Love and memories

So tonight’s Summerfest stop was all about O.A.R. …

Actually the guys are playing tomorrow night, too. The choices were A) Go tonight, B) Go tomorrow night, or C) Go both nights … Well, the answer, Bob, has to be A.

Tonight marked my fifth stop at Summerfest in six days. And I’m exhausted. And Kates and I are going up again Thursday night, so that factor eliminated any attempt at trying to do both nights of O.A.R. and making it seven trips in eight days …

So then it came down to: Resting tonight and going for tomorrow night’s O.A.R. show, or gutting it out tonight and resting tomorrow night? … My gut was telling me O.A.R. would likely be at their best for their first performance tonight, and besides tomorrow night, they’re playing at the Big Backyard -- and the sound quality sucks there. I wanted to see O.A.R. tonight at the new Harley-Davidson stage …

So off I went … again.

I got to the Harley stage around 7:30, just as the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band was beginning their set.

Equipped with a saxophone, trombone, trumpet, drummer, guitar and sousaphone, the guys were a welcome warm-up to O.A.R., playing an energizing blend of New Orleans jazz, Dixie and funk. They did a rousing “When The Saints Go Marching In” and a great cover of Bill Withers’ “Use Me.”

The crowd was into it, already standing on the bleachers -- which rarely happens for an opening act -- and dancing.

Especially this older gentleman, dressed in a bright orange Sunkist T-shirt and jean shorts, who spent much of the set roaming around the stage area, dancing with whoever wanted to take him on. Posting the video now still brings a smile to my face … It’s scenes like this that are a big part of why Summerfest is so great; People are just having a good time …



The Dirty Dozen Brass Band went off at about 9, and the crowd swelled for the next hour as the crew set the stage for O.A.R.

At 10, the guys from Rockville, Md., appeared and immediately broke out “That Was A Crazy Game of Poker” -- a surprising opener considering it’s been a standard closing number for them. But it was ok with me to put it out there and get it over with; I’ve never really understood the appeal of the song … Then again, I’ve never been a poker fan.

Still, it was pretty darn good as the band put together a 10-minute jam on it that featured each of the band members getting a solo.

From there, the guys went into “Risen,” a favorite of mine that I had in my head all day. Love the sax part on it …

That was followed with “Whose Chariot?” which featured another nice sax solo, and then “This Town,” the awesome lead-off track from the band’s newest album due out in a couple weeks. I had figured “This Town” to be the opener based on its sentiment and my conversation with Chris Culos last week. I also expected the crowd to know and get into the song a lot more than they did …

Then the band went through “Untitled (My Life),” “About Mr. Brown” and “Destination.” In between songs, frontman Marc Roberge told the crowd “We come here every year. It’s the one place we know we’re going to have a good time!” And later he would add, “We want you to all go home smiling.” … Oh, we did Marc.

Roberge introduced the next tune as “a baby-making song.” It turned out to be “Lay Down,” another favorite on which Culos and the band’s touring keyboardist were left alone on the stage to churn out a kicking drum solo. Then, the band returned and picked up “Lay Down” again, turning it into sort of calypso, island jam vibe. It was very cool …

And then, “Hey Girl.” It was the one song I wanted to hear tonight from these guys, and I would have been heartbroken if they didn’t play it. The crowd went crazy, as usual, on it, and when it was over I could’ve easily left the show and gone home happy …

They closed out the set with “Dareh Meyod” and a mellowed-out acoustic of “I Feel Home,” which Roberge introduced by saying “Normally we like to end the show loud but we’re doing something sweet.”

Of course Roberge was fibbing; it wasn’t the last song. The band did go off for a few minutes and then came back for their encore … They started it off with the new single, “Shattered,” which sounded really good, but again I was surprised at how few people seemed to know the song. And here I thought most of these kids were bigger, more hardcore fans than me …

Then Roberge broke in again: “We have a few more minutes here. I need to get all of your energy for a few minutes. I just want to make sure when you leave you all feel good!”

They did “3 a.m.” which I figured would be the last song. And as they wound it down, I started thinking, “Hmm, they didn’t play ‘Love and Memories.’ Oh well, I can do without it.”

No sooner had the thought passed through my mind, they were ripping out the opening riff. I think the crowd let out as loud a cheer as they had all night … It turned out, the song rocked and I was really, really glad to hear it.

As I walked out tonight, I caught the Yonder Mountain String Band doing their thing at the Big Backyard, and man, did it look like the crowd was having a hoe-down good time there … The fiddle music sounded great, and the crowd was roaring …

As I walked back to my car, I couldn’t get the smile off my face. The breeze felt wonderful. The people had been good and fun. The music was memorable. This is what it’s all about, I thought.

I found my car and had a completely different story getting on my way tonight, compared to last night’s chaos. I had parked just a few spaces from an exit, and I’d beat the crowds tonight. I got through downtown in no time, and getting home was a breeze …

Five nights down …
a Thursday: Stevie Wonder
a Saturday: Dashboard Confessional
a Sunday: Polyphonic Spree
a Monday: Gin Blossoms | Performer Passes Out On Stage