O.A.R. looks to bring the party to the NHL All-Star Game
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The issue was subtly brought up to O.A.R. drummer Chris Culos in a side room at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Sunday morning.
A reporter told him that the band should turn into the NHL’s official big event performers.
“I’m with you, lets do this!” Culos said.
If this could only happen, it would be tremendous.
The NHL is known for bizarre musical acts that are way past their primes. From Chaka Khan at the 2009 NHL Awards to the disaster this year at the Winter Classic of Lee Greenwood who played his one song that nobody likes unless you’re a real ‘Merican.
Billy Idol was cool … just because he was Billy Idol, but not because he was that great.
Of course KISS at last year’s Dodger Stadium game was pure magic, but that’s more an exception than a rule in regards to the NHL and musical accompaniment for signature in-season events.
The NHL’s decision to bring O.A.R. to play two songs in between the second and third periods at the NHL All-Star Game at Nationwide Arena on Sunday is a brilliant one. The band (which rose to prominence in the early 2000s) speaks to the demographic of fans in their early 30s who listened to O.A.R. during their college days. Also, they went to THE Ohio State, which brings in a local flavor. And they’re also really good and successful.
They like to party. They bring energy. They bring fun. And you know what else? The group which hails from Rockville, Maryland likes hockey. We asked Culos about his favorite Capitals player growing up and the room exploded with names from his bandmates … “Peter Bondra, Rod Langway, Don Beaupre, Dino Cicarrelli …”
What, no Mike Gartner? Eh, whatever you can’t have them all.
And they even have an NHL mega-fan, noting that Tampa’s Matt Carle enjoys their music. Culos called him a “good buddy.”
Fall Out Boy is the other act here. They may be a bigger name overall, but as someone who has seen O.A.R. twice, (that would be me) energy is the name of their game. They bring it.
Is this Katy Perry playing in the Super Bowl? No. But since the NHL clearly has a problem with grabbing the super duper A-List acts, why not go with bands like O.A.R., or just O.A.R. at every, or most big events.
Embrace the rogue quasi counter-culture hipster league that you are in the United States and enjoy it. When it comes to a musical perspective you are not the NFL. You are not the NBA. You are not MLB. Bruno Mars isn’t walking through that door.
And O.A.R. is the perfect band to usher you into this new era of musical peace and lack of snark.
They’re up for it.
“I think that’s really a part of being here. The show is awesome, but I think backstage when we get to meet the people who are behind the scenes, who put on the event and the production and they travel with the NHL with the convention center,” Culos said. “It always gives us an opportunity to introduce ourselves and show them how we want to play as much as we can get out there and get in front of people.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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