You could tell that excitement and anticipation was in the air from the moment you set foot in the Hard Rock on Saturday night.  As everyone made their way across the casino floor towards The Joint, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s newest venue, you could tell everyone was counting down the minutes for Bret Michaels to take the stage.  The Joint is really a spectacular place to be intimate with the artist you are seeing because all 2,700 people feel like they are a part of the show whether you are stage side or the last row.

Michaels has overcome a lot through this past year with being hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage and finding out that he will be under the knife again in January to repair a hole in his heart.  After visiting the hospital again for a stroke just a few weeks later, Bret rebounded to win “Celebrity Apprentice 3” where he won $390,000 for the American Diabetes Association.

Before taking the stage, local KMOD radio personalities were getting everyone amped up for the show that was about to take place.  T-shirts were given out and local DJ’s talked up the band and let us know that Bret would be taking the stage momentarily.  Just as soon as the last DJ disappeared the house lights were taken down to pitch black and the deep, thunderous notes of Guns N’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” emanated through the auditorium and band members started running to their places to prepare for Bret’s arrival and the crowd took to their feet.

As the final bassy notes were played, Michaels stormed onto the stage taking his place where he was greeted with a sold-out crowd on their feet and screaming his name.  Michaels opened with “Talk Dirty to Me” running from left to right engaging his fans with high fives and adoration.  Immediately he rolled into his next hit “Look What the Cat Dragged In” after letting everyone know that VH1 was filming for his new reality show “Life as I know it”.

As the night progressed Michaels went on to covering hits such as Lynard Skynyrd’s  “Sweet Home Alabama” and Sublime’s “What I got”.  However, he didn’t forget to play all of the hits that made him famous while being Poison’s frontman.  Before tearing into “Something To Believe In” he explained that this was one was his favorite of all the songs he was to play that night.  

As the show was coming to a near close, Bret paused before switching guitars to explain that he had collaborated with rock group Three Doors Down and Country Stars Rascal Flatts to revamp his popular song “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” with a country style twang.  As his acoustic guitar strummed quietly to a stop, he instantly struck the beginning chords of “Fallen Angel” and thanked everyone for coming out and that he appreciated each every one of his fans for making him the person he is today.

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Photos by: Casey Hanson

As the lights came up, the audience knew it wasn’t over and started chanting his name in unison.  After what was a short break, Michaels took the stage for the final time and made sure the entire room was on it’s feet and waving their arms from side to side as he everyone sang along to “Nothing But A Good Time.” Bret left the stage after thanking the audience and promised that he would make this an annual Tulsa tradition.

If you weren’t a part of the crowd, you really did miss a great show.  If you haven’t been to The Joint yet, you really should visit as it is quickly becoming a place where you can find some of rock’s legends stopping by to play a few songs.

Brad Paisley, recently named the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year, stopped by the BOK Center Saturday night to throw a party. And what a party it was. Paisley, along with openers Darius Rucker and Justin Moore transformed the BOK Center into a giant honky tonk while showing the thousands in attendance how Paisley won the award.

Paisley’s set, which lasted nearly two hours, was packed full of hits. However, Moore and Rucker were equally impressive.

As the house lights went down, Randy Newman‘s "Short People" piped through the sound system in anticipation of Moore’s set. After his first song, Moore – standing about half a head above his microphone stand, took a moment to greet the crowd. "This is our last show on this tour, and I see the practical jokes have already started," he said with a laugh. "Be ready, I’m sure there will be more tonight."

Moore’s abbreviated set moved quickly as he constantly played to the crowd, moving from one end of the stage to the other. He included "How I got to be This Way", "Backwoods", and a special version of "Small Town USA" during which his father came out on stage and joined him. Moore even dabbled into a little classic rock-n-roll as the crowd sang along with him during ZZ Top‘s "Gimme All Your Lovin’." 

The stage crew got one last joke in on Moore, strapping him to a two wheeler dolly, placing a wig on his head and applying a generous coat of lipstick while he ironically sang "I Could Kick Your Ass."

Justin Moore Photos

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

Rucker took the stage next and was perhaps the most surprising treat of the night. Rucker, who struck fame with rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, showed his musical versatility as he blended together several songs from several genres in a very entertaining set. He included Hootie and the Blowfish songs "Let Her Cry", "Hold My Hand" and "Only Wanna Be With You" sprinkled throughout his set which included his country hits "Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It", "It Won’t Be Like This for Long" and "Alright".

His cover of Hank Williams Jr.’s "Family Tradition" nearly brought the house down. Rucker interacted well with the crowd, and took a moment to thank them for accepting him while making the transition into country music. Rucker finished out his set saying "since this is the H2O Tour, I think this song fits." Rucker then launched into a soulful rendition of Prince’s "Purple Rain."

Darius Rucker Photos

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

A few minutes later a massive video board was revealed as Paisley emerged from a ladder perched atop a smaller video board and started off with his hit "Water." The video board displayed the music video as lasers stretched from the stage to the far rafters of the building, creating what looked like a multi-colored ripple of water. Paisley greeted the crowd saying "tonight we’re living on Tulsa time, I love this time zone."

Paisley then took off into a nearly two hour set with "Online", "American Saturday Night" and "She’s Everything" before slowing down to talk with the audience again. Paisley told the crowd that this was their last tour stop of the year. "We’re gonna play as long as we possibly can because we don’t want to stop," he said drawing cheers.

"I can’t think of a better place to end this than right here, we’ve had the best year of our lives this year," he continued. "In case you missed it, last week I got some really great news – I saved a bunch of money on my car insurance," he said. "Oh, and they handed me an award too, I can’t do a show right now without thanking you guys for that award, you were the reason I was able to get that."

