Of What Revolution?
Originally I had been pretty pleased with the selection of O.A.R. to play here at Binghamton University as our major semester show. That was probably just because Ludicrous was last semester’s pick. However, now that I have attended the show, I realized that O.A.R. is not very good, at all. O.A.R. prides themselves on their live shows and improvisational style. I personally think they should stick to the albums. First, the show was at 2:30 in the afternoon. Apparently people who traveled to the show need time to travel back. This was a poor choice for two reasons: the band was clearly tired from last night’s show and there were no people that traveled a far distance to the show. There were only about 2,500 people there and 2,000 of them had to be students. I just didn’t see the need to have the show at 2:30, it was just stupid. Second, O.A.R. is probably the worst improvisational band ever. For a few ten-minute spans the band would improvise and display their talents, however just about everyone lacked any real talent. The guitar player was very simplistic and the keyboard player was just plain bad. Third, the lead singer, Marc, has some interesting things to say however he can be quite corny. I mean really, songs about poker with plugs of your own band name in them are quite weak. His message can also be very repetitive and uninteresting. What the hell are they revolting against? They should be revolting against their preppy boy style. The one bright spot of the show might have been The Format, the band that opened for O.A.R. The Format are currently on tour with Motion City Soundtrack (whom will be coming to Binghamton later this year) and they went out of their way to come and open this show. They have an interesting sound. I just can’t put my finger on it. They are emo, but they are not your typical emo band. Anyway I think I might just go buy their album. So, in conclusion I am going to have to say that O.A.R. is an overrated trend and The Format are not bad.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 26th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
the format aren’t really emo at all, but OAR does suck.
kanye is coming here later this semester. i heard talk of lightning bolt coming too, but i don’t think that will happen.
March 27th, 2006 at 12:57 am
i could of told you OAR sucked before you even bought the ticket, i dont think i would of seen OAR if they played the free show in spring, but the format is pretty decent
and for the record being a "simplistic guitar player " does not mean a lack of talent. theres a million examples i can offer you, but i guess flea and john frusciante are the most well known examples. since californication both of them, especially flea have become ultra simplistic, and the results have been 2 great records. sometimes its even harder to be simplistic than difficult
March 27th, 2006 at 1:27 am
While instrumental virtuosity is cool and everything, you need to be able to write songs. Think about all the great guitarists who work at Guitar Center or the guitarists who played hair metal or arena rock or 70s prog rock.
Heck, look at Weezer. They’re not loaded with lots of technical proficiency compared to a lot of other bands. Maladroit was one of their more interesting albums, technically speaking, but that album is pretty average overall.
March 27th, 2006 at 3:00 am
jose gonzalez?
March 28th, 2006 at 11:27 am
1. O.A.R. does have talent. I’ve never actually seen them, I’ve just listened from the beach when they played Jones Beach and they sounded good to me.
2. The Format is not emo.
3. I was supposed to go visit Merry for the Binghamton MCS show, but my parents won’t let me go after being in Boston the weekend before.
March 28th, 2006 at 2:52 pm
There’s a difference between having talent and sounding good. Look at Joe Satriani. Who listens to his music anyway?