The Boys from Oklahoma are coming back in 2026. Cross Canadian Ragweed have announced at least one more big reunion show for next year and fans of the band are fired up.
But who exactly are Cross Canadian Ragweed? To mainstream country listeners, they’re a blind spot, but to fans of gritty, rock-influenced Red Dirt country, the Stillwater, Oklahoma, group are living legends, known for anthems like “Alabama” and “17.” (See Ragweed’s essential songs here.)
According to Rolling Stone contributor Josh Crutchmer’s series of books on Red Dirt music, including the recent Never Say Never: The Boys from Oklahoma, and a Red Dirt Comeback Story for the Ages, the band first formed in 1994 and quickly developed a reputation for a must-see live show that mixed rock & roll with twang.
They sold out shows throughout their native Oklahoma and nearby Texas, and in 2002 signed a major label record deal. Ragweed’s 2004 album Soul Gravy hit Number 5 on the country charts and the 2005 followup, Garage, gave the band their only Top 40 country hit, “Fightin’ For.”
But while Ragweed may not have had mainstream radio success, they made fans of everyone from Texas icons Pat Green and Charlie Robison to Nashville stars like Dierks Bentley. Bentley even name-checked Ragweed in one of his first hits, “Free and Easy Down the Road I Go.” And Texas singer Koe Wetzel would go on to title his song “Ragweed” in honor of the band, after the group split up in 2010.
It was a particularly vicious breakup, and singer Cody Canada swore to Rolling Stone that they’d never reunite. But, as the saying goes, “never say never.” In April, Cross Canadian Ragweed played their first full show together in 15 years. And it was in a stadium.
Dubbed the Boys From Oklahoma, after Ragweed’s beloved 1999 song of the same name, the shows blossomed into four concerts at Boone Pickens Stadium on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. More than 180,000 tickets were sold, leading Ragweed’s agent to describe it as “Red Dirt Woodstock.
Reunion shows in Texas and a one-off in Colorado all followed, and now, Cross Canadian Ragweed are looking to the future. Specifically, April 11, where they’ll once again play Boone Pickens Stadium. Like this year’s reunion shows, Turnpike Troubadours, who themselves went through a rough breakup and triumphant reunion, will co-headline.
A presale for the Boys from Oklahoma 2026 begins Sept. 5. If any tickets remain, they’ll be available starting Monday, Sept. 8.
