O.A.R. was the last concert of the summer, and this is the last entry for a while. Gotta make sure I pace myself better next time though, and not leave an entire year’s worth of entries (17 total) for the last week of August!
--- Who's waving at us as we walk into the Merriweather pit? Whoa, Jesse Bogue, Meg Bogue, Dave Shoroma, Lexx Paige, Anna Hickman, Alex Shiroma, Felicity Prince, and Josh Kodeck are here as well. Cool.
--- “Black Rock.” I actually like the restrained intro. Slow build adds intrigue; explosions still to come!
--- “Fire.” Flicker?
--- “Two Hands Up.” One hand?
--- “About an Hour Ago.” First song they ever recorded!
--- “Whose Chariot.” Nice “take me hommme” part and sax solo.
--- “Love and Memories”! HA at Hark pointing out that they failed to abruptly cut off on the last note as in the album version. Good ear!
--- “About Mr. Brown”!! So many specific Merriweather references: the weather, the venue, and the picture on the screen of the Merriweather fan who requested it.
--- “52-50”!!! Love that a fan who's been to 205 shows gets to dance and selfie with the band. The repeated line “some day I'm coming home (to Rockville) to stay” is awesome as well.
--- “Hey Girl”!! By far the best trumpet of the night and the most extensive Hark Arm Song. Man, things have really picked up since the too-high expectations early on.
--- “Road Outside Columbus.” Chill vibe brings back fond memories of our trip to Maureen, Jeff and Mel in Columbus. The trumpet guy is the clear MVP. No one else is even close.
--- “Caroline The Wrecking Ball.” Great story song even though I'd never heard it before. Hark helped...
--- “Night Shift,” “Untitled,” “Hold On True,” and “Peace” are decent. “Anyway” is elevated by this absurd lyric: “Never say that nothing ever came from a mouse anyway.” What does that mean?! Love the dueling sax and trumpet on opposite ends of the stage. “Best part of music is that when you hear it, you feel no pain.” Thanks, Bob.
--- Aww, Hark sings “Shattered,” and the entire pavilion joins in!
--- “Heaven.” “I don't want to go heaven if I can't get in -- if they don't want me." Metaphor for past groups' homophobia? Either way, unexpectedly strong song. [Update: I researched it online, and apparently it was part of an It Gets Better campaign. Can’t believe I called it right!]
--- Um, scented herbs exist...
--- Aww, they're inviting the opening bands and fans on stage. TO PLAY BON JOVI. All of the covers I remember bands do live are either obscure or for comedic effect. Them tearing into such an unabashed mainstream hit was awesome. Knowing “Crazy Game of Poker” was coming next, flying cards and all, made it even better. What a way to end summer 2015.
Grade: A
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