Turnpike Troubadours return to Tulsa
By Isaac Krueger
The Turnpike Troubadours represent a story of trailblazing and defiance in what it means to make it in country music. Seemingly, the Tahlequah based band has stayed true to their roots. Led by lead singer and songwriter Evan Felker, the Troubadours sound is unique and artistic but it still holds true to the genre, a rarity in the modern country music scene.
Photo of Turnpike Troubadours taken from CreativeCommons
The Turnpike Troubadours sold out the BOK center for a 2 part show on March 30 and April 1, marking a sweet homecoming and solidification of fame for the band. The first opening act was the Alabama native band “Muscadine Bloodline,” making its first appearance as an opening act for the Troubadours. They were followed by the peppy bluegrass band “The Old Crow Medicine Show,” who brought their leg-shaking, banjo-playing, high-energy feel to immerse the crowd into the show before the main act took the stage, and they did a very good job. Ending their act in a “Dixieland Delight” cover, the crowd was more than ready for Turnpike to take the stage.
The band emerged from the darkness, followed shortly by a deafening welcome from the crowd. In a sort of reminiscence, the band waved and soaked in the scene, almost as a “we finally made it” moment. Then the lights shone on their characteristic red Persian rugs. The members – Evan Felker (lead singer and harmonica), RC Edwards (bass and vocals), Ryan Engleman (electric guitar), Gabriel Pearson (drums, percussion), Kyle Nix (fiddle and vocals), and the newest member Hank Early (pedal steel guitar, dobro, accordion and vocals) – started off the night, fittingly, with the first song from their 2010 debut album “Every Girl.”
Felker and the band did not look back for the full duration of the concert, continuously cranking out their beautiful artistic sound into the world, or rather 15,000 of their fellow Oklahomans and most loyal supporters. The band winded through songs from all four of their released albums, with the crowd proudly reciprocating the wonderful lyrics. Felker, less emotional than stereotypical stage performers, was taken aback several times by the crowd, especially when he let them sing the final chorus of “Long Hot Summer Day” and cracked a smile and laughed. Then the arena went dark, but not quiet, and awaited the return of the band for the encore.
Evan returned to the stage as the crowd anxiously awaited a special song. And to the pleasure of everyone there, the band opened the encore in the wonderful dip of the steel guitar and “Easton and Main,” something that the Thursday crowd was not able to experience. As Felker sang the words “I left my heart in Tulsa,” he spoke for everyone in the arena. The final song was an eight-minute rendition of “Something to hold on to,” where they brought The Old Crow Medicine Show back on stage and had solos from almost every instrument on stage.
Their return to Tulsa marked a triumphant victory, but this moment was not in the absence of struggle and heartbreak. The band spent almost an entire decade playing nightly shows in small venues struggling to get their voice into the world. They then broke up in 2019 and left their wonderful creation in five albums floating around an abyss of noise. The band, however, reemerged with a new fire and more support than ever when they sold out the PayCom Center in Oklahoma City for the opening show of their comeback tour in November of 2022.
Their rise to fame shines a light on the struggle of small bands trying to stay true to themselves and simultaneously gain traction in the music scene. Even still, Turnpike is not heard on the radio, along with so many other brilliant artists and bands. As the country music industry continues to promote meaningless lyrics and burnt-out tropes, there remains a plethora of great country music to be discovered behind all of this radio noise. There are bands and artists, like the Turnpike Troubadours, floating around, waiting for their art to be discovered and loved by the masses.