O.A.R. playing at Bank of America Pavilion in Boston is an annual summer tradition that both the band and the City of Boston look forward to. Saturday night they returned for this year’s performance. The pavilion was packed as usual, with fans anticipating another memorable evening from the band. After a superb opening performance from Andrew McMahon, formerly of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, O.A.R. took the stage around 8:30pm and they were off.
They started with an extended jam version of “52-50” that included one of Saxophonist Jerry DePizzo’s signature sax solos. Next up was the mega hit “This Town” which lead singer Marc Roberge proclaimed felt like “it was meant to be played in Boston”.
Their set was a career spanning collection of fan favorites. With contributions from every album in their discography, there was something for even the most casual O.A.R. fans. There were plenty more hits “Heaven, Shattered, Love and Memories” as well as deeper cuts such as “Program Director”, “Whatever Happened”, and “Tragedy in Waiting”. The main set was closed by what most consider to be the band’s signature song, and certainly the signature song of their live show, “That Was A Crazy Game of Poker”. It was apparent how much O.A.R.’s fan base enjoys hearing that song played live, some savvy fans even snuck in playing cards to toss in the air during the song.
The encore was described by some hardcore O.A.R. fans as "the best encore they'd seen the band perform". It started off with lead singer Marc Roberge performing a duet of “Over and Over” with opener Andrew McMahon on the piano. Roberge and McMahon were then joined onstage by the other O.A.R. members, Allen Stone - who was the first opener – and the backing bands for both Stone and McMahon.
With a whole bunch of musicians onstage, they seized the opportunity to play a couple of well known covers, “Under Pressure” originally by Queen, and “Live and Let Die” originally performed by Paul McCartney & Wings. By the time O.A.R.’s set was finished they had played for about 2 and half hours.
One of the highlights of the entire set was Saxophonist and band front man Jerry DePizzo who belted out multiple impressive sax solos, including one in which he jumped into the crowd to play. Guitarist Richard On also put on a great display ripping up a few solos and driving many of the songs.
Between the weather, the music, the energy, and the vibe it was a perfect summer concert. If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a summer evening, look no further than O.A.R’s sounds of summer tour, there aren’t many dates left, but if you live on the east coast, you still have time to catch this great tour. If you already missed your chance, or you already experienced it and want to relive it, O.A.R. has made all shows from the tour available for download via their official website.
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