Every year, Rumble & Roll, benefiting Make-A-Wish Oklahoma, brings hundreds of motorcycles and riders to Tulsa’s Brookside. This year, participating riders will gathering at University Tulsa Reynolds Center at 5:30 p.m. Heading toward Brookside at 7 p.m., a swarm of motorcycles will parade down Cherry Street turning South on Peoria for the final leg of the parade. From 7 until 10:30 p.m., 33rd to 36th streets on South Peoria will turn into a street party with live music provided by Midlife Crisis Band. Last year, the event raised $17,745 for Make-A-Wish Oklahoma, enough money to grant three wishes, says Rumble & Roll’s website. For more information, visit www.rumbleandroll.com.
She stepped onstage as Patti Labelle in 1958 and has spent more than five decades sharing her powerful and mesmerizing talents that bring out the best in R&B, soul, pop and rock. Beginning her career as the lead singer of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, which would later change its name to LaBelle, she went on to a solo career in 1977. Her most well known hits include “On My Own,” “If Only You Knew” and “Lady Marmalade,” which was first recorded with LaBelle. More recently in her career, LaBelle secured a role in A Soldier’s Story and as a recurring character in the sitcom A Different World. Just this year, she made a guest appearance on the new Fox hit Empire. She has performed on Broadway stages and has written books that include her autobiography, Don’t Block the Blessings, and five mouth-watering cookbooks. With a voice that commands attention, the spotlight has always looked good on LaBelle, and to this day, she continues projecting her famed sound, high-hitting notes and soulful, low register. On June 4, she will perform on The Joint stage at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa, and on June 5, she’ll be at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville. For more information, visit www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com or www.winstarworldcasino.com.
The 2015 season of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park at Oklahoma City’s Myriad Botanical Gardens opens with The Winter’s Tale on Thursday, June 4. Continuing through June 20, the performance tells a story of betrayal and romance. After the King of Bohemia suspects his wife of being unfaithful, he banished her and their newborn. With the passing of time, their daughter grows up only to fall in love with a prince that brings the entire story full circle. See Shakespeare’s 1623 tale unravel on The Water Stage. Shows begin at 8 p.m., and tickets are $10-$15. For more information, visit www.oklahomashakespeare.com.
The Odd Future mastermind released his latest studio album, Cherry Bomb, on April 13, four days after its informal announcement, which includes hit singles “Deathcamp” and “#$%@ing Young/Perfect.” In a radio interview with Tampa’s Bootleg Kev, Tyler called the 13-track album his favorite, best work yet, from a technical standpoint. And better yet, there’s many familiar voices heard throughout the tracks including the talents of Schoolboy Q, Charlie Wilson, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Pharrell Williams. Tyler, The Creator will be at Oklahoma City’s Diamond Ballroom with special guest TACO, followed by a performance at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. For more information, visit www.diamondballroom.net or www.cainsballroom.com.
Tulsa had the great pleasure of having Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles, a traveling exhibit out of GRAMMY Museum, right at its fingertips from February through just last month – on display downtown at the Woody Guthrie Center. With the exit of one great exhibit, comes the arrival of another.
On Friday, June 5, WGC’s second traveling exhibit out of GRAMMY Museum, Catch a Fire: The Legacy of Bob Marley, opens its doors to the public. A revolutionary artist who fought for social justice and continually inspired through his life mantras and melodies, Marley arrives under another spotlight through this exhibit’s 30 photographs of the legend, shot in the studio, onstage and with friends. The exhibit’s interactive features include a remix board of Exodus, Marley’s ninth studio album released in 1977, and a drum kit to learn how to keep a reggae beat with drummer Santa Davis via Marley’s “Punky Reggae Party.” Also explore the two audio kiosks, video interviews with Marley’s children and famous artists and a screening of concert film Bob Marley and the Wailers Live!
“The work and message of Bob Marley has a direct connection with Woody Guthrie’s message,” said Deana McCloud, Woody Guthrie Center executive director. “Both of these men were tireless advocates for social justice and voices for the poor in their societies.”
