Ray Wylie Hubbard plays Cain's

Ray Wylie Hubbard brings what he says is his last record to Cain's Ballroom on Friday, September 11. Gene Simmons Band lands at The Cove the night before, Trombone Shorty is in Stillwater, and Broken Arrow throws three festivals in one weekend.

The one thing

Ray Wylie Hubbard plays Cain's Ballroom on Friday, September 11 at 8 pm, with doors at 7 and Shelby Stone opening. Hubbard is 79. In August he put out Reel 2 Reel 4 Real, cut live to tape with his band all in one room, and he told Rolling Stone it is probably his last album. That alone is reason enough to go.

The other reason is the room. Cain's has been handing its stage to Texas and Oklahoma songwriters since Bob Wills, and Hubbard writes the kind of songs that were built for a wooden floor and a crowd on its feet. "Snake Farm." "Choctaw Bingo." "Drunken Poet's Dream." He has been coming through Tulsa for five decades and he still talks between songs like he is on a porch. General admission, all ages, standing room. Get there early if you want the rail.

Live music and comedy

Thursday and Friday carry the week. The two biggest shows land in different rooms on different nights, so you do not have to choose, and the comedy clubs run doubles straight through the weekend.

Archers plays The Vanguard on Wednesday, September 9 at 7 pm.
Damon Darling does two sets at Bricktown Comedy Club on Wednesday, September 9, at 7 pm and 9:30 pm.
Gene Simmons Band plays The Cove on Thursday, September 10 at 8 pm. The KISS bassist has been running this band through casino rooms all year, heavy on the deep cuts he never got to sing lead on.
Fox N Vead plays The Vanguard on Thursday, September 10 at 8 pm.
Steven Ho and Sean Patton both open runs at Bricktown Comedy Club on Thursday, September 10 at 7 pm, and keep going into Sunday.
Trombone Shorty plays the McKnight Center in Stillwater on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 pm with Orleans Avenue. It is a seated hall and about an hour and a half from Tulsa, which is a fair trade for that band.
Zacarias Ferreira plays Imperio Event Center on Friday, September 11 at 8 pm. This one is 18 and up.
Hairitage plays The Vanguard on Friday, September 11 at 9 pm.
Colton Dixon plays The Freeland Center in Bristow on Saturday, September 12 at 6:30 pm.
Goodbye June plays The Vanguard on Saturday, September 12 at 8 pm on the Trouble For All tour.
Rocky Dale Davis takes Bricktown Comedy Club on Sunday, September 13 at 6 pm.
J.D. Simo plays The Vanguard on Sunday, September 13 at 8 pm.
davvn closes the week at The Whittier Bar on Sunday, September 13 at 9 pm.

See the full concert calendar for everything on sale.

Festivals and free stuff

Broken Arrow Rose Festival and Chalk It Up take over Main Street in Broken Arrow on Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12. Street performers, a kids zone on Friday, and sidewalk artists working in chalk all weekend. On Sunday, September 13 it moves to Broken Arrow Events Park for Rose Kites Over Broken Arrow, which is exactly what it sounds like.
The Bluegrass and Chili Festival runs Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12 in downtown Tahlequah, and this is the 46th year. Admission is free. Friday is music only, from about 5 pm to 11 pm. Saturday starts at 10 am and adds the Mid America Chili Cookoff. Three stages, and Tahlequah is an easy hour southeast.
Guthrie Green hosts a Beatles tribute to Revolver on Saturday, September 12 from 8 pm to 9:30 pm. Guthrie Green shows are free. Bring a blanket and get there before the lawn fills in.
The Tulsa Farmers' Market is at 1 South Lewis on Saturday, September 12 from 7 to 11 am. Mid September is peak okra and the first of the fall greens.

Sports

The Tulsa Drillers finish the regular season on the road, at Northwest Arkansas from Tuesday, September 8 through Sunday, September 13. None of those games are at ONEOK Field, so this is a listen on the radio week rather than a go downtown week. The good news is that the result does not decide much. Tulsa locked up a playoff spot back in June by taking the Texas League North Division first half title, their second straight trip to the postseason under Eric Wedge. The North Division series starts the week of September 16. Watch for the ONEOK Field dates once the seeding settles this weekend.

FC Tulsa is away again, at Phoenix Rising on Saturday, September 12. That makes three road matches in a row. They sit fourth in the Western Conference, and their next match at ONEOK Field is Wednesday, September 30.

On the horizon

Next week is one of the biggest of the fall. Thursday, September 17 alone has Patti LaBelle at The Cove, Anne Wilson at the Mabee Center, and WASP at Tulsa Theater. Friday, September 18 brings Buddy Guy to Tulsa Theater and Nelly to Hard Rock Live. Saturday, September 19 is the peak, with Thomas Rhett at the BOK Center, Gabriel Iglesias at The Cove, and Ann Wilson at Hard Rock Live. Yes, Anne Wilson on Thursday and Ann Wilson on Saturday are two different people, one a country and gospel singer in her twenties and one the voice of Heart. Check your ticket.

The festivals stack up too. Born and Raised takes over the Rocklahoma grounds in Pryor from September 17 to 19, the Tulsa Greek Festival runs September 17, 18 and 19 at Holy Trinity on South Guthrie for its 66th year, and La Fiesta de Tulsa brings its parade and festival to Hannah Hall on Saturday, September 19. Full rundown next Monday.