All Louisvillians know that Oaks night is the best night of the year…there are celebrities mulling around our fare town, the bars are open until 6:00 AM, and we get to laugh at tourists trying casually to keep down their Mint Julep. I still contend that the best part of Oaks night by far, is the live music wafting through the air, filling the streets and hearts of our Derby bound city. Here are just a few of your options around town to create your own Oaks night soundtrack:
Rob Zombie @ Iroquois Ampitheather – The shock-rocker/filmmaker/artist is returning to town after being gone for far too long. Launching his career as the frontman for heavy metal giants White Zombie, he has been pursuing a solo career since the band broke up in 1997. His show is filled with grindhouse horror show theatrics, and charmingly disturbing props that look like they fell out of Plan 9 from Outer Space. The show is listed as sold-out, but that doesn’t mean tickets are entirely unattainable.
Fall Out Boy @ 4th Street Live – The pop-punk/emo wonder boys reunited last year, recorded an album hilariously titled Save Rock and Roll, and they haven’t been off the road since. So if you want an Oaks night filled with guys in smeared eyeliner, sporting bad sleeve tattoos, and still crying over high school heartbreak, then you will certainly not wanna miss this show. $5 at the door.
Jackyl @ Phoenix Hill Tavern – Jesse James Dupree and his merry band of lumberjack rockers are going to be rolling into town with guitars ripping and chainsaws shredding, guaranteeing as always, to put on one of the best hard rock shows you’ll ever see. Jesse James also appears on TruTV’s Full Throttle Saloon, and owns Jesse James bourbon; he will be doing a bottle signing Oaks Day at Liquor Barn on Fern Valley Road from 3 PM until 5 PM. The concert starts at Phoenix Hill will begin around 9 PM and tickets are $20, you may purchase them here.
Southern Culture on the Skids with Wanda Jackson @ Headliners – Southern Culture on the Skids, formed in 1983, and has been making alt-country records since way before it was hip to make alt-country records. Hell, in their day, they didn’t even have the term alt-country…they were just considered some distended form of southern rock. And Wanda Jackson, at 76 years young is still hitting the road hard. Having had her first hit song in the 1950’s, and riding a resurgence in popularity over recent years, mostly due to her work with Jack White and his Third Man Records, she always promises a spry show for the ages…all ages. Tickets are still available here, they are $17.
Scott McCreery @ Waterfront Park – Scotty McCreary won American Idol in 2011. Since his television victory, he has gone on to release two studio albums and a Christmas album. Tickets are (shockingly) still available at $32.50 a piece, and you can buy them here.
Wynona @ Fillies and Lilies Party at Kentucky Derby Museum – Wynonna Judd is one of the original divas of country music. The Kentucky native built her career as the daughter half, of the mother-daughter singing duo The Judds, after disbanding the group she has spent the most recent phase of her life working as a solo artist. She will be performing Oaks night at the Fillies and Lilies Party. You can get tickets here.
