O.A.R. rocks show, delights college fans

By Bill Hanley

On Sunday night the college favorite O.A.R. played at Assembly Hall. Despite the packed crowd of dedicated fans, there are still enough students here on campus that have very little idea who this band is.

First of all, the band’s name stands for, Of a Revolution. So feel free to refer to the band by its initials. Remember to say each letter, because the band is not named after the wooden paddle on the side of a rowboat.

O.A.R. has been around for about 10 years, over which time they have released seven records. Their most recent is “Stories of a Stranger” and is the reason for their current tour.

The band is composed of five members and has a unique rock feel. Most of the music has a relaxed feel that features Jerry DePizzo on the saxophone and laid-back lyrics from vocalist Marc Roberge. This combination is typical in mainstream music but has developed a cult following for this group.

Even if you are not part of this following, you probably still have heard some of O.A.R. songs at a party. Both “Hey Girl” and “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” should be part of any college experience.

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Yet, these songs are definitely better live. O.A.R. was able to put on an exciting show for all of its fans and managed to hit all the favorites, even covering legend Billy Joel. Many of the band’s songs do not sound the same in concert as they do recorded. If you enjoy O.A.R’s. style of music then it is definitely worthwhile to see them in person.

The only downside to their performance is that it felt a little brief. O.A.R. was on stage for 90 minutes, which is not too short, but with a single opening band, the night ended early enough to be home in time to catch the end of the evening news.

The brevity of the show may have been unplanned. Near the end of the show, the band announced that Roberge was feeling ill, allegedly due to eating at “Wendy’s.” Regardless of what Roberge had eaten and how pale he appeared, O.A.R. managed to complete the show with all of its members.

This was a good concert right before another week of classes began. If you missed the show, the closest O.A.R. comes to Champaign-Urbana on its tour again is Bloomington, Ind. Otherwise, just listen for their music to make an appearance at a party near you.