TULSA, Okla. — The BOK is ready to rock out again. Friday, it kicked off its very first concert in 17 months with Alan Jackson.
Concerts draw in thousands of fans to the BOK, but also significant revenue to businesses in the area.
We're super excited, I mean, we're ready to get rolling," Sarah Swanner, head bartender at Arena Pub and Grill said.
Arena Pub and Grill sits directly across from the BOK Center.
Swanner said they had been waiting for this day.
“We haven’t seen a concert yet, so we’re fully staffed, and we’re so prepared and we’re so excited to see, you know, our Tulsa faces again," she said.
Concert fans mean business for their pub, but since concerts were cancelled for the past 17 months, their business was hurting.
Their pub opened last June, right in the midst of the pandemic.
“It was a little bit rough, I’m not going to lie, you know opening up a businesses you know during a pandemic, it’s not the easiest we struggled for a while, but you know we’re finally picking back up, we’re starting to see face,” Swanner said.
She said their business managed to survive through the pandemic thanks to the community's support.
“That’s how we were able to survive, bands, good food, good staff,” she said.
Now, they are back on the mend and ready to welcome the concert crowds back.
“We’re just really excited,” Swanner said.
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