Slightly Stoopid brings their Summer Traditions Tour to Oklahoma City’s Diamond Ballroom for an evening of reggae music and good positive energy.
The Summer Traditions Tour makes a stop at the Diamond Ballroom after a last-minute venue change from the Zoo Amphitheatre. Although this event would have been wonderful outdoors, the venue change allowed for fans to gather closer to the stage and escape from the heat. The venue being smaller brought fans closer together, making it feel as if it was one big party.
Fortunate Youth kicked off the evening with “Riddim Rydah” and “Peace, Love & Unity.” It was evident that vocals Dan Kelly is a passionate performer as he had a large smile on his face. The crowd returned the energy as they grooved along to the beat. During “Dial My Number,” Brent Bollinger (vocalist and bassist of Pepper) joined Fortunate Youth to sing alongside Dan Kelly. Brent and Dan performed exceptionally well together and had fans dancing along with their hands in the air. They ended their set with “Burn One.” As the intro notes rolled out, fans let out a loud applause in approval of this track on the setlist. During “Burn One” the crowd sang back in unison: “Roll one up, roll one up!”
Common Kings kept the party going. They started their set with “The Light,” “Fall in Love,” and “Lost in Paradise.” Sasualei “Jr. King” Maliga commanded the room and had fans in a state of bliss as he belted out soulful vocals, showing off his impressive range. Jr. King gave fans an up close and personal experience during “Damn Good Time” as he made his way to the barricade and sang over the top of fans. Jr. King addressed the audience, “Speaking of weed, Oklahoma, where all my smokers at?” Following this statement, a strong smell of bud encompassed the air and Common Kings began “Mary Wanna.” The crowd’s reaction to “Wade in Your Water” made it evident that this hit was a crowd favorite. In the middle of “Wade in Your Water,” Jr. King said, “Not only do we represent Cali, we represent Hawaii and the South Pacific. This goes out to them.” The synthesizer intro to “No Other Love” began, and fans sang along intently as Common Kings performed the final song of their set. Common Kings performed a well thought out and fun-filled set.
Pepper opened their set with “The Good Thing” and “B.O.O.T.” Brent Bollinger and Kaleo Wassman bounced across the stage joking around with each other and appeared to be having a great time. Pepper’s set included several exciting guest appearances. Miles Doughty of Slightly Stoopid joined in singing during “Crazy Love.” Mata Grey of Common Kings shredded through the guitar riffs during “Stone Love.” Fortunate Youth’s Dan Kelly and Gregg Gelb jumped in on “Ashes.” Kyle McDonald of Slightly Stoopid came out on stage to play “Tides” with Pepper. “Tides” is one of their newer songs, which is not often played at their live performances.
At one point in the evening, Brent Bollinger pointed at a young girl holding a sign and said, “It’s smokey as sh*t in here, can you hold the sign up?” The sign read “It’s my first concert.” Brent dedicated their next song to her and began playing “Too Much.” Toward the end of the set, Yesod Williams played an impressive drum solo that featured clips of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin & Juice.” Pepper closed out their set with “Warning.”
Slightly Stoopid started their set with “Champion of the Charles,” “Bandelero,” and “Officer.” Upon Slightly Stoopid taking the stage, one of the first things that could be noticed was the incredible artwork on Miles Doughty’s guitar and amp. The guitar had a psychedelic mermaid, tentacles, and a sinking ship. Miles’ amp paid tribute to Star Wars featuring an image of the Death Star and Tie Fighters.
Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald traded off bass, guitar, and vocal duties. During their set, large screens could be seen behind the band featuring various graphics, clips from live shows, and trippy videos. Slightly Stoopid pulled out all the stops and surprised fans with two secret guest appearances. The first special guest appearance was rapper Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 who performed “Still Dre” (a Dr. Dre cover), “Upside Down,” and “Hands High.” Chali is a master of flow, clarity, and delivery. His bass-baritone voice was impressively powerful. The second special guest was Tye Zamora, the original bassist for Alien Ant Farm. Hearing Tye Zamora’s take on some of Slightly Stoopid’s basslines was truly a treat.
Right before their encore, Slightly Stoopid brought out multiple members of Common Kings for “If This World Were Mine.” Slightly Stoopid did a two-song encore. The first encore song was “Closer to the Sun” which featured several guests from the various bands, making for a fun collaboration. The final encore featured Chali 2na covering “P.I.M.P.” by 50 Cent.
The Summer Traditions Tour is coming to an end, but still has a handful of dates until early September. This tour is selling out quickly. This is a lineup you won’t want to miss.
SLIGHTLY STOOPID
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PEPPER
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COMMON KINGS
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