Paisley got back into the show, saying he was going to do a song that was requested by a three year-old. "I can’t say no to a three year-old, so here it goes, I’ll try." Paisley then started off into the beginning of Beyonce‘s "Single Ladies," which drew laughs from the crowd. He and his band then transitioned into "You Do the Math."

Paisley put on an amazing display of his ability on the guitar as he moved around the large stage and even into the middle of the crowd, sitting on an over-sized diving board while playing to the back of the arena. His hit "Waiting on a Woman" was played as he stood in front of the video board while it displayed scenes from the music video featuring Andy Griffith. 

Brad Paisley Photos

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

Paisley’s bluesy guitar licks were on full display, particularly during a very special moment involving a very special guest. Longtime Tulsa resident and the 1973 Entertainer of the Year Roy Clark joined Paisley on stage and the pair played a stellar instrumental rendition of "Ghost Rider in the Sky." Alison Krauss joined Paisley by video for their popular duet "Whiskey Lullaby" before he powered through the remainder of his set that included "The World," "I’m Gonna Miss Her," "Welcome to the Future," and "Then."

Paisley chose "Ticks" for the first of two encore songs, before he was joined on stage by Moore, Rucker and Clark for "Alcohol." 

Paisley promised the audience that they would get their money’s worth, and when it was all over it was clear that they did. Paisley’s show was on a level far above many other shows that come through Tulsa. Add to it Rucker and Moore and it made for a perfect "American Saturday Night."

The Reverend Horton Heat and Split Lip Rayfield blew in to town Friday night at the Cain’s Ballroom like a whirlwind. If you have never seen either of these bands the best way to describe the music is; country-fed punkabilly meets bluegrass cow-punk. These two bands brought in a very diverse crowd ready to rock and to get down to some good ole stomp your feet music.

Although this was the first time for many people to see Split Lip Rayfield live, it was evident listening to the crowd and by the t-shirts being worn that they brought quite the fan base in with them.  The ballroom was a little over half filled when the guys from Wichita Kansas took the stage. Spit Lip Rayfield consists of; Eric Mardis (banjo), Wayne Gottstine (mandolin), and Jeff Eaton (bass). Eaton plays the most unusual homemade one-string bass that I am sure any of us have ever seen. This piece is so original; it even has its own name, “Stitchgiver”, built from the gas tank of a 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis and a piece of hickory that’s strung with one piece of weed whacker line. It is truly a sight to see.

If you are a fan at all of bluegrass, like really good harmonies and a touch of punk, you would definitely become a fan of Split Lip Rayfield. The guys mentioned how they love coming to the Cain’s that it’s one of their favorite venues. Spit Lip Rayfield played a wide variety of their songs; to name a few were “Don’t Believe That You’re Someone”, “Ace’s High” and “All the Same.”  These guys really started the night off right and they were extremely talented a hoot to watch.

Split Lip Rayfield Photos

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

Right about 9:30 and to a nearly full ballroom, the intro music begins for the Reverend Horton Heat. People start to crowd in as they take the stage and we are all ready to take the time-warp with them. The lights shine down on the Rev’s orange 50’s style flashy suit as he gives his ornery smile to the crowd. The Rev (Jim Heath – lead singer and guitar) tells us that the band is celebrating their 25 years together and will be playing songs from the beginning to current albums throughout the show. The next few fan favorites they played were “Loaded Gun”, “400 Bucks” and “Martini Time.”

The Rev then told us about the next song before playing it. The song is called “Ain’t No Saguaro in Texas”.  He was saying how in movies and commercials, etc., it has always been portrayed that the saguaro cactus grows in Texas. He named off a bunch of cactus that does grow in Texas and the one that brought the most applause was the “Peyote Cactus”.  Heath went on to say that the Saguaro is native to the Sonoran Dessert in Arizona. The Saguaro isn’t grown in Texas……at all; to which this song was born off of their 2009 album release “Laughin and Cryin with the Reverend Horton Heat.” Jimbo (bass player) has also come up with the “Saguaro Dance” that he showed us how to do; a good portion of the crowd was already doing it before he started in. So to that, they wailed into the song.

The Reverend Horton Heat played a few more off that album; “Please Don’t Take the Baby to the Liquor Store” and “Drinkin’ and Smokin’ Cigarettes.” The song titles alone are hilarious, but to hear the lyrics is just plain comical.  There were lots of fans dressed in the “Rockabilly” attire with mechanic shirts, Elvis style hair-do’s and girls in pencil skirts and polka-dot blouses. There seemed to be a lot more dancing going on at this show than previous ones at the Cain’s. There were moments it really felt like we went back in time to the late 50’s with the clothing, dancing and music that was all going on. Everyone was really having a good time; including the band.

Without going in too much detail, The Rev played “Cowboy Love” off their It’s Martini Time album. The Rev himself said "it’s a disgusting little song that everyone seems to like".  Next they got into punkabilly mode with "Galaxy 500" which started a small pit on the dance floor. Not your typical angry one you’d see at a heavy metal show, but the guys were doing a type of ska-moshing if you will that everyone seemed to enjoy.

Reverend Horton Heat Photos

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Photos by: Kevin Pyle

To finish out the night, during the encore Jim Heath introduced the band. Drummer, Paul Simmons did a crazy drum solo. He has always been known as a solid drummer, but that solo was insane! Then he went on to Jimbo Wallace who plays the stand-up bass. He is an incredibly unique and talented bass player; never a dull moment with him. Jimbo introduced James Heath as The Reverend Horton Heat and to that The Rev went in to the theme song for the TV show Dallas (The band is from Dallas, Texas).  The crowd was screaming and yelling as The Rev and Jimbo stood back to back with those ornery smiles that lit up the room again. They ended the night with "Bales of Cocaine" and "Folsom Prison Blues". It was a great night and a great way to set the weekend off.