"I'm Feeling Kind-of Funky Tonight" - O.A.R. 7/26/04 Aug 01 '04 (Updated Aug 16 '04)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line Great show! O.A.R. - July 26, 2004 - Kansas City, MO - City Market PROLOGUE: Several months ago while I was listening to internet radio a 13 minute song named That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker came on by O.A.R. It was a band I had heard of and had mental “jam-band” associations with. So, when I saw 13 minutes I thought, “Do I really want to hear this band jam for the next quarter of an hour?” I looked up the lyrics to the song, and to my surprise the lyrics were quite lengthy. This band actually had a “Meat Loaf-esque” 13-minute song on their hands. I was intrigued. I listened and the longer the song played, the more I liked it. I heard it again a couple days later and I was hooked. I went out and bought the album because I liked the song so much. See, I’m a huge sucker for songs where the crowd is singing along as loud as the band is. The idea of hundreds or thousands of people coming together at a concert and singing their lungs out while the band acts as the song leader for this huge choir…well, those moments are why I go to so many concerts. They’re addicting. With O.A.R. I saw a 100% chance for that opportunity. I found out O.A.R. was coming to town in a couple weeks. I decided to go. It was a $50 investment for my wife and I to go, which wasn’t too bad for a concert. Plus it was GA, so we’d get close to the stage. In the weeks leading up to the show I listened to their live CD and In Between Now and Then quite a bit. The band was really growing on me. I loved their catchy melodies and their cheerful outlook on life. THE OPENING ACTS: So, Monday, July 26th, finally came around and my wife and I headed downtown Kansas City to the outdoor concert at the City Market. We went in and ended up about ten feet from the stage by the end of the concert. The first opening act was Matt Nathanson. He’s a guy I would definitely go see again. He was hilarious and he had the talent to get a bunch of people who had never heard his music involved in what he was playing. Next came Howie Day. Howie wasn’t feeling good that night, so I’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt on his music. That Monday night he sure wasn’t doing anything for me or the people around me. He played for what seemed like about 3 hours, …probably more like an hour and a half. It was slow, boring, and honestly left me in a bad mood. O.A.R. The bad mood may have been why it took me a while to get into O.A.R.’s set. Or, it could have been the two drunk girls dancing next to my wife who had stepped way beyond the bounds of “concert dancing etiquette”. Eventually, the girls moved and I was able to focus on the music a little more. By the time they got to their fifth song Anyway I was feeling good about the show. I sang along with Mark (their lead singer) and the crowd about the power of music. The show moved on. They played some rare songs like King of the Thing and the Pearl Jam cover Release. They also played some of their standards, Mr. Moon, Delicate Few. As they played these songs I became more and more charmed with the demeanor of the band. The band honestly seemed to be having a good time on stage. Their sax player especially impressed me. One moment in particular… We were about two-thirds of the way through the show and they were singing Hey Girl, which is probably their most famous song since it’s received some radio play. I checked on the internet (oarsa.org) and O.A.R. has played this song at 88% of their concerts since it’s “inception”. They’ve played it 485 times. The band has to be getting sick of this song. Surprisingly, they still seem to be enjoying the song. Jerry DePizzo (sax player) was belting out the chorus with the rest of the crowd between his sax solos. …no microphone, he was just singing for his own good pleasure. It was something to see. How many times can you remember watching the band sing along with the crowd when it wasn’t a part of the background vocals? I can’t remember ever seeing it. The rest of the songs, sounded wonderful. The crowd knew their parts. They knew when to sing along, when to put their hands in the air, etc. Unfortunately, some were just there to dance and not for to the music. It especially annoyed me when people were dancing to Patiently which is about one of the band’s friends who died. Mark sang it with incredible passion, he looked almost like he was going to cry by the end of it. It was one of the highlights of the night. It’s too bad more people weren’t listening to what he was singing about. Finally, after a short teasing intro it was time for Crazy Game of Poker. I had spent 50 bucks with this moment in mind. Now I’d find out if it was everything I expected it to be. It didn’t take long to realize that it was. The crowd surged forward. All hands were in the air. Fists were pumping. People were jumping. Sweat was dripping. Bodies were surfing over our heads. The crowd knew every word by heart and they sang them at the top of their lungs. They were yelling and singing so loud, you couldn’t even hear Mark toward the end. About halfway through the song Mark slowed things down and announced to the crowd that a special guest, James Valentine (the lead guitar player for Maroon 5), was coming out to help finish the song. This only added to the crowd’s enthusiasm. (My enthusiasm also grew when he threw his guitar pick to the crowd and I was the one who picked it up. …in case you couldn’t tell, little things excite me.) The end of the song was drawing to a close. The crowd sang: Well, I said “Johnny, what you doing tonight?”. He looked at me with a face full of fright and I said, “How about a revolution?” Then we came to: “I love my honey-bunny.’ And, before we knew it, 15 minutes had passed, the song was over and the band was leaving the stage. It was one of one of my favorite live songs that I’ve seen. The show wasn’t entirely over yet, though. The band came back out with Matt Nathanson (the opening act), and played U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday like there was no tomorrow. The scene was much the same as Crazy Game of Poker. More body-surfing, more singing, and hands in the air. The band seemed really loose on this one. Mark and Matt were running around the stage singing. You could tell they were friends and that they were having a good time. It was a perfect end to an amazing concert. I’m now an official O.A.R. fan. They’ve worked their magic on me. It’s true of so many great bands, you can’t fully appreciate them until you’ve seen them live. In Between Now and Then and Any Time Now are both great albums. But, until you see this band with a thousand screaming fans, you won’t understand why they have so many dedicated fans. It’s an addicting experience. Buy a couple albums, learn some of their songs, and go to a show. You’re almost guaranteed a good time if you’re the type of person that likes an exciting, energetic concert. The concert surpassed everything I expected from them, and my expectations were high. SETLIST: Windy City Man Risen So Moved On King Of The Thing Anyway Patiently Mr. Moon Delicate Few Lay Down Release Hey Girl Dareh Meyod That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker Sunday Bloody Sunday

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