For this year’s homecoming concert, East Carolina University brought O.A.R. to the stage in Minges Coliseum Oct. 27. mixer was there for the concert and waiting by the bus afterwards to meet the band.

The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. and the Matt Corey Band entertained the small crowd of concertgoers as they anxiously awaited the night’s headliner. At 7 p.m., the opening act, Chicago-based Company of Thieves took the stage. The lead singer Genevieve Schatz captured the small audience with her soulful voice and her energetic dancing. The group performed songs titled “Tallulah” and “Oscar Wilde” while Schatz sang through a megaphone and played the tambourine.

After Company of Thieves finished their set, the crowd was already dancing and ready for O.A.R. to begin.

The crowd had grown but was still small, especially compared to the crowd at last year’s homecoming concert that brought Wiz Khalifa to Pitt County.

Marc Roberge, Jerry DePizzo, Richard On, Chris Culos and Benj Gershman finally took the stage. They played old favorites like “Hey Girl”, radio favorites “Shattered” and songs from their new album, King. What the crowd lacked in size they made up for in enthusiasm. Jerry DePizzo was especially impressive as he wailed away on the saxophone while to crowd cheered. The band played for two hours and when the concert was nearing its end the crowd started chanting “poker, poker, poker” between songs. After leaving the stage and returning for an encore, the band finally finished with “That was a Crazy Game of Poker” while the crowd sang and danced.

After the concert, a few fans gathered near the band’s tour bus hoping to get a chance to meet to band members. Each band member came out and greeted their fans with little security. They made an effort to introduce themselves to every fan, including mixer.

Contact Lynsey Horn at lhorn@reflector.com or 329-9574.