Catch a Fire: The Legacy of Bob Marley will be on display through Sept. 13. For more information, visit www.woodyguthriecenter.org.
Photo courtesy Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall.
Opening Friday, June 5 –
A play by Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof first arrived on stage in 1955, winning the Pulitzer Prize that same year. Williams’ best-known work and known as his personal favorite, the play explores the drama between members of the Pollitt family, headed by Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon. Set in the Mississippi Delta, its no secret that Brick, Big Daddy’s son, and his wife, Margaret, also known as Maggie the Cat, are having marriage troubles, Big Daddy finds out he has cancer and Maggie is fearful she will not end up with Big Daddy’s estate. “This controversial and heated drama explores many taboos of mid-century American, including sexuality and greed,” the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall’s website says. Reduxion Theatre Company’s presentation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was directed by Oklahoma artist, Terry Veal, and the production will run from June 5 through June 13. For more information, visit www.okcciviccenter.com.
One of the greatest American musicals of all time arrives in Tulsa. Presented by Tulsa Project Theatre, West Side Story comes to life on the Tulsa Performing Arts Stage June 5 through June 14. The original book written by Arthur Laurents, and music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, this unforgettable story, based off William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, depicts the struggle between the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, two teenage gangs fighting for control in a West Side neighborhood of New York City. When Tony, a Jet, and Maria, who is supposed to marry Chino, a Shark, lay eyes on each other, the Wide Side take on Romeo and Juliet begins to unravel. For more information, visit www.tulsapac.com.
The Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival turns 29 and celebrates the American Indian June 5 through 7 at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City. A festival that was just named in the Top 10 for America’s Best Arts Festival by USA Today’s readers brings American Indian artists and dancers from across North America to Oklahoma City for a weekend of culture and heritage. During the juried art show and market, visitors can see and purchase artwork from top artists that include beadwork, basketry, jewelry, pottery, sculptures, paintings, graphics and attire. The Red Earth Fancy Dance Competition will feature some of the best in American Indian dance, and the grand parade, as it does every year, will open the festival’s doors to the community, bringing American Indian spirit to the streets of downtown Oklahoma City: Bands, floats, honor guards, dignitaries and more make for a colorful and vibrant celebration. The parade will start at 10 a.m. on June 5 on a route that circles the Myriad Botanical Gardens. For more information, visit www.redearth.org.
If you haven’t heard Flogging Molly live, or at all, here’s your chance. On Saturday, June 6, Flogging Molly, a popular Irish punk, rock band out of L.A., and its seven members, arrive on the Cain’s Ballroom stage for a much-anticipated performance. Dave King, Bridget Regan, Dennis Casey, Matt Hensely, Nathan Maxwell, Bob Schmidt and George Schwindt are the talented individuals behind Flogging Molly’s memorable and rebellious music that’s hard not to enjoy. For a preview of their talents, “Drunken Lullabies” and “What’s Left of the Flag” are two examples of their successful song craft and execution. “They infuse punk rock with Celtic instruments – violin, mandolin and the accordion – and they merge blues progression with grinding guitars and traditional Irish music,” the group’s biography says. For more information, visit www.cainsballroom.com.
Every year, the Tulsa community celebrates gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender pride with a festival that attracts hundreds downtown. This year, on Saturday, the festival kicks off at noon and continues until 10 p.m. with Battle of the Bands, ‘80s icon Tiffany and other great entertainment. Find your place along the street for the Pride Parade that will begin at 6 p.m. Starting at 13th and Boston, the parade will head north on Boston Avenue then east on Fourth Street, ending at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center where the celebration continues. On Sunday, the Rainbow Run, a 5k and half-mile fun run benefiting Tulsa Pride and the Oklahomans for Equality, will brighten up Centennial Park at 6th and Peoria. The 5k starts at 10 a.m., with the fun run beginning shortly after. Picnic in the Park will follow the run. For more information, visit www.okeq.org.
