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I’m so sick of the rain. Last week it rained for a Tulsa County record 20 consecutive days. With the city’s annual Mayfest coming up I was beginning to get a little worried that the whole festival was going to be a wash. It wouldn’t be the first time that rain has dampened the nearly three decade old tradition though, May isn’t exactly the greatest time to have an outdoor festival in the state of Oklahoma where our springs are always wet and typically bring in stormy and severe weather with it as well. But I was extra concerned this year, because one of my favorite bands was slated to play on Saturday night, the Old 97’s. It’s been about two years since I’ve come to adore Rhett Miller, Murray Hammond and the Americana flavor of the Old 97’s. Though I disregarded them at a younger age due to my general distaste of country music, I eventually came around and among the alt-country musicians that I started to take a liking to, the Old 97’s were my favorite. And, after the release of their amazing 2008 album Blame It On Gravity, my adoration only grew.

The Tulsa International Mayfest, as it’s officially called, is a four day outdoor arts festival that takes place in the heart of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Among the tall buildings both historic and contemporary, people gather to enjoy visual, performing and culinary arts – that is if you consider county fair style food a culinary art, and anyone who enjoyed a funnel cake like I did over the weekend probably does. My original plan was to attend the festival both Friday and Saturday night, but the threat of rain on Friday night and the promise of a Back To The Future trilogy marathon kept me indoors. It did in fact rain that night, though some reprieve from the rain on Thursday had already halted the streak at 20 days, and I did in fact watch hours of Delorean time travel within the comforts of a cozy apartment, but my thoughts were on Saturday and the news that tomorrow was being forecasted as rain free.

My lone day at Mayfest was an interesting one. As soon as I made my way to the corner of Boston and 4th Street I regretted not bringing some sort of jacket, the previous night’s rain had pushed in a cold front that was only amplified by the wind tunnel effect of the tall buildings and the belly full of beer I was about to carry around with me. Despite the unexpected cold weather I was able to enjoy a fantastic jazz quartet in the early afternoon that usually went by the name of the Wayne Humbyrd Quartet, but since Mr. Humbryd was apparently not performing with them they decided to call themselves the Michael Moore Quartet as a nod to the film maker - or at least that is what they told us. The rest of the day was spent between art galleries, a couple of my favorite bars and in the company of Sam and the Stylees’ fantastic reggae sound. Soon enough though it was time for the Old 97’s to take the stage so I headed across town in mounting anticipation.

Luckily they did not disappoint. Cycling between old favorites and new classics, the band didn’t leave a stone unturned; and even came back out for a fantastic four song encore. The second song played by the band was the final track off of their newest album and served as an introduction to the band’s four members, as singer Rhett Miller describes his three partners in crime as they plan to rob a bank. The band’s expansive back catalogue was far from forgotten during the set, much to my pleasure, including the playing of one my very favorites “Victoria” from their second album. The encore was equally as impressive, starting it off by saying “We’re not a cover band, but we’re gonna play a cover,” and then proceeded to play a surprising version of REM’s “Driver 8.”

No rain, good music, great food and award winning local art. All in all I’d say my experience at the Tulsa Mayfest was a good one. Not only that, but by the time the Old 97’s had wrapped up their set I was able to take a quick listen to the Red Dirt Rangers who skillfully play their own brand of red dirt music, a combination of old western swing and the bluesy Tulsa sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s. And after all of this there were still a few hours left before the Blue Dome bars closed shop, a good night indeed.