From Madison Square Garden to James Madison Univeristy, O.A.R. plays one crazy concert
By Kelly Fisher, a&e editor
Posted on April 10, 2006

The jam-packed Convocation Center erupted as O.A.R. took the stage Thursday night at UPB’s spring concert. The audience’s enthusiasm and energy continued throughout the band’s entire two-hour set.

O.A.R., which stands for Of A Revolution, first came to JMU and played at Wilson Hall in 2001, but were met by a much larger audience this time around.

“This is one of the bigger places we’re playing on this tour,” O.A.R. saxophonist and guitarist Jerry DePizzo said.

Other members of O.A.R. include Marc Roberge on vocals and guitarist Richard On, Chris Culos on drums and Benj Gershman on bass. Michael Paris also joined O.A.R. onstage on keyboard and percussion.

Their current tour, sponsored by Playstation and Major League Baseball, is unlike any of their past tours. Concertgoers had the chance to try out Playstation’s new game, “MLB ’06: The Show,” which was set up in the Convo outside of the gym.

Many longtime O.A.R. fans were happy to hear that O.A.R. would be stopping by JMU on their spring tour.

“I liked them before they got really big,” freshman Sean Banks said. “I’ve always followed them.”

The members of the band, who have released seven albums since 1997, have witnessed an evolution of their sound.

“It’s been a natural progression,” DePizzo said. “Our reggae is more reggae. Our rock is more rock. There’s less of a middle ground.”

They released their latest studio album, Stories of a Stranger, last September.

“Our goal for this CD was to make the quintessential O.A.R. album,” DePizzo said. “We wanted to touch all the different areas: rock, ballads, radio songs, jam-out songs.”

They seem to have succeeded, having sold out Madison Square Garden in January. Band members remind each other of their amazing experience before every show.

“Our mantra right now is ‘Every night M.S.G,’” DePizzo said. “But we treat every show the same.’”

Though not Madison Square Garden, JMU showed up in full force Thursday night.

The band Army of Me opened the show at 8 p.m. with a half-hour set which included songs “Perfect,” “Still Believe In You” and hit “Going Through Changes,” which is featured on the Playstation game “MLB ’06: The Show.” The Washington, D.C.– based band performed as crowds filed into the Convo in anticipation for O.A.R.

The quasi-local quartet, who has been together since 1999, has slowly gained a following of fans. Signing on to 12 dates with O.A.R. for their spring 2006 tour will no doubt add to their fan base.

“They were pretty good, “ junior Sheila Nasseri said.

 Junior Mike Barchok added, “I like the atmosphere they bring,”

As the clock turned to 9 p.m., the Convo lights dimmed and O.A.R. opened their set with “52-50,” a song off their newest album, Stories. The flashing lights illuminated the Convocation Center and hyped up the crowd. DePizzo’s saxophone solo added to the excitement and was a great way to kick off the show.

“It’s a wonderful day today!” Roberge yelled out to the audience, and the band transitioned into another upbeat Stories song, “Wonderful Day.”

After “Darah Meyod,” the band played “Lay Down,” which is their latest single, as well as DePizzo’s current favorite song to perform.

“It’s the perfect blend between island and rock,” he said.

Longtime fans were ecstatic to hear old favorites such as “Black Rock,” “City On Down” and “I Feel Home,” and they sang almost as loud as the band. When they slowed down a bit and played “Heard the World,” audience members held up lighters to complete the ambiance.

Highlights from their set included an extended version of “Anyway,” a cover of U2’s “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” and “Love and Memories.”

They finished with a crowd favorite, “Hey Girl,” which Roberge joked that it was about a girl he used to stalk.

The band came back for an encore with “Dakota,” a song about John Lennon, and finally ended the show with a 20-minute version of their classic song, “That Was A Crazy Game of Poker.”

“I thought the sax player was amazing,” sophomore Brittany Tiplady said of DePizzo.

University of Mary Washington student Mike Mattson said, “This is the seventh O.A.R. show that I’ve been to. Every time they reinvent themselves.

Their set was a perfect blend of recent songs and old favorites that all fans of the band could appreciate. From “52-50” until the final encore, O.A.R. was accompanied by the lively audience singing along to every word. Although it wasn’t Madison Square Garden, O.A.R. showed James Madison one crazy concert.