I stood a little dumbfounded amidst the hooting fraternity brothers and squealing teenage girls, but it was all I ever expected from an O.A.R. concert.
O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) started their own revolution as high school students in a garage band back in 1997. They mix rock, acoustic and reggae into a style that is all their own.
Opening the show with the upbeat “Wonderful Day,” turning the crowd into a undulating mass of American Eagle and Hollister.
While the music has a decidedly pop-ish sound, singer Marc Roberge has consistent delivers soulful lyrics, partnered by Jerry DePizzo’s sweet sax melody carried throughout the show. All this combined with a strong reggae beat lends itself well to dancing music.
The only downfall to the show was that it was too predictable.
During a good jam, like their hauntingly slow version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “59th Street Bridge” (Feelin’ Groovy), the seemingly ADHD crowd would lose focus, so O.A.R. would bring them back with one of the hits from their newest album, Stories of a Stranger. And, as expected, they ended their show with a long, jam-infused version of their 1999 hit “That was a Crazy Game of Poker.”
O.A.R. is breaking out of their shell and shedding the college-tour scene, but it’s coming at a cost. The crowd is getting younger and younger, which can be a pain in the ass for us that don’t have the tolerance to deal with high schoolers. The fact that Roberge said, “Here’s a song about making whoopee. For those that are underage, it’s a song about . taking a nap,” just twisted the knife in my heart.
But crowd aside, the music is great and the lyrics make me feel good to sing.
Also, this band is all about the beat, so the music is perfect for dancing. The only thing is that the crowded aisles at the Asheville Civic Center are not conducive to this. This would have been a much more entertaining show at a bar or lounge like the Orange Peel.

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