthusiastic fans. At the earlier meet-n-greet, Fowler explained that he would be leaning more heavily than usual on his band, and he knew they could pick up any slack.

He did, they did, everyone had fun.

One has to double-admire the perseverance and tenacity of such performers.