For the first time since 2020, live performances will be gracing Riverwind Casino’s Showplace Theatre, with numerous popular acts ready to take the stage this summer and fall.
Performers Earth, Wind and Fire will usher in the return of entertainment on June 23, followed by artists Collective Soul, Josh Turner, Dwight Yoakam, Counting Crows, REO Speedwagon, Chicago and Foreigner. Additionally, comedian Gabriel Iglesias makes his return on July 29 for two shows.
While Riverwind has continued its popular COOP Ale Works Beats & Bites Festival featuring live music during the summer months, the Showplace Theatre hasn’t hosted a performance since a Candlebox concert on Feb. 21, 2020.
A major construction project at Riverwind Casino resulted in the theatre being used as an extension of the gaming floor.
“The Showplace Theatre is one of Central Oklahoma’s best live-performance venues and it’s gratifying to bring both long-established and up-and-coming entertainers to Riverwind,” said Justin Yahola, Riverwind Casino’s general manager. “We’ve already lined up multiple well-known acts for the coming months and will continue to build on our venue’s reputation for entertainment and fun.”
Following are details about the upcoming performers: Earth, Wind and Fire 8 p.m., Friday, June 23 In 1969, music legend Maurice White birthed the music force named after the elements from his astrological charts. With soul as deep as the plant, Earth, Wind & Fire have charted a musical history that’s scored eight No. 1 hits and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
They’ve released 23 albums; eight of which went double platinum and hit the top 10, making them one of the best-selling artists of all time. From the funky and infectious “Let’s Groove” to the timeless dance classic “September” to the heartfelt “Reasons,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s catalog of hits has become the soundtrack to many lives. Tickets: General Admission $85-$125, VIP packages are also available.
Collective Soul 8 p.m., Friday, July 21 Born during the rise of grunge and alternative rock, Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity when they rose to international fame in 1993 with the rock anthem “Shine.” The multi-platinum quintet has been making music for two decades since and has a catalog of No. 1 hits under their belts. Collective Soul helped shape and define alternative rock with an emphasis on guitars and attitude. Tickets: General Admission $50-$60, VIP packages are also available.
Josh Turner 8 p.m., Friday, July 28 With his deep bass voice, Turner has sold more than 6.5 million records, reached 4.8 billion global streams and has become a favorite and unforgettable hitmaker on country radio. With timeless songs like “Long Black Train” and “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Turner’s five No. 1 singles include “Your Man,” of which the official music video surpassed 100 million views.
Turner has received six Inspirational Country Music Awards, and has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, five CMA Awards, two ACM Awards, one CMT Award and seven ACA Awards. Tickets: General Admission $60-$70.
Gabriel Iglesias 7 p.m., Saturday, July 29 (2 shows) Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians performing to sold-out concerts around the world. He is also one of the most watched comedians on YouTube with almost a billion views and has more than 25 million fans across social media.
In 2018, Iglesias was included in The Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 40 Comedy Players” issue alongside comedy giants Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Lorne Michaels. The comedian has also had the distinct honor of being one of the few to headline and sell-out Madison Square Garden in New York, Staples Center in Los Angeles and Sydney Opera House in Australia. Tickets: General Admission $65-$75.
Dwight Yoakam 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19 Dwight Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide and is a 21-time nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award winner. He has 12 gold albums and nine platinum or multi-platinum albums, with five of those albums topping Billboard’s Country Albums chart and another 14 landing in the top 10. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted on Billboard, with 14 peaking in the top 10.
Yoakam is a recipient of the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, the most prestigious award offered by the organization.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the Songwriter/ Artist category in 2019. In addition to his musical career, Yoakam is a formidable film and television actor who has appeared in over 40 feature films, including “Sling Blade” and “Panic Room.” Tickets: General Admission $70-$80.
Counting Crows 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25 For more than two decades, the GRAMMY- and Academy Award-nominated rock band Counting Crows have enchanted listeners worldwide with their intensely soulful and intricate take on timeless rock and roll.
Exploding onto the music scene in 1993 with their multi-platinum breakout album, August and Everything After, the band has gone on to release seven studio albums, selling more than 20 million records worldwide, and is revered as one of the world’s most pre-eminent live touring rock bands.
In October 1996, the band’s double-platinum sophomore studio album, Recovering the Satellites, debuted at No. 1 and further solidified their growing reputation as one of the leading American alternative rock bands in the world.
A follow up to their early success; Counting Crows went on to release This Desert Life (1999), Hard Candy (2002), Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings (2008), Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation) (2012), Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow (2013) and Somewhere Under Wonderland (2014).
Tickets: General Admission $85-$100, VIP packages are also available.
REO Speedwagon 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8 Formed in 1967 and fronted by iconic vocalist Kevin Cronin since 1972, REO Speedwagon’s unrelenting drive, as well as non-stop touring and recording, jump-started the burgeoning rock movement in the Midwest.
Platinum albums and radio staples soon followed, setting the stage for the release of the band’s explosive Hi Infidelity in 1980, which contained the massive hit singles “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On the Run.” That landmark album spent 15 weeks in the No. 1 slot and has since earned the RIAA’s coveted 10X Diamond Award for surpassing sales of 10 million units in the United States.
From 1977 to 1989, REO Speedwagon released nine consecutive albums all certified platinum or higher. Today, REO Speedwagon has sold more than 40 million albums and Cronin and bandmates Bruce Hall (bass), Dave Amato (guitar) and Bryan Hitt (drums) are still electrifying audiences worldwide in concert with hits and fan favorites such as “Ridin’ The Storm Out,” “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” “Time For Me To Fly,” “Roll With The Changes,” “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On the Run.”
Tickets: General Admission $80-$90, VIP packages are also available.
Chicago 8 p.m., Friday, Sept. 15 The legendary rock and roll band with horns, Chicago, came in as the highest charting American band in Billboard Magazine’s Top 125 Artists of All Time.
Chicago is the first American rock band to chart top-40 albums in six consecutive decades. Chicago received The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the GRAMMYS. Chicago’s lifetime achievements include two Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, Founding Artists of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Chicago street dedicated in their honor and keys to and proclamations from an impressive list of U.S. cities.
Record sales top 100 million and include 21 top 10 singles, five consecutive No. 1 albums, 11 No. 1 singles and five gold singles. An incredible 25 of their 38 albums have been certified platinum and the band has a total of 48 gold and platinum awards.
Chicago was inducted into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tickets: General Admission $85-$125.
Foreigner 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 6 With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 top-30 hits, Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 75 million.
Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Long, Long Way From Home” and the worldwide No. 1 hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” Foreigner continues to rock the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard Top 200 album success.
Tickets: General Admission $85-$95, VIP packages are also available.
Tickets can be purchased online at Riverwind.com, the Showplace Theatre Box Office or on the day of the event (if available). Box office hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
