MBJ Enterprises LLC

 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 #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Rob Halford Headlines Madd Maxx’s Metal Bash 2000July 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 #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

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 #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

This was not your average radio giveaway.For the Last of the Breed Tour with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price, the promotion went full Oklahoma.There was an ag network sending reports to small-town AM radio stations across the state. Farm towns. Rural listeners. Country music people. The exact audience that understood how big this show really was.So the idea was simple and wild.Get front porch rocking chairs signed by Willie, Merle, and Ray.Then give them away through stores tied into that farm and home crowd.That meant sitting out in the heat, waiting for three legends to come sign rocking chairs like it was the most normal thing in the world.“Hey, can you sign my chair?”That is radio promotion at its finest.Not a poster. Not a T-shirt. Not a pair of tickets.A signed rocking chair.And somehow, they got it done.That’s the kind of promotion you remember because it actually fit the show. Willie, Merle, and Ray Price at the Zoo Amphitheatre. Country legends. Small-town radio. Front porch rocking chairs.Perfect match. #HeresTheDealPodcast #WillieNelson #MerleHaggard #RayPrice #LastOfTheBreed  #ZooAmphitheatre #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

This was one of those stretches where every flyer got heavier.Sevendust, Coal Chamber, Sepultura, and Downset. That lineup alone says everything about where heavy music was headed in 2000. Downset had a following. Sevendust was already becoming one of those bands people stayed loyal to for life.Then came Static-X, Taproot, Deadlights, and Slaves on Dope.That was the sound of the era. Industrial edge. Nu-metal energy. Packed rooms. Loud merch tables. Everybody trying to catch the next band before they broke wide open.September 6, 2000 — Cannibal Corpse at the Diamond Ballroom.That one had Max written all over it.Then there was Living Sacrifice.A Christian metal band from Little Rock, Arkansas, heavy as heavy gets. One of those bands you don’t forget once you see them live. Element and Fear the Clown were added as support, and the whole thing turned into chaos.At Rogers State University, the room was provided in exchange for sound and lights on another show. Good deal on paper.Until the first four rows of seats got destroyed.Almost got kicked out of school over it.That’s how wild those heavy shows could get.Different bands. Different rooms. Same lesson.When the crowd moves, the building better be ready. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Sevendust #StaticX #CannibalCorpse #LivingSacrifice #CoalChamber #Sepultura #Taproot #DiamondBallroom #HeavyMusic #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

October 22, 1994.Kansas at The Roxy.Ten dollars in advance.And according to Max, it was one of the best club shows he ever saw.Kansas was locked in that night. Tight, powerful, and the kind of live performance that gives you goosebumps while you’re standing there. Some shows are good. Some shows remind you why you started chasing music in the first place.That was one of them.Fast forward years later, and Kansas is still out there playing rooms like Heartland Expo Center in Shawnee. That kind of longevity says everything.Then the next night, October 23rd, The Roxy flips into a completely different lane.Peter Criss. 36 Inches. Cry Freedom.Peter Criss from KISS in a club setting. Buck Bush and 36 Inches on the bill. Cry Freedom was another cool band from that era, with some names possibly crossing later into War and Peace circles.That’s what made The Roxy calendar so wild.One night you get Kansas giving you goosebumps.The next night you get a KISS drummer in the room.Two nights. Same venue. Completely different worlds.That was 1994. #HeresTheDealPodcast #KansasBand #PeterCriss #KISS #TheRoxy #ConcertStories #LiveMusicHistory #OklahomaMusic #ClubShows #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

August 3, 2007.ZZ Top. The Pretenders. Stray Cats.That was one of those bills where every name on the flyer mattered.ZZ Top always delivers. The Pretenders are legends in their own right. But that night?Stray Cats stole the show.As many times as Max had seen ZZ Top, and even after seeing The Pretenders a few times, the Stray Cats came out and absolutely blistered the place. Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker are hard to top when they’re locked in, and that night they proved it.That rockabilly energy hit different live. Fast, sharp, loud, and tight as hell.Some shows are great because the headliner brings it.Some shows become unforgettable because the opener walks out and takes the whole room.This was one of those nights. #HeresTheDealPodcast #ZZTop #ThePretenders #StrayCats #BrianSetzer #LeeRocker #Rockabilly #ConcertStories #LiveMusicHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Before online presales, verified fan codes, and digital queues, you had to earn your concert tickets.Sometimes that meant camping outside in the snow.Max talks about waiting in line for Ozzy Osbourne tickets during the Randy Rhoads era with only a few people crazy enough to be out there. The police got called, Jim Dunn came out, and instead of just running them off, he realized they weren’t leaving.So he opened the door and let them stay inside a small area.That moment turned into something bigger.Jim Dunn became one of those people who took Max under his wing. A mentor. A building guy. A ticket guy. Someone who knew the rooms, the systems, the angles, and the history behind how concerts really worked.But mentorship only matters if you’re willing to listen.Max listened.From camping in the snow for Ozzy tickets to learning how buildings operated, how ticketing worked, and how the concert business moved behind the scenes, that relationship helped shape the next chapter.Sometimes the education doesn’t start in an office.Sometimes it starts outside in the cold, refusing to leave the ticket line. #HeresTheDealPodcast #OzzyOsbourne #RandyRhoads #ConcertTickets #OldSchoolTicketing #JimDunn #ConcertStories #MusicBusiness #TicketLineStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Max’s sister came to him with a job: two Taylor Swift tickets at AT&T Stadium. Not just any tickets either. They had to be good, because they were for the big boss.So Max called Ron.And Ron’s answer was exactly what you want to hear in that moment:“No problem. We’ll get it done. Don’t ask how. We’ll just get it done.”As the show got closer, Max had to drive down to Arlington, pay $60 just to park at a hamburger stand, and walk into the madness around AT&T Stadium. Thousands of people. Ticket hustlers everywhere. Every corner packed with someone trying to flip seats.Then came the instructions.Go to will call.Meet the guy.In a crowd of 60,000 to 80,000 people, that sounds impossible.But somehow, out of nowhere, a guy walks up and says:“Are you Max Baker?”That was it.Exchange made. Tickets handled. Mission complete.Taylor Swift tickets for the Reputation tour weren’t just tickets. They were a full operation.And sometimes in this business, the answer really is:Don’t ask how. Just get it done. #HeresTheDealPodcast #TaylorSwift #ReputationTour #ATTStadium #TicketStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Powerman 5000, Static-X, and Dope at the Diamond Ballroom.1,210 people. March 18, 2000.That was a hot bill for that moment. Powerman 5000 was moving. Static-X was on fire. Dope fit right in with that whole industrial, nu-metal, heavy radio wave that was taking over in 2000.At that point, 1,210 at the Diamond was probably a sellout or close to it.And then you fast forward 23 years.Powerman 5000 comes back to the same room in 2023.Same Diamond Ballroom.Different decade.Same kind of crowd memory.Then April 23rd at The Myriad:Slipknot. Mudvayne. Ultraspank.953 people.That number sounds low now, especially when the memory feels closer to 2,500. But that’s what happens when a room is full of chaos. Sometimes 953 angry people can feel like 3,000.And that’s where the joke comes in.“They were all mad at Max.”Mad at Max.Madd Maxx.The name had already been around, but that night sure made it fit.Some shows are remembered by ticket counts.Some are remembered by the noise, the crowd, and the stories that never leave.This one had all of it.Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Powerman5000 #StaticX #Dope #Slipknot #Mudvayne #Ultraspank #DiamondBallroom #TheMyriad #NuMetal #MaddMaxx #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

