Choctaw Casino and Resort management in Durant has decided to hold a music festival at their facility in the fall of 2024. Such events had not been organized in Choctaw before. The music festival was held at the casino for 4 days from October 10 to 13. The venue was the Grand Theater.
Such events allowed the casino to promote itself and attract not only gambling enthusiasts but also fans of good music. Such a strategy of land-based casinos is not a rare phenomenon. After all, it allows them to compete successfully with the iGaming industry. The fact is that most gambling fans prefer to play over the Internet from their PCs and phones. If you study the Google search results leader onlinecasinobuddy.com, you can find dozens of major online casinos. Thousands of games, convenience of play, attractive bonuses — all these features attract millions of players. Therefore, land-based casinos must become more interesting to attract a diverse audience.
The event organizers said it was a success because worthy performers were invited to the festival. Megan Moroney had the honor of opening the first Choctaw Music Festival. The Academy of Country Music named her the 2023 New Artist of the Year. The next day, Oct. 11, another star, Grammy Award-winner Lainey Wilson, took the stage.
The popular rock band Foreigner went on their farewell tour of Durant on Oct. 12. That same day, Gilley’s hosted a special event at 2 p.m. featuring ACM singers and songwriters. Leading the event were Tranny Anderson and Dallas Wilson. They have written hits for Lainey Wilson and other famous country singers.
Tranny Anderson co-wrote the songs “Heart Like a Truck” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” written for Wilson. He also helped write the hit song “3 Feet Tall” for Cole Swindell and the song “Last Rodeo” for Roode. On the other hand, Wilson helped Dylan Scott write the lyrics for “Nobody” and “Can’t Have My.”
The duets discussed their joint compositions, remembered how the writing process went, shared their inspiration, and explained what formed the basis of their hits. The authors also discussed their experience writing songs for the stars, how difficult it was, and what emotions they experienced. Also at Gilley’s, Moroni, Wilson, and the band Foreigner performed their hits, followed by several performances by aspiring stars.
On Oct. 10, after Megan Moroney’s performance, The Close took the main stage, and Lainey Wilson replaced Bailey Rae on the festival stage. The AC/TC and Rock Radio bands performed at Gilley’s after the Singers and Songwriters Concert (which started at 5:30 p.m.).
On Oct. 13, Gilley’s hosted performances by rising area artists every hour from noon until 7 p.m. Today, listeners are treated to hits by artists such as Paul Renna, Tim Leiter, Sawyer Guymon, Todd Mankin Band, Ryan Glenn, Tom McElwain, and The Kerosene Drifters.
Posters and t-shirts commemorating the opening ceremony of Choctaw’s first music festival were on sale at the festival. They were available for purchase starting at $10 each.