Orville Peck: The Stampede Tour
Tulsa Theater
Oct. 11, 2024
What do you call a gay cowboy? Until recently, your uncle might have said “a jolly rancher,” but the collective pop culture mind now turns immediately to THE gay cowboy: Orville Peck.
The near-sold-out crowd for Peck’s October 11 show was a lively mix of classically gay boys and men, queer folks in general (many dressed in western gear) and a smattering of good ol’ boys I hoped were dragged along unsuspectingly by their enthusiastic girlfriends. Falling into the “general queer not in western wear” demographic, I took my seat between two strangers, soon to be friends.
The stage backdrop matched the Okie sunset outside the venue and dropped to a dark blue in its first color change of the night as the house lights dimmed and the man himself appeared. Festooned in trademark mask and a rhinestone cowboy fit, the satin-voiced belter launched into “Big Sky” to open the show.
In a possible answer to my prayers, a baseball-capped and tribal-tatted man in front of me held his female date’s hand and slightly craned his neck as Peck crooned “he gets me hiiiiiiigh.”
It only took a few songs for Peck to get to my personal favorite, “The Hurtin’ Kind,” and for my instincts to take over and get me singing along. A few songs later, Peck laid his ground rules for the show, which included that everyone “must sing along.”
I turned to the man on my right and apologized if I’d sung too loud. “You have a beautiful voice and need to sing more,” he said. On to the next rule, per our master of ceremonies: “If at any point during the show you feel like crying … you have to cryyy.”