Tulsa Convention (Cox) Center Arena To Become Ballroom

[Conan71]

Here's an article on the conversion of the arena in the Cox Center to a ballroom with a really nice retrospective slide show in the Tulsa World:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/downtown/before-one-last-concert-at-old-convention-center-arena-let/article_f7b7f94a-4c45-5948-bdc1-afab34bbe8aa.html

[DowntownDan]

That's gonna be one heck of a big ballroom. 

New marketing slogan:  Tulsa, we've got big balls.

[rebound]

That's gonna be one heck of a big ballroom. 

New marketing slogan:  Tulsa, we've got big balls.

"Big ball's in cowtown, we'll all go down.  Big ball's in cowtown, we'll dance around." 

[SXSW]

As you may know OKC is planning a new downtown convention center expected to be completed in 2020.  A comparison:

Cox Business Center (Tulsa)
Total Gross Square Footage: 310,625 SF
- Exhibit Hall: 102,600 SF
- Existing Ballroom: 30,000 SF
- New Ballroom: 40,000 SF
- Meeting Rooms: 26,000 SF

OKC Convention Center
Total Gross Square Footage: 500,000 SF
- Exhibit Hall: 200,000 SF
- Ballroom: 35,000 SF
- Meeting Rooms: 45,000 SF

The parking garage would have to go if the Tulsa CC were to expand.  I imagine once the new one in OKC opens that will be something to discuss, that and a new convention hotel on the Page Belcher site..

[Townsend]

What item was thrown from the crowd to make KISS end their concert early?

[dbacksfan 2.0]

What item was thrown from the crowd to make KISS end their concert early?

IIRC it was a beer bottle and it hit Gene Simmons in the head.

[AngieB]

IIRC it was a beer bottle and it hit Gene Simmons in the head.

It was a Jack Daniels bottle and it hit Peter Criss' drum kit while he was performing Beth.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

From Gene Simmons:

Tulsa World entertainment writer Vern Stefanic: "Do you remember the incident?"

Simmons: "No, I don't even remember it. What was it about?"

Tulsa World: "During the encore, somebody threw a bottle on stage, causing you to leave the stage and say you're not coming back."

Simmons: "Oh yeah. It hit Paul in the face. Well, here we are. It wouldn't be fair (to not return). I'll tell you what else. The guy probably didn't even mean to hurt anybody. But that's OK. If anybody does that again, we'll just make sure that they get him on the side and he'll get his. One person should never have the right to ruin it for 10,000 or 20,000 people."

http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/popculture/pop-culture-recapping-kiss-concert----and-the/article_7cbe9807-ce56-5114-b6b6-375895faa1cc.html

[Townsend]

Seems this story agrees with AngieB -

January 12 2003 at 10:10:31
Name: David Bagsby
Email: david_bagsby@hotmail.com
Location: Lawrence 'Rock City' KS
Comments: Regarding the Kiss show, although I wasn't there, everyone at school the next day said that for the last encore, Peter Criss came out to sing "Beth" to taped orchestra and someone in the crowd lobbed a Jack Daniels bottle into his drum kit. Outraged, Criss shouted something to the effect of "F*** you Tulsa! We're never coming back here" and stormed off the stage. Concert over. It seems like they played in Tulsa again however without Peter Criss.

http://tulsatvmemories.com/gb011803.html

[AngieB]

Yeah, and my husband was there. Corroborated by others as well.

Edited to add:
http://www.kissfaq.com/forum11/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44808
76-03-08: Tulsa, OK, USA, Assembly Center. The show was cut short when someone threw a beer bottle at Peter and knocked over several pieces of his drum kit. (KAF)

Beer bottle or Jack Daniels bottle, who really knows?