.The first time seeing Cheap Trick was when they opened for The Kinks, and even with The Kinks being legendary in their own right, Cheap Trick made a mark that never went away.Then the calendar keeps moving.September 27th — an alternative show at the Student Union Ballroom with The Judybats, Rob Rule, and Vibralux. That was the kind of bill that lived in the college-radio lane, where smaller rooms still carried real scene energy.October 4th — Eagles on the Hell Freezes Over tour at The Myriad. That was a major one. Reunion-era Eagles. Big room. Big production. Classic songs everywhere.Then October 14th at The Roxy — Prong, Clutch, and Drown.That’s a completely different world.Harder. Heavier. Dirtier. A club show with teeth.The range is what makes it great.Classic British rock. Power-pop perfection. College alternative. Arena legends. Heavy club chaos.That’s not just a concert calendar.That’s a music education. #HeresTheDealPodcast #CheapTrick #TheKinks #Eagles #HellFreezesOver #Prong #Clutch #TheJudybats #ConcertStories #LiveMusicHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, & Ray Price — Last of the Breed TourAugust 17, 2007.The Zoo Amphitheatre.Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price on the Last of the Breed Tour.That wasn’t just a concert. That was country music history standing on one stage.Three legends. Three voices. Three completely different lanes of American music, all tied together by time, songs, and respect. It was one of those shows where you knew while it was happening that you were watching something that wouldn’t come around again.The Zoo was the perfect summer setting for it too. Sit outside, watch the sun go down, have a drink, and listen to Willie. That’s about as Oklahoma as it gets.KXY was involved, celebrating decades of country radio, and they promoted it like the moment deserved.And here’s another detail that made it stand out.It was the first seated show some of us had seen at the Zoo, with actual seats set up instead of the usual lawn-style chaos. That changed the whole feel of the night. More formal. More respectful. Like the venue knew it was hosting something special.Willie. Merle. Ray Price.Last of the Breed was the right name.Because that tour really did feel like the end of an era. #HeresTheDealPodcast #WillieNelson #MerleHaggard #RayPrice #LastOfTheBreed #ZooAmphitheatre #CountryMusicHistory #KXY #OklahomaMusic #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

When you’ve seen The Rolling Stones as many times as Max has, picking one favorite show is almost impossible.Every one is different. Different stage. Different songs. Different city. Different people with you. Some shows hit because of the performance. Some hit because of the moment around it.But if you had to narrow it down?Paris or the desert.Paris was unforgettable. Eiffel Tower in the rain. The whole atmosphere. David Browne and Annabel Brandt there with Max, helping make it one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips.And then there’s the story that pushes Paris over the top.Lizzy Jagger.Mick Jagger’s daughter.Dancing. Paris. The Stones. Max in the moment, letting it all go.That’s the kind of memory you don’t manufacture.You only get to see the Stones in Paris once.And when you’re there, knowing every word, living every second, the whole room can feel that energy.Some concerts are shows.Some become part of your life story.#HeresTheDealPodcast #RollingStones #MickJagger #LizzyJagger #ParisConcert #TheRollingStones #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Some guests would be cool to have on the podcast.This one would mean something different.After years of stories, Jeff finally got to meet Max’s mom, and even with all the stories he’d heard, it still hit different. Then came Max Baker Sr. Stories started flowing, and the room knew right away there was history there.Max says having his dad on the podcast would be the biggest gift anyone could ever give him.Because he admires his father.That’s the heart of this clip.It’s not just about funny stories or old trouble. It’s about respect. It’s about family. It’s about finally getting to hear the other side from the man who lived through it.And apparently, Max Baker Sr. already warned everybody.He’s got “a bunch of stuff” on Max.That sounds like an episode we all need.Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.#HeresTheDealPodcast #MaxBakerJr #MaxBakerSr #FamilyStories #PodcastStories #RespectYourParents #RealLifeStories #BehindTheScenes #OklahomaStories #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

June 14, 2000.Disturbed was still in that early Sickness era, and the package came through twice.The Other Side in Tulsa. The Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City.The lineup was stacked for that moment:Disturbed. Deadlights. Apartment 26. Workhorse Movement. Underside in Tulsa. Element in Oklahoma City.Looking back, that bill should have been a monster.The Diamond show had 258 people. Not terrible, but not what it should have been for what Disturbed was about to become. The Other Side probably felt stronger, and the Tulsa crowd may have turned out harder that night.That was the thing about those early 2000s shows. Sometimes you were watching a band right before the explosion, and nobody fully knew it yet.Disturbed would go on to become one of the biggest hard rock bands of that era, but in 2000, they were still grinding through rooms like The Other Side and the Diamond.Some shows look small on paper years later.But when you know what came next, they become history. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Disturbed #TheSickness #DiamondBallroom #TheOtherSide #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Max drove a wrecker. If he made a little money, he put it right back into the next show, the next ticket buy, the next opportunity. That was the cycle.It started young. At 14, he bought his own motorcycle and turned it into his motocross bike. He learned early how to work, how to build credit, and how to walk into a bank with a plan.If Fleetwood Mac was coming through on the Tusk tour, he’d go to the banker and say, “I need to borrow money for 90 days.”And for a long time, he didn’t get turned down.That’s how serious it was.Not just being a fan. Not just chasing shows. Treating tickets like an investment. Work the job. Borrow smart. Buy the tickets. Flip what you could. Put it back into the next one.But the story has another side too.The bar game. Mad Maxx’s. Drugs. Acting wild. Losing everything.That’s part of it.You can build something with hustle, but you can lose it just as fast if you stop respecting the game.Before the concerts, before the clubs, before the wild stories, there was a wrecker, a work ethic, and a kid trying to figure out how to get to the next show. #HeresTheDealPodcast #GeorgeStrait #ConcertStories #TicketBuying #MusicBusiness #WorkEthic #PromoterLife #MadMaxx #OklahomaMusicHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

