O.A.R. plays new songs at Green Bay concert
I arrived at the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay around 7:00 p.m. for the O.A.R. concert on March 25.
The crowd wasn�t big at this point. The concert was general admission and almost everyone who was there so far was in the middle section in front of the stage. At first my cousin and I stood off to the side of the stage.
Singer/Songwriter Marc Broussard was the first opening act. He played an acoustic guitar with guest Calvin Turner on bass. Broussard�s set was short but the crowd was into it and dancing along to the songs. When he finished, the band Pseudopod took the stage.
We wanted to get closer to get some good pictures so I slapped my photo pass on and we made our way to the front row.
Marc Roberge, lead singer/rhythm guitarist of O.A.R., was a guest on the second-to-last song of Pseudopod�s set called �Burn One Down.�
The stage was quite small. Usually the stage has an O.A.R. banner behind it, but not for this show.
The drum set for Pseudopod was off to the right on the stage. The opening act�s drum set is usually right in front of the drum set for the main act. Due to the size of the stage this was not possible.
Some people in the crowd started to chant, �oar.� Others corrected this group by yelling; �It�s O.A.R. not oar like a boat paddle.�
Around 9:00 p.m. Roberge and guitarist Richard On took the stage and covered the Beatles song �Blackbird.� On sat on a stool playing the guitar while Roberge stood and sang.
By this time the crowd was a lot larger than when we had arrived.
When On and Roberge finished their song bassist Benj Gershman, saxophone player Jerry Depizzo and drummer Chris Culos joined them.
Some of the people in the audience began to crowd-surf. Roberge asked the audience to stop crowd-surfing because he said he didn�t want to see anyone get hurt or a pretty girl get kicked in the head. The crowd-surfing then stopped until the last song.
The band began to play �When Can I Go Home,� a song they haven�t played live in two years. When Roberge went to the mic to sing, he broke down laughing because he said it�s been a long time since they played this song and he forgot what the first word was.
He asked someone in the audience but he couldn�t hear over the people yelling. Roberge then conversed with the other band members and figured out what the word was. The song went smoothly after that.
O.A.R. played �Whose Chariot,� a song that will appear on their new album this May. Roberge thanked the fans for staying instead of leaving for a bathroom break during the new songs.
Gershman, Depizzo and Culos left the stage, and Roberge and On then performed their second duet of the night �I Feel Home.�
This song is about home being the purest place to be. Roberge sings about seeing faces he knows, which makes him feel like he�s home. The song was directed towards the fans and how they help the band feel like they�re home.
Then Gershman, Depizzo and Culos returned to the stage and for a more upbeat song �Night Shift.�
The crowd was eager to hear �Night Shift,� which they mistakenly called �3 a.m.�
A sweaty Roberge said it was getting hot, and got a drink of water. The band started to toss bottles of water to the crowd to quench their thirsts. Roberge said someone would get water for those in the back. One of the security guys was nice enough to hand me a bottle of water, which I shared with fans around me.
The crowd was the loudest during the concert staple �That Was a Crazy Game of Poker.� The guy on the soundboard was even jamming out to this song. During the first verse when Roberge sang, �Johnny doubled up with a royal flush, I had three jacks and a pair of nines,� a fan in the front row showered Roberge with a deck of cards. This song then went into a cover of Bob Marley�s �No Woman No Cry.�
The security guards enjoyed the music as well. One of them leaned up against the stage and was tapping his foot to the beat.
The band then left the stage and came back about two minutes later for an encore.
The first song of the encore was �Dareh Meyod,� another song off their new album. The upbeat �Hey Girl� was the second song of the encore. The third song of the encore, and last song of the show, was �Sunday Bloody Sunday,� a U2 cover. This song was played louder and with more energy than U2�s version and it got everyone jumping.
Someone decided to crowd-surf again during this song. As Roberge played he motioned to the guy to stop.
In addition to �Dareh Meyod,� the songs they played that will be released on their new album were �Mr. Moon,� �Road to Columbus,� �Anyway,� �Whose Chariot� and �Hey Girl.� �Hey Girl� has been previously released on the albums �Souls Aflame� and �Risen.�
O.A.R. ended their two and a half hour show just before midnight.
The crowd seemed to be moving out of the concert quickly and smoothly and the parking lot wasn�t hard to get out of since we had parked in a spot right near the exit.
I enjoyed all three acts of the concert. The bands put on a great show.
Most of the crowd was really into the music and had a good time singing and dancing.
If you were unable to catch O.A.R., I suggest you do the next time they roll into Wisconsin.
Sara Ebel/April 04, 2003
U of Wisconsin's Advance-Titan