Jamming the Main Stage

The jam band O.A.R. treated Canisius College to an explosive performance on Monday night, leaving every person in the crowd asking for more.

The rock band is made up of lead singer/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist Jerry DePizzo and touring keyboardist Mikel Paris.

Though they are not often referred to as a mainstream band, O.A.R. has a large following of dedicated fans ranging from college students to middle-aged adults. The band has the ability to pump a person up or mellow them down using their brand of reggae rock.

Having been together for over 10 years, O.A.R has been making hits that have found their way to the charts, and Canisius College was fortunate enough to have them perform at the Koessler Athletic Center.

Before O.A.R. took the stage, the opening band came on to warm the crowd up. Hailing from Toronto, Ill Scarlet featured a reggae vibe, sounding much like Sublime. They were enjoyable, and did a cover of "All That She Wants" by Ace of Base, which was interesting to say the least.

Despite the fact that many in the crowd hadn't previously heard of Ill Scarlet, the band held people's attention and put on a great show.

"The openers were amazing. Everyone should definitely hear about Ill Scarlet," said Kim Torrey, a senior psychology major at UB.

Right before they left the stage, Ill Scarlet got the audience completely revved up and ready for the main event.

Once O.A.R. took the stage, the fans continued to go wild for them as they opened the concert with one of their hits: "The Wanderer." The sincerity in Roberge's raspy voice brought every song to life, as he moved further down the set list into another hit "Wonderful Day."

"The concert was great. It was an awesome set and they were definitely just as good this year as they were last year," said Eric Liddle, a junior engineering major at UB.

Close to the end of the show, the band pulled out a major crowd pleaser and played the ever-popular "Love and Memories." O.A.R. went out with a bang, closing the set with "Hey Girl."

As most bands do, they left the stage only to be cheered back on for a three-song encore including their claim to fame "Crazy Game of Poker," which garnered the rejuvenated crowd into a dancing frenzy.

What makes this band different from most is the intensity with which they play. O.A.R. develops a different world when they're on stage by creating varying innovative sounds. With each talented member of the band playing a different solo and experimenting in the middle of a song, O.A.R. is able to make the same song sound different in two different shows.

Throughout the night, Roberge made the audience an important component of the show, commenting on what people said and what people were wearing. Roberge was willing to change the set list when he heard someone yelling for a different song.

"O.A.R. always puts on a high-energy show, whether they are playing Madison Square Garden or here [Canisius College]," said Michael Kuper, a senior accounting major at UB.