After the original Rocklahoma in 1980 with Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, and The Doobie Brothers, the University of Oklahoma didn’t host another stadium concert until 1997.That’s a long gap.And according to the conversation, they left a lot of money on the table. Pink Floyd. The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge tour. Major stadium acts that could have brought huge crowds, big production, and serious revenue to Norman.By 1997, the concert industry was in a strange place. Lollapalooza was struggling in some markets. HORDE wasn’t doing what people expected. Even U2’s PopMart tour was having trouble selling out certain stadium dates.So OU finally stepping back into the concert business came at a weird but important time.The stadium had already proven it could work. The 1980 show helped pay for the field. But instead of building on that momentum, the door stayed closed for almost two decades.Seventeen years.No stadium shows.No Pink Floyd.No Stones Voodoo Lounge.No major concert revenue.Sometimes the biggest loss in show business isn’t the show that fails.It’s the show you never book. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Rocklahoma1980 #VanHalen #SammyHagar #DoobieBrothers #PinkFloyd #RollingStones #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Max quitting Red Bull was not a small thing.For years, it was part of the routine. Before recording, before work, before getting on the road, somebody was usually making a 7-Eleven or OnCue run for sugar-free Red Bulls. Then one day, the heart doctor asked what he drank, Max said Red Bull, and the answer came back simple: “No good for you. Cut it out.”So he did.No big announcement. No long speech. Just stopped.And that wasn’t the only change.Max also gave up Mexican food, which might be even harder to believe. That is a major sacrifice when you know how much he loves it. The tortillas, the chips, the spice, the whole thing. But when your health puts you in a corner, you either keep doing what you’ve always done or you make the change.Max was on a mission.No Red Bull. No Mexican food. Less road time. More time at home. Different choices.Sometimes getting better starts with giving up the things you never thought you’d quit.Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told. #HeresTheDealPodcast #MaxBakerJr #HealthJourney #RedBull #MexicanFood #JeffBrownen Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

September 27th at the Bricktown Event Center.Alice Cooper on the Brutal Planet tour.That was one of those shows where everybody made it through the day, even if not everybody loved being there. Jeff may not have been thrilled, but the night itself turned into a real one.Backstage was tight. One way in, one way out. Kitchen area. Side access. Everybody packed into the same working space, trying to keep the show moving.And somewhere in the middle of it, there’s a photo with Alice Cooper, Carrie, and Max.That’s the kind of proof you keep.The show itself was strong. Alice brought the full theatrical rock energy, and his daughter Calico was part of the performance too. That made it feel even more like a production than just a concert.Some people remember this as one of the early Bricktown Event Center shows. Maybe not the first, but definitely one that stuck.Alice Cooper doesn’t just play songs.He brings a whole world with him. #HeresTheDealPodcast #AliceCooper #BrutalPlanetTour #BricktownEventCenter #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

ZZ Top with Jackyl on the bill — the Antenna era. That mid-90s stretch when ZZ Top was still rolling hard, still evolving the sound, and still drawing real crowds.But the part that sticks isn’t just the show.It’s the meet.A signed Antenna lithograph from the record company. Meet-and-greet passes. Winning the kind of poster you keep for life. “Cry Love” opening the Tulsa date, and then meeting them again in Oklahoma City with Kerry Staton in the mix.And backstage, Ichiro (“Chero”) is there too — getting the Jackyl flat signed by ZZ Top like it’s a trophy.That’s how those nights worked.You went for the concert. You left with history in your hands.Some people remember setlists.Some people still have the signed poster. #HeresTheDealPodcast #ZZTop #Jackyl #AntennaTour #Myriad #OKCMusicHistory #ConcertMemories #SignedPoster #RockAndRollStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

 It doesn’t matter where Max is in life — hospital bed, lowest low, highest high — the Stones have carried him through it. That’s not a slogan. That’s survival. And by 2024, the story has stretched far beyond Oklahoma: seeing them in Paris, seeing them in the desert alongside names like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, The Who, and Roger Waters.Then comes the backstage moment you can’t script.Pipe and drape. One opening. You step through… and accidentally step on Mick Jagger’s toes. The kind of mistake that becomes a legend the second it happens.And it wasn’t just the band that felt unreal — it was the backstage world. The most elaborate setup Max had ever seen: snooker tables, games, liquor bar, food everywhere, hors d’oeuvres actually worth eating.Then the seat assignment.Keith Richards’ table.Keith walks out with a buddy wearing the same scarf, and they’re sitting there syncing up “medicine” timing like it’s a ritual. Quiet. Intense. Nobody says more than they have to.That’s what backstage with the Stones feels like.Not chaos.Precision.And for a Stones fan, those few minutes in that space are unforgettable. #HeresTheDealPodcast #RollingStones #MickJagger #KeithRichards #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

It starts with a simple problem.“There’s a band coming this summer that I have no connections for.”And everybody immediately knows who we’re talking about.“Do they roll along stoned?”Yeah. They do.That’s how show business works. The biggest moments don’t show up on a calendar first — they show up in random conversations where you realize your ass is on the line again. And somehow, it turns into a blessing.Then the joke becomes the plan:“So do you have to get her Rolling Stones tickets?”Because if she’s not into the Stones, you’re not about to become buddies. That’s the rule.That’s Max and Jeff in a nutshell — turning pressure into comedy, and comedy into a strategy session.Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told. #HeresTheDealPodcast #RollingStones #DoTheyRollAlongStoned #ConcertBusiness #MusicIndustryStories #BackstageLife #TourStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

