Although I'm a tad more removed from my college days than I'd like to be, I'll still jump on an opportunity to jam to the bands that got me through those gloomy winter days in upstate NY at SUNY Albany. My roomie, well old roomie, had a spare ticket, which I'm so thankful for because they were FRONT ROW. Hot diggity! I had the best of both worlds, the music I loved from college, with the "adult" experience inside. Typically, when I saw them in the past I'd be 4-5 sheets to the wind in SPAC's Lawn. It was a perfect concert experience.
OAR did not let down their dedicated fan base for their Sounds of Summer tour. The two and a half hour set, ya heard me right 2.5 hours, was packed with classics that infused brass, keyboard and guitar into an up-beat tempo. The blues/reggae influences had us dancing throughout the night and let me tell you, when Ryen VanHall dances you KNOW it has been a good night.
Our night was all about 'paying it forward.' So while we didn't stay till the end, we left content knowing that 2 other fans we gave our tickets to, got to share in the excitement of the front row. This was my first show at SPAC where I was in the first row and now I feel spoiled. At one point, I waved to Marc Roberge and he waved right back! I instantly fell in love all over again, and it was hard to bring me back to reality. Hay Marc, hayyyy. Although, Marc doesn't have an outrageous stage presence, his warm heart and genuine love for his fans can heat up a crowd any night. Luckily, what Marc lacked in funk, his trumpet player, Jon Lampley, made up for with sweaty and seductive dance moves. (real sexy.) I digress...
Listening to the roar of a crowd, full of pre-collegiate/collegiate swooners, was proof that OAR is on the right track, despite how they seem to fly under the mainstream radar. I'll always have a special place in my heart for OAR, because the first time I heard, "Hey Girl," I was with one of my college crushes. #awww. They're a perfect summer show and I'm stoked that they consider Saratoga Performing Arts Center a necessary stop each year.
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