By:David Schultz

You only get one opportunity to play your first show at Madison Square Garden. This axiom appeared to be in the mind of Of A Revolution's lead singer Marc Roberge as he took a moment near the close of O.A.R.'s MSG debut to look out into the sold-out crowd and reflect on how far his band has come since forming in 1998 at the Ohio State University. While clearly humbled by the platform from which he could speak, Roberge offered genuine appreciation to O.A.R.'s wildly appreciative and vocal fans and figuratively tweaked his nose at naysayers who thought his band couldn't reach this level of popularity. Concluding a 2½ show, which mixed songs from Stories Of A Stranger, their recent release, with long-time live favorites like "Black Rock" and "About Mr. Brown," O.A.R. left their remarkably young fans reeling with thoughts that they have seen the best show of their lives.

On stage, O.A.R. does nothing outstanding. Guitarist Richard On and bassist Benji Gershman display competency but fail to provide any type of virtuosity or extraordinary proficiency that merit further discussion. Likewise, drummer Chris Culos adequately keeps the beat but doesn't offer any notable fills or ruffles. Saxophonist Jerry DePizzo brings something different to O.A.R.'s sound and his style brings to mind Leroi Moore's contributions to the Dave Matthews Band. While O.A.R. doesn't inspire flowery prose, they also don't deserve to be disparaged as they put on an exceptionally entertaining show. Much of the credit for this has to go to songwriter, lead singer, rhythm guitarist Mark Roberge. An unassuming yet engaging and entertaining frontman, Roberge confidently occupies center stage, belting out his solidly arranged songs with amiable charm. Although On and DiPizzo are given opportunities to solo, the band is at their best with Roberge drawing attention up front, removing the focus from the capable but unremarkable band.

The success of their recent album, Stories Of A Stranger, has propelled them from the college circuit into top 40 radio airplay and an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live. However, O.A.R.'s latest success has not come without a price. The release of Stories Of A Stranger, which tones down the band's reggae inclinations in favor of a slicker, mainstream sound, has divided the O.A.R. faithful into loudly opinionated camps. While one group of fans applauds O.A.R.'s desire to reach a larger audience, viewing the new album as a benchmark in the evolution of the band, another sect decries the whole project with the musical uber-insult "sellout."

While O.A.R. can draw a line in the sand amidst their own fans, they can also draw one between the generations. If the Garden audience represents their base demographic, O.A.R.'s core fanbase consists primarily of high school and college students. A large number of O.A.R.'s songs, especially their older tunes, are essentially reggae-style calypso tunes that borrow heavily from Bob Marley and the Wailers. In the case of their set closer "Missing Pieces," O.A.R.'s blatant lift of Marley’s "Lively Up Yourself" will be instantly recognizable to older fans. Younger fans don't seem to notice the similarity or, if they do, don't care. Another example of the generation gap came during Roberge's quiet performance of Stranger's "Dakota." Introducing the song as one written for John Lennon, Roberge's song imagines what would have happened had Lennon walked by the Dakota on December 8th a quarter century ago. The song lacks any true insight or understanding of the complexities of Lennon's persona. Given that Roberge was an infant when Lennon was murdered, it's hard to scathingly criticize his honest expression, no matter how earnestly misguided. Likewise, it would be overly cynical to fault the majority of fans for emoting openly during the song as most of them weren't even born when Lennon died, essentially making him a historical figure. However, since "Dakota" honored Lennon, younger fans instinctively flipped open the cell phones (the 21st century version of raising lighters overhead) in homage to the deceased Beatle. While the sentiment shouldn't be diminished, those with actual memories of Lennon will find the entire spectacle extraordinarily trite.

Kicking off his own tour in support of the March release of his first studio album Youth, Matisyahu opened the show with a stunning reggae set. For those not in the know, Matisyahu is a budding reggae singer who just happens to be a Hassidic Jew and has caused more audio-visual musical dysphasia since MTV first broadcast Snow's "Informer" video. According to his bio, Matisyahu (nee Matthew Miller) found solace in the respective mysticisms of Bob Marley and Hassidic Judaism, achieving a sense of spiritual peace he could not find elsewhere. With his traditional Hassidic appearance, his mere presence on stage is surreal. When he unleashes reggae chants worthy of the most native Jamaican, your jaw drops. Matisyahu's opening set provided a nice segue to O.A.R.'s reggae tinged tunes. Even moreso, O.A.R. used the calypso beat fueling "Program Director," Roberge's plea for radio airplay, as an excuse to bring Matisyahu back out to freestyle a bit of his own song "Jerusalem."

Of A Revolution have ways to go before they become a household name. However, the strides they have made forward, even at the risk of alienating their fans, resemble those made by the Dave Matthews Band early in their career. Although many DMB fans grumbled and moaned that some of the tracks on Under The Table and Dreaming were a compromise for airplay, the band seemed to have survived. Regardless of any criticism leveled at the band, a Madison Square Garden sellout would indicate the band's doing something right. Even more telling, come the end of their signature song "That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker," Roberge had the crowd chanting gleefully along with the name check near the close of the song. It's one thing to get a crowd to come see you, quite different when you get them to chant your name.

Labels: OAR