June 11, 2000.Motörhead. Nashville Pussy. Supersuckers.A lineup that should’ve been a stampede.And only 372 people showed up.That number still hurts. Less than 400 bodies for a bill that loud, legendary, and unapologetic. Tickets were around $20–$22 and it still didn’t move like it should have.But the people who were there remember it.Lemmy. Up close. Real as it gets. One of the most vivid memories? Him beating on a pinball machine that wouldn’t work, mad as hell, barking at it like it owed him money. Pure Lemmy.Nashville Pussy was a burner. Supersuckers were exactly what you wanted them to be. That whole night was rock and roll in its raw form.And Motörhead did come through again later — including a Zoo bill that tied into the Judas Priest / Testament world. That’s also the night the meet-and-greet stories started stacking up, and the pit was full of musicians watching musicians.But this June 2000 show?That was the one that deserved a packed house.372 is criminal. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Motorhead #Lemmy #NashvillePussy #Supersuckers #RockAndRollStories #ConcertHistory #OKCMusic #ZooAmphitheatre #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

You had two sides of the room that did not mix. Skinheads on one side. SHARPs on the other. Real tension. Real politics. The kind of night where you’re not just running a show—you’re playing judge, jury, and peacekeeper just to keep it from turning into a riot.At points it looked like Moses parting the sea.The floor literally split down the middle like an early wall of death, except it wasn’t a fun mosh-pit moment. It felt like a setup for a fight. Total Chaos is punk, and punk crowds can bring that edge. The Bosstones were a different animal, but they came up in that same northeastern circuit where those scenes overlap.Security had to stop the show more than once. Keith Graham was working hard, trying to keep the room from boiling over. Everyone could feel it—one wrong push and it turns into a gang fight.We’d done a lot of shows, but we hadn’t crossed that kind of situation before.That’s the part people don’t see.Sometimes the hardest thing about a concert isn’t the load-in. It’s keeping the crowd from tearing itself apart. #HeresTheDealPodcast #MightyMightyBosstones #TotalChaos #PunkShows #SkaPunk #ConcertSecurity #VenueLife #BackstageStories #LiveMusicBusiness #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Some bands aren’t just bands.They’re the reason you end up in the music business.ZZ Top is that band.Over the years, we did a lot of business with their world. You meet crew guys. You watch the touring machine evolve. You see faces change. But some things stay consistent—there aren’t many people cooler than Billy Gibbons.And it still hits different seeing him in Ardmore, Oklahoma, sitting at 2 Frogs like it’s just another day.But the roots go back farther than any of that.Age 14. Fair Ground Speedway. Tres Hombres era.On one bill:ZZ Top Lynyrd Skynyrd The Marshall Tucker Band The Animals (Eric Burdon)And the ticket?$4.00.That’s the kind of lineup that doesn’t exist anymore at that price. Four-dollar admission to a night of southern rock history. The kind of show that rewires your brain and makes you chase live music for the rest of your life.That’s not nostalgia.That’s origin story. #HeresTheDealPodcast #ZZTop #BillyGibbons #LynyrdSkynyrd #MarshallTuckerBand #EricBurdon #TheAnimals #SouthernRock #ConcertHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Max says it plain. If you stay in the problem, you never find the solution.That lesson came from the woman sitting to his left, his sister Deana. When they first started spending more time together again, she saw him at his worst. Leg straightened out. Pain loud. Mood even louder. And she didn’t baby him. She held it up and hit him with the truth. “What are you gonna do now, big boy?” Even joked about whacking him with a cane when he was acting up.But the point wasn’t the joke.The point was movement.Today, Max is sitting here talking to the world because he didn’t stay stuck. He wants anyone listening to hear this, no matter how deep you are, no matter how much it hurts, no matter how heavy the pressure feels, there’s always a solution.Fear might get you through a moment.Faith is what gets you to the other side.And it takes patience. This didn’t happen overnight. This has been nearly a year of fighting through it.That’s the real story. #HeresTheDealPodcast #MaxBakerJr #DeanaBaker #Mindset #FaithOverFear #KeepMovingForward #RealLifeStories #Resilience #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

July 30, 2000. Brady Village in Tulsa. 2,571 people. Deftones and Glassjaw on the same bill. And the crazy part? You lived in Tulsa at the time.Glassjaw is one of those bands people don’t “kinda like.” You’re either all the way in or you don’t get it. Daryl Palumbo is that dude, and seeing Glassjaw in that era, in that room, with that crowd size, is the kind of night you talk about for the rest of your life.The worst feeling is realizing you could’ve gotten in, you could’ve been on that floor, and you just missed the moment.That’s the pain of a real concert calendar. Some dates are history. Some dates are regrets. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Deftones #Glassjaw #BradyVillage #TulsaMusic #2000Concerts #DarylPalumbo #LiveMusicHistory #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Ticket drops used to feel like the land run.People camped. Lines formed overnight. Rules said you had to be in line, but they didn’t always say it had to be you standing there every minute. So you’d see people try creative workarounds, helping others out while trying to hold a spot and stay in the game.Then the real circus started.When it came time to move the line, it turned into a sprint across Reno like a marathon kickoff. “Go!” and everyone bolts, dodging traffic, racing to get back into position. And when folks ended up too far forward?“Restart.”Then they made it even worse. Suddenly it’s an obstacle course, running around pillars like it’s a field day, not a ticket line. OCPD looked bored, and the crowd was getting cooked.By the third restart, everyone was done. The system finally settled, people landed where they landed, and the night moved on.That’s the part people forget. Before online queues, buying tickets was physical, chaotic, and sometimes ridiculous. #HeresTheDealPodcast #TicketLineStories #ConcertChaos #OldSchoolTicketing #OKCMusicHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

