Pop-rock band Of a Revolution returned to Boston for a stop on their annual summer tour in the first of a two night series on July 29. The tour marks the band’s unofficial 11-year anniversary.
Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R., introduced opening act Citizen Cope. Though putting on a less than spectacular set, Citizen Cope played for no more than 45 minutes. The band incorporated all of their well-known songs including “Sideways,” “If There’s Love,” “Hurricane Waters” and “Bullet and a Target,” yet did not illicit a positive fan response.
Most of the attendees were found in the concourse or getting draft beers during Cope’s set. The band did nothing to interact with the fans, but the music quality was stellar and by the time the band played their most popular song “Son’s Gonna Rise,” many fans found their way to their seats to sing along.
After a brief pause between sets, the headlining band took the stage. Opening with “Untitled,” the band breathed instant life into the crowd after Citizen Cope’s unentertaining set. Fans were immediately enthused by the energy of all the band members. Because of the Bank of America Pavilion’s relatively small size, the sound quality was phenomenal and any seat in the house provided a with a great view of the show.
“This Town” had every fan singing along as well as enjoying the band’s shout-outs to the city of Boston. There was also an extremely positive fan response to “52-50,” a song dedicated to the American soldiers deployed overseas.
O.A.R. incorporated some lesser known songs into their set such as “Dareh Meyod,” “Gotta Live” and “Patiently.” The songs were unexpected and though often not played live, still had fans singing along to every word.
However, the band had fans out of their seats for favorites such as “Hey Girl” (during which the house lights illuminated the whole audience), “That was a Crazy Game of Poker” and “Shattered.” One highlight of the show was during “Night Shift,” which featured a segment of Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up.” Fans also enjoyed “Conquering Fools,” from the bands first album.
The band’s encore included “Lay Down”-an intimate, yet beautiful performance accompanied by a great light display. The encore also featured an acoustic “Over and Over,” a solo by Roberge. Picking things up again to close out the show, the band began “Delicate Few,” which was instantly recognized by the Boston crowd, who sung the opening lines. To end the night, O.A.R. played a seven minute long version of “City on Down.” The entire show featured solos from each band member and included a drum duet from drummer Chris Culos and saxophonist Jerry DePizzo. During “City on Down,” DePizzo jumped into the audience, running around the entire arena. O.A.R. finished the show with one last “thank you” to the crowd and invited everyone back to the second night.
The Maryland-based band played for over two hours, which did not disappoint the crowd. Only some fan favorites were not included in the set such as “I Feel Home,” “Love and Memories” and “Heard the World;” all of which were played during the second show. Both sets featured a classic and equal mix of old and new songs.
Roberge’s interactions with the crowd truly made the show memorable. He repeatedly thanked the audience for coming and gave numerous shout-outs to fans with signs, and those in the first few rows.
Fans seemed to thoroughly enjoy the high energy show that O.A.R. put on. The Pavilion, located on Boston’s waterfront was the perfect location for O.A.R.’s intimate, yet powerful set.
Ashley Berger can be reached at [email protected].
