Ween & Twiztid Shows

Ween at the Diamond Ballroom in 2003.

701 people in the room.

That one was underground, weird, and exactly what it needed to be. Ween had that cult following, the South Park connection, and songs that lived in their own strange little world.

“Piss Up a Rope” was one of those moments.

All-access pass. Poster. Diamond Ballroom energy.

That was a good one.

Then September 21st at the Diamond, the room shifted into another lane.

Twiztid and Society 1.

487 people.

Not as many as Ween. Not as many as Modest Mouse. But still its own scene, with its own crowd, its own attitude, and its own kind of loyalty.

That’s what made those Diamond calendars so interesting.

One night it could be Ween bringing the oddball underground crowd.

Another night it could be Twiztid bringing the Juggalo world back through the doors.

Different music.
 Different fans.
 Same room.

And somehow, both shows made perfect sense at the Diamond.

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 #HeresTheDealPodcast #Ween #Twiztid #Society1 #DiamondBallroom #PissUpARope #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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The Offspring at the Diamond Ballroom.

October 15, 1997.

Sold out.

This was the Ixnay on the Hombre era, and The Offspring were huge. That mid-90s punk rock wave was rolling strong, and when they hit the Diamond, the room was packed.

The Voodoo Glow Skulls were on the bill too, bringing that fast ska-punk energy that made the night even wilder.

But backstage had its own story.

There was a cool backstage pass from the show, and the logo looked like something tied into Dexter Holland’s hot sauce world now. Pretty fitting, because hot sauce somehow became part of the conversation backstage too.

The catering guy was apparently running on no sleep, cooking in gym shorts, and having a rough day. At some point, chicken went down the drain, the drains got stopped up, and Ralph was not happy.

That is the kind of show business lesson you don’t forget.

Some mistakes become stories.
 Some stories become warnings.
 And some sold-out punk shows come with clogged drains and a catering disaster.

The Offspring sold out the Diamond.

The Voodoo Glow Skulls brought the chaos.

And backstage, everybody learned what not to do with chicken.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #TheOffspring #VoodooGlowSkulls #DiamondBallroom #IxnayOnTheHombre #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacity

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The Rolling Stones in 1981.

Or as Max calls it, their first farewell tour.

That week was unbelievable. Houston for two nights, then straight into Dallas for the Cotton Bowl shows. October 31st was rainy, but when they added November 1st, the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful November day.

Max saw The Stones four times that week.

That alone is a story.

But the part everybody remembers is Mick Jagger climbing all the way up to the top of the stage truss during “Sympathy for the Devil.”

One spotlight.
 Mick way above the crowd.
 The whole stage coming alive.

That was the first time they had used lifts like that, and it made the moment feel even bigger. When he hit “Please allow me…” the crowd went with him.

Some concert memories stick because of the songs.

Some stick because of the weather, the road trip, the city, and the people you were with.

And some stick because Mick Jagger is standing at the top of the stage like he owns the entire stadium.

That was The Rolling Stones in 1981.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #TheRollingStones #MickJagger #CottonBowl #RollingStones1981 #SympathyForTheDevil  #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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November 1994 at The Roxy had a little bit of everything.

First up was Pro-Pain, M.O.D., and Spud Monsters on November 5th.

Great bands, but not a great turnout.

That was one of those nights where the lineup was heavy, the names were solid, but the room just didn’t fill the way it needed to. Looking back, it felt like one of those early warning signs for The Roxy. You hit a dud, and in the club business, a dud can tell you a lot.

Then five days later, November 10th, The Roxy had Storyville with Otis Watkins.

Completely different world.

Storyville was not just another band. That was an Austin supergroup.

Malford Milligan was one of the great voices out of the Austin scene. David Grissom had played with John Mellencamp. David Holt had ties to Carlene Carter and The Mavericks. Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon were part of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s legendary backing band, and they were also tied into The Archangels with Doyle Bramhall and Charlie Sexton.

That is a serious room full of musicians.

Americana music at its finest.

But the backstage story took a turn.

This was the night the tour manager got his nose broken by George.

George was a different animal back then, and at The Roxy, anything could happen. One night you had heavy bands playing to a thin crowd. A few nights later you had Austin royalty in the building and a broken nose backstage.

That was The Roxy.

Great music.
 Wild personalities.
 No boring nights.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #Storyville #ProPain #MOD #SpudMonsters #TheRoxy #AustinMusic #StevieRayVaughan #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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Steve Howe unplugged at The Roxy. November 11th.

Or as Jeff remembers it, the show from hell.

Everybody knew Steve Howe could play guitar. That was never the question. The man is a legend. But this night started rough before the show even had a chance to breathe.

He and the tour manager pulled up in a Vega station wagon, and Jeff stepped forward like any promoter rep would.

“I’m Jeff, I’m the promoter rep.”

Hand out. Ready to greet him.

Steve Howe looked back and said he didn’t shake hands because that was how he made his living.

That set the tone.

Then they got inside and he asked for the dressing room. Jeff took him back, Steve looked around, did a full 360, stared him dead in the eye, and said the place was not fit for humans, much less himself.

At that point, everybody knew it was going to be a long night.

Some shows are hard because of ticket sales.

Some are hard because of production.

Some are hard because the artist walks in already mad at the building, the room, and maybe the whole day.

This was one of those shows.

A legendary guitarist.
 An unplugged night.
 A rough dressing room.
 And a promoter rep realizing in real time that the next few hours were going to be brutal.

That is concert business reality.

Sometimes the show from hell still has to go on.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #SteveHowe #TheRoxy #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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November 2, 1994.

Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

Nine Inch Nails.
 Marilyn Manson.
 Jim Rose Circus.

That was the show of all shows.

Jim Rose Circus was coming in hot from the Lollapalooza era, and at that time, it fit perfectly. Strange, wild, uncomfortable, and exactly what that crowd wanted.

Then Marilyn Manson walks in during the Portrait of an American Family era. Before the full mainstream explosion. Before The Beautiful People. Before everybody knew what Marilyn Manson was supposed to mean. Earlier that year, they had played Will Rogers, and most people still didn’t fully understand what they were seeing.

But on this tour, it started making sense.

College town. Norman. 1994. The right crowd at the right time.

And then Nine Inch Nails.

Trent Reznor was becoming the voice of that darker industrial generation. That show had atmosphere, tension, and danger all over it. It wasn’t just loud. It felt like the culture was changing in front of you.

Jim Rose Circus set the tone.
 Marilyn Manson pushed the room further.
 Nine Inch Nails finished the job.

Some bills are stacked.

This one was historic.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #NineInchNails #MarilynManson #JimRoseCircus #LloydNobleCenter #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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September 27th.

Destiny’s Child at The Myriad.

This one pops up in the middle of the conversation almost like a missing piece. Everybody is looking through the dates, trying to figure out why it isn’t listed, and then there it is.

Destiny’s Child.

Say My Name era.

That was a major moment. Before Beyoncé became Beyoncé on the level we know now, Destiny’s Child was already a machine. Huge radio singles. Massive pop and R&B crossover. Packed rooms. Real star power.

And the opener?

Virgin Crab.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #DestinysChild #SayMyNameTour #Beyonce #TheMyriad #VirginCrab #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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 February 12th at The Myriad.

Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid.

Cancellation number two.

This one got all the way up to the doors. The band was in the building. Box office was ready. Ushers were ready. Merch was set up. The line was wrapped around The Myriad with Juggalos in full clown makeup downtown.

Then the show fell apart.

The setup was already strange. Hockey in the main hall. Fellowship of Christian Athletes in one side hall. A wedding in another. ICP in a side hall room that was never really the right fit.

The stage had been built halfway into the room to make the space feel tighter, but the band wanted it pushed up more. In a union hall, that is not a quick fix. You can’t just move a built stage in the middle of the day with other events happening around you.

Then came the bus idea.

They wanted to pull the buses behind the stage and use them as a backdrop with generators running.

The fire marshal shut that down fast.

An hour before doors, the call came down.

No show.

Everybody still had to be paid. Staff. Box office. Ushers. Crew. The room was ready, but the show was dead.

And the Juggalos did not take it well.

Ringling Brothers had been there the week before, so there were hay bales still sitting around The Myriad. Once the cancellation hit, the crowd started grabbing hay bales and throwing them into the downtown water features.

That is how fast a concert cancellation can turn into chaos.

No show.
 Angry crowd.
 Hay bales in the fountains.

Only ICP could create that kind of scene without ever playing a note.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #InsaneClownPosse #ICP #Twiztid #Juggalos #TheMyriad #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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Rob Halford Headlines Madd Maxx’s Metal Bash 2000

July 22, 2000.

Rob Halford at the Diamond Ballroom.

Madd Maxx’s Metal Bash.

And yes, it was Max’s birthday party.

418 people in the room for the Metal God himself. For Max, this one hit different. Early Judas Priest meant everything to him. In the late 70s and 80s, he traveled all over to see Priest, so when David called and said he had a headliner for Metal Bash, the name made him stop for a second.

Rob Halford.

That’s not just another booking.

That’s one of your heroes walking into your show.

The lineup was packed too. Around 16 bands wanted on that bill. Element was supposed to play right before Halford, but the night shifted and they ended up having to play after him.

That is a dangerous spot.

Everybody knows when the headliner is done, the room can turn into a ghost town fast. If you’re going on after the main event, you better be ready immediately.

So they pulled off one of the fastest set changes they had ever done.

Element hit the stage, played like champs, and held the crowd.

Even Rob Halford watched them.

That’s the kind of night that proves why Metal Bash mattered. Local bands, national legends, impossible changeovers, and a room full of people who came for heavy music.

For Max, it was more than a birthday.

It was a full-circle metal moment.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #RobHalford #JudasPriest #MetalGod #MaddMaxxMetalBash #DiamondBallroom #Element #HeavyMetalHistory #OKCMetal #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacity

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May 2000 at the Diamond Ballroom was loaded.

May 7th: Staind, Dope, and Primer 55.

1,034 people in the room.

That was a strong $22 ticket. Staind was rising fast, Dope fit that heavy early-2000s lane, and Primer 55 brought the kind of energy that made them a perfect match for bands like Element. That whole show had the sound of the moment written all over it.

Then three days later, May 10th, the Diamond flips into a completely different world.

Live.
 Local H.
 Tracy Bonham.

1,196 people.

That poster still stands out too. Behind the box office at the Diamond, there’s a cool piece from that show designed like a whiskey bottle with Live and Tracy Bonham on it. One of those posters you remember because it looked different.

And Live?

Incredible band.

That’s what made the Diamond so special back then. One night it’s Staind, Dope, and Primer 55. Three days later it’s Live, Local H, and Tracy Bonham.

Heavy rock. Alt-rock. Radio hits. Club energy.

Same room.

Different crowd.

Same magic.

 #HeresTheDealPodcast #Staind #Dope #Primer55  #LocalH #TracyBonham #DiamondBallroom #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacity

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