By Richard Skanse

While it might be logistically impossible to jam every major and up-and-coming act from the Red Dirt/Texas music scene onto one festival bill, you gotta give the folks booking the annual Medicine Stone credit for coming awfully damn close. 

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the festival — now in its sixth year — was actually founded by two of the scene’s biggest names of the last two decades: Turnpike Troubadours and Jason Boland. That’s two bona-fide headliners covered straightaway; but throw in the likes of the Randy Rogers Band, Reckless Kelly, Cody Canada and the Departed, Wade Bowen, John Fullbright, Flatland Cavalry, and nearly two dozen more of the most popular Americana acts from both sides of the Red River — plus Texas hard rockers the Toadies, just to remind you that you’re not at Kerrville — and you’ve got yourself one hell of a pow wow. 

Tickets and camping/accomodation packages for this year’s Medicine Stone, to be held Sept. 20-22 at the Diamondhead Resort in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, go on sale Friday, June 1 exclusively at the venue’s official website, www.medicinestoneok.com. 

medicine_stone_2018_poster_final_copyPrices range from individual “Roughin’ It” (i.e., bring your own tent or find yourself an off-site location to crash for the night) three-day passes for $150 to the $2,450 “Party House” package, which includes 15 three-day passes and accomodations in the on-site bunkhouse (linens and bath towels not included.) Big spenders without 14 friends or an entourage of free-loading moochers can also opt for a two or four person “VIP Motel Livin'” deal ($950/$1250), which comes with festival passes, a hotel room, shuttle service, daily meet and greet opportunities, swag bags, and one custom-wrapped guitar authographed by all of the Medicine Stone artists. Regular (non-VIP) multi-person motel packages are also available, along with RV camping options. 

Admittedly, none of the packages are exactly “cheap” — especially when you factor in what gas might be going for come late summer, if making it to Tahlequah requires fillng up that RV or even a crammed hatchback for a long road trip. But if you were already saving up for one big Texas/Oklahoma-area festival this year and the thought of braving crowds of 60,000 people a day at Austin’s Zilker Park to see Paul McCartney, Metallica, and Childish Gambino at ACL doesn’t exactly scratch your Red Dirt itch, then Medicine Stone is the festivus for the rest-of-us made especially for you. And if you like to plan your fun down to the last minute months in advance, here’s the event’s full schedule, by day, stage, and time. 

THURS., SEPT. 20
Main Stage
6:00-6:45 p.m. — Read Southall
7:15-8:15 p.m. — Koe Wetzel
8:45-10:00 p.m. — Wade Bowen
10:30-Midnight — Randy Rogers Band

Mary Ellen’s Greenhouse Stage
12:15 a.m.-1:45 a.m. — Micky & the Motorcars

Gravel Bar Stage
3:00-4:00 p.m. — BC & the Big Rig
4:30-6:00 p.m. — RC & the Ambers
12:15 a.m.-1:45 a.m. — The Vandoliers

FRI., SEPT. 21
Main Stage
5:00-5:45 p.m. — Jamie Lin Wilson
6:10-7:10 p.m. — Reckless Kelly
7:35-8:35 p.m. — Cody Canada & the Departed
9:00-10:00 p.m. — The Toadies
10:30-Midnight — Turnpike Troubadours

Mary Ellen’s Greenhouse Stage
1:30-2:30 p.m. — Jason Boland, Cody Canada, & Mike McClure (acoustic)
3:00-4:30 p.m. — John Fullbright
12:15 a.m.-1:45 a.m. — Charley Crockett

Gravel Bar Stage
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — Dave Kay
1:00-2:00 p.m. — Brandon Aguilar
2:30-4:00 p.m. — OK Film and Music (artist TBA)
12:15 a.m.-1:45 a.m. — Dirty River Boys

SAT., SEPT. 22
5:00-5:45 p.m. — Red Dirt Rangers
6:10-7:10 p.m. — Red Shahan
7:35-8:35 p.m. — Flatland Cavalry
9:00-10:00 p.m. — Shooter Jennings
10:30-Midnight — Jason Boland & the Stragglers

Mary Ellen’s Greenhouse Stage
1:30-2:30 p.m. — Mike McClure Band
3:00-4:30 p.m. — Kaitlin Butts
12:15 a.m.-1:45 a.m. — Bo Phillips

Gravel Bar Stage
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — Randy Crouch
1:00-2:00 p.m. — Thomas Trapp
2:30-4:00 p.m. — Austin Meade
12:15 a.m.-1:45 a.m. — The Dirty Mugs