- Set 1:
- Encore:
Entire show with MikelParis on keys, percussion, and vocals.
$ with Matt Nathanson on vocals.
Recordings
| taper | type | number users | average quality | download link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live O.A.R. | 
| |||
| Mike Sarnovsky |
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Reviews THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!
This was a very different setlist than I'd ever heard and I was pretty happy with that. A very new sort of show from OAR for me, especially because I'd never heard them open with Black Rock and that's one of my favorite songs. I don't think I'd ever heard Revisited in concert, either. Then the transition to Night Shift rocked the energy.
The "acoustic" set was awesome and sounded incredible - I hadn't heard the band sound so good since before MikelParis joined with the keyboard (more on him later). Really great stuff all around, even though Love & Memories really should always be rocked out, not mellow. What is Mine is a song I like, and even acoustic that song was intense, great stuff. The biggest surprise to me was On My Way which started acoustic and turned plugged-in halfway through. The ending of that song was probably the highlight of the show for me... or so i thought at the time.
The new song from Twilight is one of the only "new" songs I've ever heard in concert that I didn't get bored with. Kudos to them. Later on, War Song was incredible.
Poker is Poker. It's about the energy, although it almost dragged on too much. Closing with Poker at home is almost too boring, too, as was returning from the encore with I Feel Home (but they have to play that in MD!).
This Town was the real closer of the night, top shelf from the band and the crowd loved it - I don't know why that wasn't the first single off All Sides anyways and am really hoping that OAR one day opens a show with This Town so I can hear the crowd go nuts. Then the Beatles cover at the end... underwhelming to me. (Hearing thousands of people singing Journey as they left the show was more exciting and hysterical.)
Regarding sound quality - I learned my lesson about seating at Merriweather a few years ago. You can't sit in the field or the Loge (far right and left) sections or the crowd is louder than the music. In the center/rear of the pavilion tonight, it was LOUD. Marc's microphone seemed scratchy - even with his voice, and sometimes Jerry's sax was pretty loud but I love that.
I'm a fan of MikelParis, but they also need to tone down his keyboard volume, it gets in the way of the guitars too much. The sound quality was best during the few songs he wasn't on the keyboard. And his back-up singing is overrated. -sigberto August 7, 2009
Was an awesome show. Had a great time and the encore was to die for.
I took video of the concert. Had like 3rd row seats but was told to stop recording. So then I moved to the lawn in order to finish doing recordings. Happened last year too, but was told to delete my card. Not this time. Got some good video of some of the first few songs.
check em out here: www.youtube.com/parrotisla
Also some guy passed out next to my car leaning on it. I got some medics over to him. They were able to wake him up, bring him to, and get him to call and find his friends, and more importantly off of my car, lol, just kidding. He was wearing a Philly's hat so I assume he came down from PA. I hope he made his way home. -parrotisla August 7, 2009
I thought the show was sick!!! I was right on the front of the lawn at dead center stage. That was my 12th show and 4th home show. They never disappoint me. I thought the energy was amazing and you could tell the guys were having an awesome time....Marc couldn't keep a smile off his face.
Opening up with Black Rock was pretty cool, I wasn't expecting that at all. It was great to hear conquering fools and Toy Store! I was a little upset that they didn't play COD, but what can you do...they can't play it every home show. I feel home was awesome as usual and This Town in the encore rocked the crowd. Everyone was singing at the top of their lungs...I think you could have heard the lawn from miles away. I heard them play With a Little Help From My Friends at Charlottesville Pavilion last September and it was sick, I was so happy to hear them play it again...to me, it's their best cover song.
All in all, amazing concert! My 2nd incredible O.A.R. show with my girlfriend and we get to see them at MSG on Saturday! (9th Row) so pumped!!! -AnnapolisOARfan August 8, 2009
This may have been the best show I've seen. Matt Nathanson was a great opening act. I really dug the new format of the show, especially the acoustic set. And I was thrilled with the set list, especially closing with With a Little Help From My Friends with Matt Nathanson. I couldn't have been happier. I will continue to come back to this show at Merriweather year about year. There's just something about the place and the crowd.... -allora11 August 8, 2009
Best show I've seen at Merriweather so far. They played a lot of old songs which I wasn't expecting at all. Marc had awesome freestyles on a number of songs. Opening with Black Rock was cool because it got the hometown crowd into it from the beginning. The acoustic set in the middle was actually really good. Its nice to hear Love and Memories played a different way like that. And my favorite all night was What Is Mine. It had a really cool rhythm to it, which was a little different than from the recording on All Sides. I wasn't a huge fan of On My Way on the record, but hearing it live changed my mind. Its a very powerful song and I think its going to turn into a staple for their live shows.
The band also had a few new intros that I had never heard before, one on About Mr. Brown and the other on Poker. Poker always sounds different but I think this might have been my favorite intro I have heard. The coolest part of the night was during This Town, the display monitors behind the band showed a whole bunch of pictures showing different things in Maryland like Rockville, UMD, Rt.28 and some other things they sing about. That was really special for the hometown fans.
With a Little Help From My Friends closed the show with Matt Nathanson. Really good cover and a good song to end on....however, I wish they would have ended with one of their songs. It left me wanting a little more, but what can you do. Overall great show! Best at Merriweather yet! OAR never dissapoints. -danny5250 August 8, 2009
I swear these guys just get better every time I see them. The crowd was amazing, outdoing even the C'bus crowd. The crowd's energy was not lost on the guys, either: as AnnapolisOARfan said, Marc couldn't stop smiling. I had loge seats, which did make the sound a little difficult from time to time, but mostly between songs.
This show had some other superlatives for me:
> lowest ratio of underagers
> highest ratio of sloppy drunks
> lowest possible complaints about newer music: I didn't hear a single person bitch about new music. Even L&M got a great response overall! (This makes me very happy, by the way.)
Nathanson was bad ass, too. Someone threw a smut book on stage with a passage bookmarked and highlighted. Matt read to us. =) I'm hoping someone got tape on his set... -ukmusicfiend August 10, 2009
This was my first time seeing them live...2nd row seats. Couldn't have asked for a better first concert. Plenty of older songs but still some newer songs.
I must agree with danny5250 and say that the acoustic version of What Is Mine was my favorite of the night. Loved the sax in that song.
Was a bit disappointed with the closing number, I thought they could have done something better and saved This Town for the last song.
Lots of younger drunk people running around, pretty annoying...guess I am getting too old (31) but still a great show. Loved the wrist band option to have the whole concert on my ipod. Can't wait to see them again. -mtorsani August 11, 2009
2nd time I've seen O.A.R. live, both times were at Merriweather. Overall an excellent lineup. Last time I saw them, they debuted Try Me, and while I'd possibly have liked to have heard it again, it would have really depended on which version they'd play if they were to have played it. The version they played at the 8/17/07 show was awesome, but by the time it got onto All Sides, the band had changed the lyrics quite a bit, so I'm glad they didn't play the All Sides version. Great versions of Black Rock, Lay Down, Crazy Game of Poker, and Shattered. -einsteinumd August 13, 2009