O.A.R. rocks Chicago

On July 24th at 9 pm, O.A.R rocked Charter One Pavilion at Notherly Island in Chicago once again. The opening act was great with a solid performance by The Beautiful Girls. They gave a great boost for the main set by O.A.R. Playing a set that was over 2 hours long and included 20 songs, it was the best concert that Charter One has seen in 3 years. To get the mood set right they started off with a couple of solid songs like “Heard the World”. But once their new song “This Town” was played a craze began throughout the crowd. They were up beat all night and sang all the words. The music was great. And the weather was amazing. Thus making the concert a perfect night. The set ended in a powerful performance of “52-50″. Then the concert was blown to shreds with an unbelievable concert. The pulled “Night Shift” out of their bag of hits and ended the concert with a 15 minute rendition of “Crazy Game of Poker”. If you want to check the full set list and reviews, then visit oarsa.org to get the the July 24th song list.

Not only did I promote for the O.A.R street team, I helped with the inaugural year of the Green Dream. This was O.A.R’s way to get people to start thinking about the environment. So look out at future concerts for people handing out 20% cards to the online store when you recycle at the venue. Plus the cards that I handed out were permeable and made with seeds so it can grow in the ground. Got to meet with Benj and Marc before and after the concert. They are super cool dudes and said the night was perfect.

Also “Wonderful Day” by O.A.R is featured in a new Ford ad which is kinda cool.

All Sides … hits All Cylinders

     Yes O.A.R. fans it has been a whole 2 days since the All Sides album has hit stores. Yes I been non stop listening to this album all day and night,And I cannot belive how well the album came together. I, propbably more than anyone else, was looking this album just to hit its threshhold. But I must admit it broke through my high expectations. It not for the reasons that the new songs are great but the musicianship of the band is mesmorizing. On the last release that introduced a heavy rock n’ roll hit “Living in the End’, and now on this most recent album it almost seems they hit a jam session with Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals.

    Though it is the same old band, they hit new heights with the structure of their old music. O.A.R. has one plan and that it is just to make music. And that music comes within them to reach all their old and new fans. The biggest suprise of the album is a song entitled, “Try Me”. This song has the embodiement to make O.A.R. a well known artist to many listeners. The chorus is written so well that it will be stuck in your head for days. But another sonf called, “Whatever Happened” reminds of the 2003 release of In Between Now and Then. It seems to have put the ending of “Revisted” with “Right on Time” and mixed a soft melody to make this new song.  

    This is probably the best all around album I have heard in a while. Still Marc Roberge has written the most deep felt lyrics like no one else can. And the combinations of all the other band members have played a huge part on All Sides. Can’t wait to see these guys a week from today. I will be there promoting and if you want to meet before hand definetely leave a comment and I will get back to you.

Of a Revolution…. Back in Chicago

A week from today on the 15th comes forth the newest studio release from the band O.A.R. (Of a Revolution…). This marks their 6th studio album since 2007 not mentioning 3 double disc live albums. Just a year removed from the release of Live at Madison Square Garden, the double disc/DVD, the popularity is on a major high. The new studio album is named “All Sides” to show the insanely diverse attributes of the band’s musical skill. With studio recorded versions of “Living in the End” and “What is Mine”. These two songs are already hits with their fans but its now time to let everyone else hear these great masterpieces.

With a fan base that is currently on the rise, these masterful musicians have found a resilience with the music industry. Having been together for over 10 years their love for music has not stopped. At the live performance on July 24th in Chicago at Charter One Pavilion, anyone in Chicago should go see an actual musical performance. Each song that was recorded at 4 minutes proceeds to be played for ten minutes in a jam band performance. Each band member has the ability to steal the show with a mind bending solo either it is Marc Roberge with ideas from the top of his head in every song, Jerry DePizzo on saxophone, Richard On with lead guitar solos, Ben Gershman on the bass, Chris Culos on Drums, or their traveling one-man-band percussionist Mikel Paris. This is not just a concert but it is a musical enlightenment. So check the their website or myspace to get more information or hear the new songs.