O.A.R. plays enthusiastic show at Elliott
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 11/02/2009
Josh Baird | Staff Photographer
Marc Roberge, lead vocalist of O.A.R. sings in the Eliot Hall of Music during Friday's performance.
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“This town, this city, this crowd” rocked Elliott Hall of Music on Friday night as O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) performed in front of the biggest audience of their tour.
A year removed from a canceled show at Purdue, the band delivered an energetic show that kept the near-capacity crowd on their feet from beginning to end.
“It was a great time,” said Dan Kelly, a junior in the College of Engineering. “They played a mixture of their old and new songs and really got the audience into it.”
The show kicked off with the Nashville-based Elmwood, a jam band reminiscent of O.A.R. that provided the perfect segue into the headliners. Their 40-minute set ended with an appearance from O.A.R. saxophonist, Jerry DePizzo, who jammed with them through a 10-minute instrumental piece.
O.A.R. followed with an upbeat set that featured new songs and old favorites, including “This Town,” “Night Shift” and “Shattered.” The band pulled from the best of their repertoire to keep the energy level high and the audience engaged, a feat they pulled off in fine fashion. Toward the end of the show, DePizzo took his solo into the audience to the excitement of the crowd.
Surprises did not end there. Before the final song, DePizzo ran off stage in apparent anger. Frontman Marc Roberge explained he had something to do and introduced a Grammy-winning guest saxophone player who would come to play for him. DePizzo then reappeared – dressed as Kenny G – and led the band into a terrific rendition of fan-favorite, “Hey Girl.”
“These girls around me actually believed it was Kenny G for about half the song,” said Laura Podgorski, a junior in the College of Engineering. “It was a pretty funny costume.”
The concert ended on a high note, with the audience enthusiastically cheering for an encore amid another group of cries for “O.A.R! O.A.R!”
“It was one of the better shows I’ve seen,” Podgorski said. “The band was really into it, and the audience reflected that.”