“The Boys From Oklahoma” are returning to their roots with back-to-back concerts in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Following a more than 14 year split that long showed no signs of a reclamation, red dirt trail blazers Cross Canadian Ragweed have announced their return with back-to-back concerts next spring in Stillwater, Oklahoma — the town they cut their teeth playing college bars in the mid-90s.
The concerts, set for April 11 and 12 at Boone Pickens Stadium, will feature direct support from fellow Okies Turnpike Troubadours, along with the Great Divide, Stoney LaRue, and Jason Boland and the Stragglers. Tickets go on pre-sale on October 7, with a public sale starting October 11.
“The thing that sticks out the most to me about Ragweed was all the people that we met,” said frontman Cody Canada in a press release. “That’s why there’s a part of me that never wants to quit doing this. I’m nostalgic for that. I think that everybody should have a little nostalgia in their life. So, let’s get together, and let’s make sure that we sound really good, and let’s make people smile."
The long-awaited reunion comes after nearly a month of cryptic posts to the band’s social media channels — their first activity since the split — that left fans feeling like this time was different. Many of those posts centered around country star Koe Wetzel, who paid homage to the group with his 2019 song “Ragweed.” The song ignited desire for the band to get together again.
“Everybody had really finally stopped asking me about when the band was going to get back together, then he put out that f****** song,”Canada told Texas Radio Live in 2020, laughing. “No, I like the song. It's an honor.”
But Wetzel is far from the only performer today whose influence can be traced back to Ragweed. In addition to the artists that will share the stage with them in Stillwater, names like Dierks Bentley, Brent Cobb, Drive-By Truckers, and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit all reference the band in songs — or note that the band has helped shaped their sound. Even Lee Ann Womack joined Ragweed on their song “Sick And Tired,” a moment that Canada said “helped a bunch of tattooed hippies from Oklahoma look classy in the eyes of country music.”
But Ragweed’s impact is felt most in their home state’s musicians, with household names like Turnpike Troubadours and Zach Bryan selling out arenas, and rising stars Wyatt Flores and Kaitlin Butts turning a new generation of listeners into red dirt fans.
Looking back on Ragweed’s catalog and legacy, it’s easy to see why their impact was so profound. Despite the 2005 song “Fightin’ For” being their only Top 40 hit on the country charts, the band carved out a name for themselves as one of the region’s most sought after non-mainstream bands with their rowdy, edgy, punk-adjacent rock sound. Songs like “Boys From Oklahoma” and “Dimebag” — both about marijuana — quickly became staples for the band upon their release, tapping into and helping refine the renegade and anti pop-country narrative that Texas and red dirt music have become synonymous with.
While anticipation is through the roof for Ragweed’s return, Canada has been sure to stress that, as of now, the show is a one-off affair. However, he’s also left the door open to a tour and even more if things go well and the interest is there for it. Currently only one thing’s for certain — Cross Canadian Ragweed is back, and once again all roads lead to Stillwater.
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