The day Max was released from the hospital with a new knee. Rehab starting. Exercises underway. And even with the fresh pain of surgery, Max says it still doesn’t compare to what he was living with before.That’s the part people don’t understand until it’s them. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt, it starts messing with your mind. It gets to the point where getting in a chair, getting in the truck, doing normal life feels impossible. Max said if it kept going the way it was, another week might have pushed him to a place he didn’t want to be.This is the turning point.Not “everything is fixed overnight.” Not “no struggle.”Just the first day where the path forward is real. #HeresTheDealPodcast #MaxBakerJr #Recovery #NewKnee #RealLifeStories #LifeAfterPain #BehindTheScenesLife #Oklahoma #OKCLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Pimpadelic was that kind of band. Even as a spectator, you could feel the room going sideways. They were shock-rock meets rap-rock chaos, and it was so wild it made other rowdy crowds look tame. Ralph was in disbelief, and that takes a lot.Then there’s Easy Jesus.Easy Jesus is David Allan Coe’s nephew, and that connection mattered when it came to getting attention for bookings. Texas roots, easy to reach, easy to route, and the name carried weight in the right circles.The story also hits on what could have been. Pimpadelic had momentum, a record on Tommy Boy Records, and the kind of unpredictability that could have exploded with the right touring package. Put them on the road with Insane Clown Posse and it might have been a perfect match. But band drama and instability can kill a run fast, no matter how good the product is.If you were at one of those shows at The Other Side, you already know.Wildest nights don’t always come from the biggest names. Sometimes they come from the bands nobody can control. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Pimpadelic #EasyJesus #DavidAllanCoe  #DiamondBallroom #ICP #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Volume 15.By that point, Metal Bash wasn’t an experiment. It was a machine.This one was special because it was the first time bringing Metal Bash to Cain's Ballroom. Bigger room. Bigger stakes. And somehow, we crammed the whole lineup into a 60-second commercial. No music from every local band either, just names, because the national package took priority.But the local scene still mattered.80 Proof. Skullplate. Self Inflicted. Transfixed. NOS out of Bartlesville. Sounds of War. Separation From All. Bands new enough to be hungry, proud enough to show up early, and loud enough to justify two stages. That’s what Metal Bash was built on, giving local heavy bands a real platform in a real venue.And the ripple effect is still there.Kyle Williams from 80 Proof later connects into Medicine Horse, a Cherokee heavy project. Names and scenes keep evolving, but the roots were those nights. Those flyers. Those two-stage lineups where everybody wanted to prove something.Metal Bash 15 was part of a longer run. You did a lot of them. The numbers blur. But the intent never changed.Put the right bands together. Give them a real stage. Let the scene speak for itself. #HeresTheDealPodcast #MetalBash #CainsBallroom #TulsaMusic #OKCMetal #LocalMetalScene #TwoStageShow #ConcertHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Before Edgefest chaos, Tulsa and OKC were already stacked that week.August 15th and 16th — Brady Village and the Zoo Amphitheatre.Paul Rodgers and Kansas on the bill. That classic-rock lane where the crowd knows every chorus, and the shows run like clockwork. Kansas doing one of those late-era victory laps, still pulling real fans.Then the conversation clears something up.The downtown outdoor Evanescence show we talked about earlier wasn’t Edgefest.This one was.Edgefest lineup:Evanescence Mudvayne Cold Blue October Revis Smile Empty Soul Fanzeen (Tulsa band with a British lead singer) Finger ElevenOne week you’re in classic rock mode with Paul Rodgers and Kansas.The next minute you’re counting merch money at Edgefest while a band manager is cussing you out and you’re trying to eat a corn dog.That’s how those summers worked.Different genres. Same calendar. No breath. #HeresTheDealPodcast #PaulRodgers #BadCompany #KansasBand #Edgefest #Evanescence #Mudvayne #BlueOctober #ZooAmphitheatre #BradyVillage #TulsaMusic #OKCMusic #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

If you’ve worked the Zoo Amphitheatre, you know the struggle isn’t the show.It’s the load-in.Rolling cases through gravel. Fighting the layout. Dragging gear where it was never designed to go. Years of stagehands have earned their stripes out there, and the new crews don’t even realize how lucky they are compared to what it used to be.The Zoo has served its purpose for a long time. It’s hosted legendary nights. It’s part of the city’s DNA.But the argument is simple.It’s old.Vintage.And sure — so is Keith Richards, and he still rocks.That’s the point.Old doesn’t mean useless. Old means proven.Still, you can love a place and admit it might be time for something new. The debate isn’t sentimental, it’s practical: location, comfort, summer heat, accessibility, production standards.Would the right deal bring big acts back to the Zoo?Probably.Just not in July or August.And if you won the lottery? You’d book them out there anyway.But you’d invite 50 people. Closest friends only.Because a vintage venue deserves a vintage kind of night. #HeresTheDealPodcast #ZooAmphitheatre #OKCMusicHistory #KeithRichards #VenueLife #ConcertProduction #LiveMusicStories #OklahomaCity #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Two nights. Two completely different scenes. Same weekend.September 13, 2003 — Curly’s. Dropkick Murphys with Last Target and The Unseen. DCF and AEG. One of those Curly’s nights that proved you didn’t need a polished venue to have a legendary show. Curly’s was raw back then. Vacant-lot energy. Dirt and torn-down buildings nearby. But the shows hit.Then the next night, September 14, 2003 — Diamond Ballroom.All hell broke loose.Superjoint Ritual headlining with Strapping Young Lad and Spooky Fruit on the bill. 459 people in the room, but the energy was bigger than the number. This was Superjoint Ritual in their early, unfiltered era.And yes — that was the show where Hank Williams III (Shelton) was on bass.Phil Anselmo up front. Heavy support. Tight room. Loud crowd. A night that stuck.Two nights like that are why 2003 was such a blur.Punk mayhem at Curly’s one night. Metal chaos at the Diamond the next.That’s Oklahoma show business in real time. #HeresTheDealPodcast #DropkickMurphys #TheUnseen #SuperjointRitual #StrappingYoungLad #DiamondBallroom #Curlys #PunkShows #MetalShows #OKCMusic #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Two nights. Two stages. Full local scene energy.The dates matter here. Not July 24th. It was July 29th and 30th.One of those nights was at Cain's Ballroom and it was a Mad Max style build. Two stages, constant changeovers, and a lineup that felt like a roster sheet of that era.Udora headlining the mix with Midnight to 12, Wither, Makeshift, Rook, Cynical Theory, All Too Familiar, Vent, Waiting on Juliet, Oversold, Trip C, and Fighting Tomorrow.This wasn’t random booking. Udora mattered. David’s band. They’d been on the road with Jerry Cantrell. They finally had a record out under the Eudora name, and this was the home-market push.And here’s the other layer.A commercial got made for it. Those old-school local promos that actually moved people. That was part of the grind too. If you weren’t touring, you were promoting. If you weren’t promoting, you were building a stage. If you weren’t building, you were selling tickets.Two nights like that weren’t just shows.They were a snapshot of a scene trying to break out, one packed weekend at a time. #HeresTheDealPodcast #udora #CainsBallroom #TulsaMusic #TwoStageShow #Wither #JerryCantrell #LocalMusicScene #2000sRock #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