[cannon_fodder]

As you may know OKC is planning a new downtown convention center expected to be completed in 2020.  A comparison:

Cox Business Center (Tulsa)
Total Gross Square Footage: 310,625 SF
- Exhibit Hall: 102,600 SF
- Existing Ballroom: 30,000 SF
- New Ballroom: 40,000 SF
- Meeting Rooms: 26,000 SF

OKC Convention Center
Total Gross Square Footage: 500,000 SF
- Exhibit Hall: 200,000 SF
- Ballroom: 35,000 SF
- Meeting Rooms: 45,000 SF

The parking garage would have to go if the Tulsa CC were to expand.  I imagine once the new one in OKC opens that will be something to discuss, that and a new convention hotel on the Page Belcher site..

Tear down and replacing the parking garage would be very expensive... wouldn't we just be rebuilding the parking garage somewhere else?  And in that case, where we build the new parking garage such that it would be usable by the convention center and BOK?  Other solutions would be difficult too though:  expand towards the ALOFT over the road, expand over Houston, build up. 

Worth asking - do we need a bigger convention center?  Obviously we could host different/bigger/more events.  But I don't know enough about the industry to know larger convention center is what's holding us back, would we see an economic return on the investment, and how much is enough?  Obviously a bigger nicer convention center could always bring in more conventions...  didn't ew just do two rounds of expansion/remodel?  What's the current utilization rate?

Not being hostile to the idea that is sure to be floated, I just don't know...

[Conan71]

Yeah, and my husband was there. Corroborated by others as well.

Edited to add:
http://www.kissfaq.com/forum11/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44808
76-03-08: Tulsa, OK, USA, Assembly Center. The show was cut short when someone threw a beer bottle at Peter and knocked over several pieces of his drum kit. (KAF)

Beer bottle or Jack Daniels bottle, who really knows?

I was at the show in 1977 on my birthday and as I recall, I think the local media was making a big deal of the fact that Kiss had actually returned after the incident the year before with Peter Criss.

At the time, they opened their shows something along the lines of: "You wanted the best and you got it...KIIISSSS!"

When the opening band took the stage they said: "Tulsa you wanted the best and we fooled you..." lights came up and it was a bunch of guys out of make up.  Most concert-goers get that there's always an opening band.  This was the first concert I'd been to as well as my step brothers.  We thought they had pulled a fast one but we quickly realized this was just the opener.

[DowntownDan]

Tear down and replacing the parking garage would be very expensive... wouldn't we just be rebuilding the parking garage somewhere else?  And in that case, where we build the new parking garage such that it would be usable by the convention center and BOK?  Other solutions would be difficult too though:  expand towards the ALOFT over the road, expand over Houston, build up.  

Worth asking - do we need a bigger convention center?  Obviously we could host different/bigger/more events.  But I don't know enough about the industry to know larger convention center is what's holding us back, would we see an economic return on the investment, and how much is enough?  Obviously a bigger nicer convention center could always bring in more conventions...  didn't ew just do two rounds of expansion/remodel?  What's the current utilization rate?

Not being hostile to the idea that is sure to be floated, I just don't know...

What types of events would OKC qualify to host which Tulsa could not, based on the smaller size?  I can't imagine it's that much of a difference.  We should focus on improving the existing center, and the Double Tree.  If there is money to spend, it should be on a bigger, nicer hotel to attach to the convention center.

[SXSW]

What types of events would OKC qualify to host which Tulsa could not, based on the smaller size?  I can't imagine it's that much of a difference.  We should focus on improving the existing center, and the Double Tree.  If there is money to spend, it should be on a bigger, nicer hotel to attach to the convention center.

I agree, figuring out the Page Belcher site should be the next project over there.  The civic center parking garage is the only logical place to expand though if more space is needed. 

[RecycleMichael]

I was at the show in 1977 on my birthday and as I recall, I think the local media was making a big deal of the fact that Kiss had actually returned after the incident the year before with Peter Criss.

I was at the 1976 show. My father was a Tulsa police officer and was working the show backstage. He got me in a door and I got to stand off stage. It ended kinda crazy and I didn't know why at the time. My main memroy from that show was standing near the girlfriends of the band members and thinking they were so beautiful.