Josh Turner at Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma on June 14, 2025.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor Nicole Pollock.
The Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma hosts a festival every summer called Beats and Bites which included Josh Turner. The casino brings in food trucks and live music, local and big time stars, for Okies to enjoy. On this night of the festival we were blessed with the performances of Edwin McCain and Josh Turner. Every staff member I talked to had nothing but kind things to say about these two artists, not just as performers but also personally. I actually ran into Edwin McCain backstage and can say, from the interaction I trust all of the opinions I had heard. The staff at this event were also extremely kind people and were more than happy to help me figure some stuff out when things got a little bit turned around.
I would consider Josh Turner to be a country music legend and I feel like having an audience of ALL ages like he had that night proved me right. There were so many college aged fans along with a large chunk of the audience being older. This Country Music Thing, Josh’s 10th album, was released in August of 2024 so his supporters had some time to get to know some of the songs he would be playing live. A few songs from the new album were included in the setlist such as Unsung Hero, Two Steppin’ on the Moon, and more. One of my favorite moments was when the whole audience sang loud with Josh during his cover of Hank Williams’ “I Saw The Light” during the gorgeous Oklahoma sunset. We did see the light, and it was beautiful.
One of my friends told me that Josh sounds exactly the same live, if not better than his studio recorded music. I cannot express how true this is. The performance was full of raw talent as Josh and his band scooted around in their blue jeans and cowboy boots. When he played Why Don’t We Just Dance, I do not think that there was a pair of feet in attendance who didn’t dance to the song. He gave much appreciation to each band member on stage with him, including how long each musician has been playing with him, and gave a shoutout to his wife. Of course Josh played his fan favorites, Would You Go With Me, Long Black Train, and Your Man. Everybody had a blast and now gets to say the classic, “I’ve heard this song live” when a song by this country music GOAT, Josh Turner, is played.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer Nicole Pollock in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ©2025.
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