OF A RELECTION OF OF A REVOLUTION

The ‘O’ in O.A.R. stand for “Oh, the stories I can tell.”

The ‘A’ stands for “Apology” – I owe two band members one. (And, an additional one to my Freshman year college roommate!)

The ‘R’ stands for ‘Reflection’ – Music is a catalyst for this action; and O.A.R. songs drive this more than just about any other artist on my playlists.

Rockville, Maryland natives O.A.R. are on tour to celebrate 30 years as a band and rolled into Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on September 11.

I hopped on the O.A.R. bandwagon in 2003. My soon-to-be girlfriend sent me an AIM message and told me to download “Crazy Game of Poker”on Kazaa. (For those of you under 25-years-old….Never mind, you’ll never get it!) It was love at first listen; and love for my college fling after the first song recommendation. Two great pairings. The romance that blossomed ended in 2009, but O.A.R. has never broken my heart.

My ignorance was out in full force when I first got my ears on bootleg recordings. I dismissed the band as Dave Matthews Band-lite. They had a saxophone player, they cut their teeth around a college campus, and word of the band spread like wildfire across the region from live recordings being traded like pills at a PTA meeting. Basically the same thing? I was equally as wrong in my claim that the band first formed in Columbus.

The unchanging voice of frontman Marc Roberge is comforting. Much like the vocals of Dave Matthews or John Mayer, it’s a reminder of simpler times and my journey through life.

Opening with “Black Rock,” the band launched into a set that bounced freely across its catalog, from early material to some of its biggest mainstream successes.

“Road Outside Columbus” and “I Go Through” kept the momentum rolling before “Love and Memories” turned Blossom into a massive singalong. I vividly remember L&M being released to radio in 2005 as the lead single from ‘Stories of a Stranger.’ I dig the song, but to me, it was not an all-encompassing of the band’s signature sound (most notably, the absence of saxophone.) Much like my beloved Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash,” it was a gateway to the band’s deep catalog for new fans. Mainstream success does not suck.

Mid-set highlights included a cover of “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” by Pearl Jam and “The Weight,” by The Band, with support acts Gavin DeGraw and KT Tunstall both joining O.A.R. onstage for the latter. I’ve always loved O.A.R.’s version of “The Weight.” I vividly remember their rendition of their long-defunct Feeling Better Than Everfine Festival in 2004 (hosted by the nearby city of Cleveland) when they were joined onstage by longtime friend of the band (and longtime friend of CleveRock), Matt Nathanson.

O.A.R. dug deeper into its own musical identity with a medley combining “City on Down,” U2’s “With or Without You” and Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well.” 

One of many bright spots was trumpet player Jon Lampley, an animated player who hails from Tallmadge, Ohio (a few exits away on Route 8). It’s always great to see a local talent on the stage at Blossom Music Center.

“Hey Girl” featured touring sound engineer Nicholas Radina on cuatr! I remember driving around in my 1997 CR-V around campus, blasting live versions of this sing-along with my newly-found girlfriend. (She mistook the lyrics “hey girl” for “hey-ho,” which became a running joke that lasted throughout our relationship.)

Effectively, the band followed up with “Miss You All the Time.” I don’t miss my ex. We didn’t work out for a reason. But the lyrics and vibe of the song bring me back to tonight’s ‘R’ word – RELECTION. 

“Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” brought another familiar anthem into the spotlight. The song echoes my sentiments for “Love and Memories.” 

To nobody’s surprise, there was one more song on the setlist.

“We have to play ‘Poker’ so people don’t throw tomatoes at us,” Sax man Jerry DePizzo told CleveRock of crafting their setlists in a 2022 interview. “We did a couple of shows in ’05 or ’06 and we did two or three shows without playing ‘Poker’ at a headlining show. I remember that when we finished the set and I went out to the mezzanine area and people were walking out mad. People were like, ‘GODDAMNIT! FUCK O.A.R.!’”

Indeed, “Crazy Game of Poker” closed the night. Naturally, the song was accompanied by some bozos throwing 52 playing cards in the air. (It’s tradition.) Unnaturally, famed Cleveland Guardians characters Hot Dog and Mustard (after all, there is nothing ‘natural’ about a $1 hot dog at Progressive Field), joined in the fun. The song that started it all ended the night.

Because the concert took place on September 11, the evening served as a dedicated tribute honoring military service members, veterans, and first responders while remembering the lives lost 25 years prior. Chef Robert Irvine and the band O.A.R. teamed up for the entirety of this national tour to use their platforms to raise funds and awareness for the foundation’s programs. The band’s tour buses were wrapped in the foundation’s messaging, and they held unique nightly activations.

By the time O.A.R. walked offstage, the takeaway was simple: three decades hasn’t dulled the band’s enthusiasm for playing together. If anything, the years have given O.A.R. a deeper catalog, a greater willingness to experiment and an audience that knows exactly when to sing, and when to reflect on what the soundtrack to life means to them.

On personal notes, O.A.R. was one of the first groups to grant me media access. I remember how unbelievably badass I felt handing off a photo pass to CleveRock’s still-tenured photographer in 2004, before sitting backstage with DePizzo for an interview. A real life celebrity rockstar answered my questions and it was all recorded on microcassette. At the young age of 20, I thought my fake journalism had peaked. I was backstage at an O.A.R. concert!

The next summer, thanks in large part to my portfolio that included my prized interview with DePizzo, I was hired by an enormous company based in Redmond, Washington, who was foolish enough to try to take on iTunes in the music download business. The first day on the job, I stood in front of a video camera in the backstage area of Bonnaroo with founding bassist Benj Gershman and drummer Chris Culos. Refresher: ‘A’ stands for “apology.” I asked both gentlemen an incredibly disgusting question (a who would you/what would you rather of a sexually explicit variety) that led to consequences which almost resulted in me missing out on the best summer in the history of life. I was young. I was dumb. I was ignorant. I am sorry. (While on the topic of apologies, I’m sorry that vagueness is required here.)

While I’m apologizing, I need to send out a sincere one to my first college roommate. (“Sorry, Tim!”) He did not share my love for blasting “Night Shift” at precisely 3:00 A.M., nor my listening to their early recordings on my $20 speakers via Winamp on my Desktop computer.

My former 1997 Honda CR-V that blasted “Night Shift” and “Hey Girl” – is still on the road. Color me shocked if that vehicle doesn’t have a great deal of life left in it. Ditto for O.A.R.