Sunday, July 27, 2008

OLC/One Republic ~ Live OFF the Levee 2008

Last night I saw my first OneRepublic show.


The chance to catch them live and see my brothers' friends' band open for them was one I couldn't possibly pass by. Plus it was free, and there were fireworks. Did I mention all the fireworks in Alton were canceled this year?

Anyway, the show and the fireworks were a part of Celebrate St. Louis - http://www.celebratestlouis.org/. It was called "Live OFF the Levee" this year instead of "on" since it was moved due to Mississippi River flooding, and it was held at Soldier's Memorial Park at Market and 14th Streets instead.

I hadn't seen One Lone Car since they got a new singer and, up until last night, I hadn't seen them in a venue larger than the Pageant (which I thought then was a pretty big deal since the Pageant hosts acts like The Flaming Lips and Nas, etc.). I'm not sure how big the crowd at the park was last night was but I know there were A LOT of people there.

Their new singer Aaron Kellim (well, new since the last time I saw them) didn't sound too different from their former singer Dei Plegge so the old songs worked well, but he sure was easier on the eyes (Good move guys, especially if you're looking for that boy-crazy girl fanbase. I'm sure you picked up quite a few groupies with that move :))

Here's a shot I found of OLC on stage (I haven't uploaded my own photos yet, which are from a side angle but are about this far away).


I just wanted to say that One Lone Car did me proud. Later on in the night I saw Neal, their guitarist and James' buddy, and told him what a great job they did. I'm definitely happy that he and Michael, the bassist and another of James' friends, are doing so well and I wish them the best of luck as time goes on.

You can check out the band/listen to some of their music (and I suggest you do) on their MySpace page, www.myspace.com/onelonecar.

OneRepublic was next. I already knew I loved singer Ryan Tedder's Justin Timerlake-esque voice, but I didn't realize how much I would like them as a band. Guess what? LOVED them.

They sound somewhat similar to Coldplay and the Fray and I love the piano and various string instruments that add a little something special to their sound. Favorites were "Apologize," which Z107.7 has played to death (made famous by Timbaland's remix of the band's original), a cover of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and "All I Need," the video of which you can view for free at http://www.onerepublic.net/. (P.S. For another awesome song called "All I Need," see Radiohead's "In Rainbows." http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/)

You may also remember Tedder from the 2008 finale of "American Idol" when he performed with "the Chosen One" David Archuleta.




I took video clips of much of the concert and am working on a snippet from the experience, which I plan to post soon. So stay tuned and thanks for listening!

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