The week after Jason Mraz, we went with a bunch of Lauren’s friends to see OAR at MSG. This was something I was definitely looking forward to – I’m an OAR fan and I hadn’t seen a concert at MSG since the Dispatch reunion.
Matt Nathanson and Brett Dennen opened for OAR, and they were great (Disclaimer: We missed Brett Dennen because again, we were late. I blame Lauren and/or shifting tectonic plates). After the opener, we were sitting around watching the people behind/around us. Once again, we were surrounded by über-hormonal teenagers.
Things started off innocently – a kiss here and there, people sitting on laps, etc. – until the passion became just too much to contain. Hilary, who valiantly sat next to these people, also agreed to pretend to pose for pictures so that we could preserve the orgy for posterity. The picture to the left shows The Girl In The Blue Dress (TGITBD) literally sucking someone’s face right off.
Karla and Rob went to get some food and asked us to watch the beers they just bought. Just a few seconds later, I turned around and saw TGITBD and her friend pick up the full beers and start chugging them, to which I responded politely, “What in the name of f*ck do you think you’re doing?” At this point, TGITBD and company ran away giggling.
Fortunately, since we all frown upon beating teenage girls, they had some friends that were still nearby. After a brief negotiation with Rob and I, one guy gave us a $20 and begged us not to hit him or yell at the girls again. We then watched him attempt to recoup his money from the original girls, which went about as well as you might expect.
Believe it or not, while all this was going on, a concert broke out. OAR started out strong, covering both new and old stuff. The crowd was very into it and every seat but the top tier was full.
Although I like their music, the concert had some variety issues (as in, an utter lack of it). The set went on for almost three hours, and I don’t know if it was the band, or just the acoustics, but every song sounded identical. They basically played that Dispatch/Guster/OAR type sound again and again with different words. Ordinarily, hearing a great band do a set that long would make for an awesome show, but given the repetition, it got old fairly quick.
Lauren was starving so I happily agreed to jet early. As I waited for her to get out of the line for the women’s room at MSG (otherwise known as the Trail of Tears), I saw TGITBD collapse on top of an EMT and throw up all over herself. And they say karma doesn’t exist!
This was the last concert I had planned for the summer, but hopefully I can close it out with one or two more.
I’m currently on my way back from three days in Vegas and then spending a long weekend in DC for Adam’s wedding, so this week should be a great end to the summer. Here are some random pictures from the show.
Hilary fighting off the orgy. This guy had whale shorts on.
My view towards the end of the concert. Also known as a high school.
Shot of the crowd