June 9, 2003 — Bricktown Event Center.The Flaming Lips. Liz Phair. Starlight Mints.That night wasn’t just a great bill. It was work.Assistant promoter rep. Managing runners. Checking in merch. Counting money. Keeping the machine moving while the crowd kept coming. And it was a big merch night.Because the Flaming Lips don’t do average merch.They’re known for those killer tour posters. Unique designs that feel like art prints, not souvenirs. I had one. Got it signed. One of those pieces you don’t just toss in a box.Years later, after a fire, that poster showed up again in the rubble. Still there. Still mine. Not mint anymore, but surviving a fire gives it a different kind of value.That’s live music.You remember the show. You remember the job. And sometimes you find the proof of it years later, burned around the edges but still standing. #HeresTheDealPodcast #FlamingLips #LizPhair #StarlightMints #BricktownEventCenter #ConcertMerch #TourPoster #LiveMusicStories #OKCMusic #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Big Monday. August 15, 2005.That’s the kind of date that tells you everything about momentum.Not long before, The Killers were playing Bricktown Live, a 400-cap room on a weekend. Tight stage. Close crowd. The kind of show where you can feel the whole room breathe together.Fast forward.Now it’s a Monday night, and The Killers are sold out at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Event Center.Bigger venue. Bigger stakes. Bigger footprint.That’s the jump every band wants, and most never make.And it didn’t stop there. #HeresTheDealPodcast #TheKillers #SoldOutShow #BricktownEventCenter #BricktownLive #Throwdown #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen  #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

June 2003 didn’t slow down. It stacked.June 20th, River Parks in Tulsa — Third Eye Blind. Great setting, perfect summer venue energy, one of those nights that feels easy and fun.Then June 24th, 2003 — Queensrÿche and Dream Theater at the Brady Theater. If you’re a prog-metal nerd, that’s the dream bill. Both bands played full headlining sets. Not a “co-headline” in name only. Real sets. Real time. Hours of music. Queensrÿche hits tight and sharp, Dream Theater takes you way out into the deep end.The next night, June 25th — Tulsa’s Other Side goes full throttle. Shadows Fall, Sworn Enemy, Grade 8, and Disjointed. This was peak circle pit era. Sworn Enemy’s set wasn’t just heavy — it was brutal, hardcore the way people remember it.That’s the contrast that made that time special.One week you’re on the river with Third Eye Blind. Next you’re five hours deep into prog-metal mastery. Then you’re in a Tulsa club watching the pit turn into a storm.Different rooms. Different crowds. Same month.That was 2003. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Queensryche #DreamTheater #ThirdEyeBlind #BradyTheater #RiverParks #TulsaMusic #ShadowsFall #SwornEnemy #ConcertStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

If you grew up going to shows in Oklahoma, you already know how much a venue can change a whole city’s music scene.Tulsa is talking about a new amphitheater on the river, with River Parks being one of the locations in the mix. Oklahoma City is also planning a brand-new amphitheater, and the same development group is tied to both projects.That’s a big deal.Early renderings have people talking for a different reason too. A 12,000-seat outdoor venue concept with open fire features built into the layout. From a live-event standpoint, that triggers real questions about insurance, fire marshal approvals, licensing, crowd flow, and what happens when the energy spikes in a packed amphitheater.If these builds happen, routing changes. Tour economics change. Casino competition changes. The entire Oklahoma market gets a new map.And it all circles back to what we’ve always said. The venue matters as much as the band.Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told. #HeresTheDealPodcast #OklahomaConcerts #OKCMusic #TulsaMusic #Amphitheater #LiveMusicBusiness #ConcertProduction #RiverParks #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen #oklahoma #oklahomacityLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Weird Al at the Diamond Ballroom.And if you’ve never worked a Weird Al merch table, you haven’t seen true efficiency.This was the Poodle Hat Tour era. Goofy poodles everywhere. Wild graphics. Deep catalog items. UHF DVDs. Tour books. Shirts numbered like a menu.But here’s what made it different.Weird Al fans are the nicest fans in the business.No exaggeration.They walk up like they’re ordering at a restaurant:“I’ll take number one, extra large.” “Number two, large.” “Number three, medium.” “Tour book.” “DVD.”They already have their cash out. Exact change. No chaos. No attitude. No digging for wallets. Just smooth, polite, rapid-fire transactions.And they buy more per person than almost anyone.Not one shirt. Three shirts. DVD. Poster. Tour book.You’re counting stacks of items and they’re smiling the whole time.Then there was the weather situation.Storm rolls through. Merch gets soaked. After count-out, the rep basically says, “Do whatever you want with it.”So we loaded up boxes of wet Weird Al merch.For years, I was giving away Poodle Hat Tour gear as Christmas gifts.That’s the kind of weird, random win that only happens in this business.Weird Al might parody rock stars.But his merch game?Elite. #HeresTheDealPodcast #WeirdAl #PoodleHatTour #DiamondBallroom #ConcertMerch #MerchLife #LiveMusicBusiness #TourStories #OKCMusic #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

