Cross Canadian Ragweed made their triumphant return to the stage last night at Oklahoma State’s Boon-Pickens Stadium to a sold out and absolutely raucous crowd.

With Red Dirt legends Stoney LaRue and Turnpike Troubadours opening the show, Coach Mike Grundy introing CCR on stage, and even a surprise appearance from Dierks Bentley, the event looked truly spectacular and the pictures and videos coming out only drive home that point further.

It’s been a long many years since Cross Canadian Ragweed last appeared on stage. Okay, they did do an impromptu set down at Mile 0 Fest in Key West this year, but outside of that, the band probably more responsible for the rise in Red Dirt popularity than any other hadn’t played together since a 2010 concert at Joe’s on Weed Street in Chicago.

Rumblings started in mid 2024 that something was happening when their website appeared to be updated for the first time in nearly a decade and that was confirmed when they announced what was supposed to be a one-night only event at Oklahoma State University but quickly expanded to four sold out shows , proving the demand for CCR was much more than anyone could have expected. Nearly 200,000 people are expected to be there during the run.

They then went on to add an encore Texas show at McLane Stadium, home of the Baylor Bears. Who knows where they’ll go from here because this momentum is certainly not slowing down…

Oddly enough, there’s another Oklahoma country music legend who at one point mulled over the idea of having a show at Boone-Pickens but never went through with it… and last night’s show, once again, proves he was completely wrong.

Garth Brooks Said No To Boone-Pickens Concert

Garth Brooks is an Oklahoma State alumni. More than that, he was a javelin star on the Cowboys’ track and field team, earning All-American honors three times, which is hands down an impressive feat.

So it would just make sense for him to return to the old stomping grounds and put on an enormous concert, right? Well, the idea was kicked around a few years back but G himself shut it down for the weirdest of reasons.

He told O’Colly TV :

“Logistically, it’s not possible to play there… The problem with Boone Pickens is it’s built exactly opposite for concerts.”

Uhmm, Mr. Brooks, what exactly do you mean by that? I’m pretty sure there’s been enormous concerts held in stadiums across the country for decades. You’re telling us the one stadium and fanbase that wants you to play there the most just so happens to be the only one that is literally impossible to play at?

He did expand on the reason why later in the interview, and truthfully, it was one of the most self-serving answers imaginable.

“It’s not built for how we play in the round stadiums. If we were front on, we’d be fine. But since we’re at 360 (degree angle), the stadium is built more in a ‘U’ and where the opening of the ‘U’ needs to be is exactly opposite of where it needs to be.”

Let’s break that down…

Garth said it’s impossible to play there because he can’t play in the round? Yeah man, we get that you generally do that and it’s your preferred set-up, but you won’t sacrifice your “standards” (too strong of a word honestly) in order to give the people what they want? You don’t think that packing 60 some thousand people into stands and on the field is good enough? You won’t do a concert because it can’t be to the exactly specifics that you’re used to?

Give me a break dude… tons of artists have played the stadium before, Jason Mraz, Incubus, Casey Donahew to name a few.

PLUS, I saw Garth play at State College and guess what? It wasn’t in the round… In fact, it was inside, meaning easier to do the round, and he STILL didn’t do it. So what the hell Garth? I have no dog in this fight. I won’t be seeing either Ragweed or Garth at Boone-Pickens, but I don’t get it.

You have to admit that Garth straight up saying it’s impossible to play there just because he’s not blown away by the set-up is outrageous. Talk about being a diva and not being in touch with any faction of normality. Tom Segura once said ( among many other things ) “If Garth went into a bar, ordered a beer, and the bartender said “That’ll be $10,000″, do you think he’d even bat an eye?” Obviously, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but the point holds. Garth is so clearly in his own world that the reality of planet Earth ceases to exist for him.

Still love the music (even though it’s only found on Amazon Music ) and will gladly sing along to “Callin’ Baton Rouge” or “Friends In Low Places” whenever I get the chance, but to say that you can’t play in the round, therefore it’s impossible to play at a stadium, is a joke.