After years of relentless touring, O.A.R. showcased their longevity and relevance with a packed crowd Saturday night at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.
When I was in college, O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) was a band that was just breaking. They were underground. They hadn’t signed to a major label, and their song “That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker” was THE song at every Midwestern house party. Since then, O.A.R. has continued to gain new fans by releasing successful studio albums that have been embraced by radio. Most people would chalk this success up to luck. Judging by O.A.R.’s air tight performance at the House of Blues, I’d say it was a lot of hard work.
Frontman Marc Roberge plays the role of the ringmaster very well. He keeps the show moving, but allows for the rest of his talented group of band-mates to step in early and often. They mix cover song choruses into the breakdowns of their songs, they extend some of their songs to span almost ten minutes, and their reggae infused melodies often draw comparisons to Bob Marley and the Grateful Dead.
O.A.R. exudes a professionalism that has lifted them over their genre contemporaries. They present a laid back jam style exterior with an air tight execution. At the House of Blues on Saturday night, they went 1996 deep for their opening track “City On Down.” Their latest record All Sides was present as well with the anthemic “This Town” and their biggest radio single “Shattered” showing up throughout the set. None bigger or more anticipated though, was O.A.R.’s closer “That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker.” Expected… yes. Every bit worth the wait… absolutely.