When people talk about big shows, they usually talk ticket sales.They don’t talk merch.Here’s a number for you.ZZ Top — two casinos — two days — almost $200,000 in merch.One merch table.Let that sink in.That wasn’t arena-level production. That was casino routing. Durant and Miami. Markets that had never seen ZZ Top up close like that. And when those towns see their name on the shirt?They buy.Hard.I ran the merch in Miami and then turned right around and ran it again in Durant. Broke records. Big numbers. Real money. Those weren’t casual buyers. That was hometown pride meeting legendary band status.And yes, you better have the right sellers.If you don’t move people through the line, you leave money sitting on the table.Compare that to the Ryman Auditorium situation — one merch table, 45-minute wait. You cap your own ceiling with poor setup. Fans will wait, but you’re throttling revenue.And here’s the kicker.The first time people saw this kind of merch performance at a casino was when we started doing it in Durant.It wasn’t just selling shirts.It was strategy.City-specific prints. Limited runs. Hometown recognition. Price structure dialed in.Same model worked for KISS in Durant too. Cleaned house.Merch isn’t an afterthought.It’s a second box office.Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told. #HeresTheDealPodcast #ZZTop #KISS #ConcertMerch #CasinoShows #DurantOK #MiamiOK #LiveMusicBusiness #MerchLife #RockAndRollStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Summer 2004 was a blur of stacked weekends and split-city decisions.July 8th, 2004 — 7Mary3 at Bricktown Live with Headroom and Pulltoy. That was the era where some names were still moving tickets, even if they were past their radio peak. Bricktown Live was still pulling solid $15–$16 nights in a tight room. Those were great prices for real lineups.Then July 9th — Rooney, Straylight Run, and Ozma. That was a strong indie bill. Ozma had a cult following. Straylight Run had crossover appeal. Small room, real energy.July 10th — split cities. In Springfield, Missouri:Candiria 36 Crazyfists Twelve TribesSeventeen bucks. Tight room. Springfield always had a cool rock vibe. College town. Built-in audience. Four colleges in town. Rock bands always did well there.And in the middle of that stretch? The Kottonmouth Kings era.Hip-hop meets punk. Weed culture meets touring grind. Packed merch tables. Fan bases that traveled.Different genres. Same hustle.Small rooms. Good ticket prices. Real crowds.That was 2004. #HeresTheDealPodcast #KottonmouthKings #7Mary3 #Ozma #36Crazyfists #BricktownLive #SpringfieldMO #2004Concerts #LiveMusicHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

This was Edgefest.Not the other downtown outdoor Evanescence show — this was the real Edgefest lineup:Evanescence Mudvayne Cold Blue October Smile Empty Soul Revis Fanzeen (Tulsa band with a British lead singer)Stacked bill. Outdoor. Packed. Wall-to-wall people.Merch was flying.Jeff and Sean were selling. I was responsible for checking in merch and counting money. It was nonstop. No breaks. No breathing room. Just rush after rush.Finally, there’s a tiny window.We grab corn dogs.Mustard in a cup. Standing there inhaling food for the first time all day while the crowd is still buzzing.And that’s when the manager from Fanzeen storms up wanting to check out and settle.No pause. No grace. No awareness that we’d been running full speed since load-in.And that’s when it happened.“Look, lady, I’m eating my corn dog.”Not aggressive. Not dramatic. Just honest.You get these moments in live music where you’re juggling thousands of dollars in merch, multiple bands, packed crowds — and the only thing standing between you and collapse is a five-minute corn dog break.Edgefest was chaos in the best way.Huge lineup. Big personalities. Even bigger tempers.And sometimes the most memorable moment of the day isn’t the headliner.It’s defending your right to finish your corn dog. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Edgefest #Evanescence #Mudvayne #BlueOctober #SmileEmptySoul #MerchLife #ConcertStories #LiveMusicBusiness #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

After the Devil’s Daughter video shoot with Shotgun Rebellion and Jesse Jane, there was one conversation that had to happen.Talking to Mom.Trying to explain:“Look… it’s not what you think.” “It was acting.” “It was a performance.”And honestly, once you start explaining a church-set rock video involving Jesse Jane, you realize pretty quickly there’s only so far that conversation can go.At some point you just accept it.Still, the whole experience was surreal in the best possible way.Getting asked out of nowhere to be part of a music video. Walking into it without fully knowing what was going to happen. Seeing it all come together at the church shoot.Josh and Jay were there sitting in the pews during the performance scenes. The actual lap dance footage had been filmed separately the day before and edited together later. What everyone witnessed live at the church was the performance portion of the shoot.Classic mid-2000s rock video production.And when you look back at that era, it’s even crazier realizing Jesse Jane was already tied into the Oklahoma music scene enough that she appeared on backstage passes and venue laminates around the same time.One minute you’re working concerts. Next minute you’re explaining to your mom why you’re in a rock video called Devil’s Daughter.That’s rock and roll. #HeresTheDealPodcast #ShotgunRebellion #DevilsDaughter #JesseJane #RockVideo #BehindTheScenes #MyspaceEra #OKCMusic #RockAndRollStories #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Go back to the ‘60s and ‘70s and look at the old flyers.Santana Chicago FoghatOr:Aerosmith The J. Geils Band Ten Years After New Riders of the Purple SageThose bills were wild. Rock. Blues. Psychedelic. Country-rock. All on one stage. Promoters like Bill Graham were known for mixing it up.Genre purity wasn’t the point.Energy was.Fast forward to now.You’ve got:Anthrax Black Label Society ExodusStill crossing lanes within subgenres. Thrash. Groove. Classic heavy metal. Same night. Same room.But here’s the bigger question:Can those kinds of bills survive in casinos?It comes down to risk.Band risk. Management risk. Casino risk.Would a casino take a full-blown Exodus show? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on the market. On the appetite. On whether 1,300 metalheads on a Tuesday night is considered a win or a warning sign.And let’s be honest.Anthrax has played the Diamond Ballroom to far less than that. Sometimes metal crowds fluctuate. Timing matters. Holidays matter. Valentine’s Day matters.The question isn’t whether the genres can cross.They always have.The question is how much appetite the venue has for it.Rock bills in the ‘70s didn’t care about clean marketing categories.Modern venues do.But the fans?They still just want the show. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Anthrax #BlackLabelSociety #Exodus #ConcertHistory #GenreCrossing #MetalShows #RockBills #LiveMusicBusiness #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Twiztid & ZZ Top x2Mid-September was a wild swing in genres.September 15th at Bricktown Live — Twiztid and Anybody Killa. Different crowd. Different energy. Juggalo scene. Paint. Chaos outside the venue before doors.That was the night Lisa was running. Instructions were simple: clean it up or you’re not coming in. Trash on the lot wasn’t flying. You couldn’t leave that kind of mess sitting out front. That was also one of those nights where tempers ran high and you ended up planted outside dealing with it.One night later, total pivot.September 16th and 17th — ZZ Top outdoors at the Zoo Amphitheatre, then at Buffalo Run Casino, and then down to Durant.Multiple ZZ Top shows stacked back-to-back in different markets.Steel stage build in Miami. Outdoor production. Casino routing. Different crowd, different expectations, same tight turnaround. You go from Twiztid’s fan base one night to ZZ Top’s blues-rock faithful the next.Zoo. Miami. Durant.That’s the life.Genre doesn’t matter. Production still has to hit. The crowd still expects the show. And when you’re bouncing between hip-hop horrorcore and Texas boogie in a 48-hour window, you better stay sharp.That stretch sums up the era perfectly.No lane. No limits. Just show after show. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Twiztid #ZZTop #BricktownLive #ZooAmphitheatre #BuffaloRunCasino #MiamiOK #DurantOK #LiveMusicBusiness #ConcertLife #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Staind, Cold, Red Hot Chili Peppers & Snoop Dogg ShowsJune 2003 was a blur.June 10th, 2003 — Staind and Cold at the Bricktown Event Center. That was peak momentum. One show ends, the next one loads in. Chef catering. Mark Lemon. Production dialed in. Bricktown Event Center was firing on all cylinders.Cold was strong then. Still are. Staind? Aaron Lewis has always been polarizing, but at that moment they were moving serious tickets. Post-grunge radio was massive. That room was rocking.Then eight days later.June 18th, 2003 — Red Hot Chili Peppers with Snoop Dogg at the Ford Center.Different scale entirely.This was the Californication era for the Chili Peppers. Global-level band. Arena production. Massive draw. And Snoop opening with a full band, not just a DJ set.Snoop didn’t headline that night.He opened.And yes, that was the tour where you could smell the bus before you saw it. Someone had to bring the “medicine,” and Snoop handled that lane.2003 felt like show business at its finest.Rock one night. Hip-hop the next. Arena scale. Theater scale. Promoters hustling nonstop.Staind. Cold. Chili Peppers. Snoop Dogg.That stretch right there was when things were clicking. #HeresTheDealPodcast #Staind #ColdBand #RedHotChiliPeppers #SnoopDogg #FordCenter #BricktownEventCenter #2003Concerts #LiveMusicHistory #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

