by Renee Robbins | December 27th , 2024

All images are from Cliffdiver’s - Album release show in Tulsa, OK on 12/27/24.

This past Friday, Oklahoma band Cliffdiver held an unforgettable album release show for their recent album Birdwatching in Tulsa, OK at Cain’s Ballroom. The band held a similar around-Christmas show last year, but this one was different in a few ways; The 7-piece band was not only celebrating their recent album release, but also saying farewell to two of their members; marking this as not only their last show of the year, but also their last show as a 7-piece band. They will continue into the new year as a 5-piece, but made sure to make the last 2024 Cliffdiver show well worth it.

The show was joined by three crowd-captivating openers; SUNFO, Sincere Engineer (solo), and a reunion set from Tulsa locals The Tokyo Smash. All three openers put on incredible sets for the crowd, getting them ready for Cliffdiver to come out for their set. By the time the three openers had taken the stage, Cain’s Ballroom had filled up and Cliffdiver was ready to take the stage. The show incorporated their entire Birdwatching album, as well as a good mix of fan-favorites such as F.A.K.E and Lost in Ikea.

The show opened with the first song from their new album Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving!!! which immediately got fans singing along and off their feet. If you’ve ever seen Cliffdiver before, you’ll know that they’re a band that brings a massive amount of energy to a room, and you could feel it the second they started to play. As the show continued, the band weaved every Birdwatching song into the setlist, even songs that they shared will never be played live again like track CLIFFDRIVER. The room was singing, jumping, and dancing with the band all night long. They also had a few special guests, including lead singer Joey’s son twice to help sing along to some songs. Throughout the show, the band stopped to talk to the crowd about how special the show felt, and it was evident that the crowd felt the same way. As this show was playing Birdwatching in its entirety, the crowd got to hear several songs that had never been played live before, bringing the feeling full circle that this show would be one to remember for both the band and the fans that came out for it.

The show continued with an unbeatable energy that didn’t falter throughout the night, even with heavy tracks that brought a few tears; the band was able to keep the energy flowing seamlessly. By the end of the set, the band left off with New Vegas Bomb and came back out for two more tracks; Goin’ for the Garbage Plate, and Gas City. Garbage plate was met with crowd surfers and an energetic pit, and Gas City had the whole room singing, which is no surprise considering how much of a fan-favorite the track is; even being highly requested on their previous migration tour when it wasn’t originally on the setlist. Although a killer set from the band is no surprise, this particular show had an energy that felt unmatched the entire night and left fans likely excited for what’s to come as we ring in the new year.