Jesse Jane Is on Drowning Pool’s Backstage PassGoing back through old laminates and backstage passes will bring back some wild memories.One of them?Drowning Pool backstage. Cain’s Ballroom date. Bricktown date. And printed right there among Oklahoma’s “finest” was Jesse Jane.And this wasn’t random.Because at that same time, there was the Devil’s Daughter video with Shotgun Rebellion.3130 Studios. Clark Dealcast shooting. Same space where other projects had happened before. Different energy this time.And suddenly the question pops up:“Max Baker, you wanna be in a music video?”With Jesse Jane.Not only was Max in it. So were Josh and Jay in the crowd. Lisa was there. Carrie was there. Whole crew embedded in what turned into one of those “you can’t make this up” Oklahoma rock stories.It all overlaps.Drowning Pool backstage passes. Jesse Jane appearances. Devil’s Daughter video shoot. Local studio. Same circle of musicians, promoters, and personalities crossing paths.That era was small enough that everybody touched the same moments.And weird enough that twenty years later, you’re still connecting the dots. #HeresTheDealPodcast #DrowningPool #JesseJane #ShotgunRebellion #DevilsDaughter #CainBallroom #OKCMusic #BackstageStories #RockAndRollEra #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

At that time, Rascal Flatts wasn’t just big.They were one of the biggest country bands in America.Arena-level draw. Major production. Real money on the line.And here’s the situation.We’re in Oklahoma. No long résumé of massive shows behind us. No built-in credibility. When that contract comes in for a band that size, it’s not automatic.You don’t just get handed that show.You have to talk. You have to explain the vision. You have to convince them you can actually produce it. Because they’re not giving that kind of act to just anyone.And the numbers?High.Production rider? Serious. Stage specs? Real. Expectations? No room for error.If a band that big believes in you enough to send the contract and say, “Produce it,” you better be ready.There are no second chances at that level.You’re either one and done.Or you’re one… and the door opens for many more.So what do you do?You surround yourself with the best crew you trust. You build the stage. You meet the rider. You execute.Because when you land a show like Rascal Flatts at their peak, it’s not just a concert.It’s a test.And if you pass it, your credibility changes overnight.  #HeresTheDealPodcast #RascalFlatts #CountryMusicHistory #ConcertProduction #LiveMusicBusiness #OklahomaShows #ArenaLevel #BehindTheScenes #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownen Like, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com

August 2, 2003.Bile Nocturne Blunt Force Trauma LowlifeOn paper, it looked aggressive. Underground. Heavy.In reality?It had loss written all over it.Twenty years later you can laugh about it. Back then, it wasn’t funny. It was one of those nights where you could hear your dad’s voice in your head saying, “I told you so. Don’t do it.”And there goes the savings.The only reason Bile got booked was history. They were the band blowing fire at Foundation Forum when we were first crossing paths with GWAR and hanging around James and Forte. There was nostalgia. There was belief. There was loyalty.But belief doesn’t always equal ticket sales.The local bands were solid. Blunt Force Trauma. Lowlife. The scene was there.The crowd wasn’t.If you had to guess? Maybe under 250 people. And in a room like the Diamond Ballroom, when it’s that light, you feel every empty square foot.That’s part of the business nobody glamorizes.You win big. You lose bigger. And if you stay in long enough, you collect both stories.Some shows build your name.Some shows cost you.This one cost.  #HeresTheDealPodcast #ConcertLoss #DiamondBallroom #Bile #IndustrialMetal #LiveMusicBusiness #PromoterLife #RockStories #OKCMusic #MaxBakerJr #JeffBrownenLike, share, and follow so these stories keep getting told.Follow & Connect: Max Baker Jr. Instagram @bmaddmaxx | Facebook @bmaddmaxx  Jeff Brownen Facebook @jeff.brownenHere’s The Deal YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@heresthedealokHere’s The Deal Podcast Website https://heresthedealok.comBuy Here’s The Deal Vintage & Collectables https://heresthedealvintagecollectables.comGet an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Card https://medcardsmadeeasy.netConcert & Event Production Services https://bakerboyspro.comBuy Roadie CBD Balm & Oil https://bakersremedycbd.com