(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- The PNC Bank Arts Center presents Dispatch with O.A.R. on Sunday, August 28, 2022. While the bands have previously played on the same bill, this tour is the first time the two have shared a tour together. Showtime is 7:00pm.
Formed by Chadwick Stokes and Brad Corrigan while in college, Dispatch has forged their own path outside the mainstream music industry as one of the most successful artists in the scene. Over the course of a slew of acclaimed studio and live albums and countless tours and festivals, the band has gone on to become one of the biggest success stories in independent music history, selling out three nights at Madison Square Garden and drawing over 100,000 fans to a massive outdoor show in their adopted hometown of Boston without any traditional radio or major label support. Dispatch recently released their extraordinary 8th studio album, Break Our Fall, to critical acclaim.
Marriage, birth, death, departure; for Dispatch’s Chadwick Stokes and Brad Corrigan, the only constant these past few years has been change. Add to that the divisive political climate, long-overdue reckonings on racial justice and gender equality, and a global pandemic, and you’ve got an idea of the tensions fueling the band’s extraordinary upcoming album. Marking the band’s eighth studio release, the songs on this record speak not only to the band’s personal evolution, but to human nature itself, charting a course from denial and resistance to growth and acceptance through deep introspection and empathetic character studies. Earlier this spring they dropped a timely acoustic re-recording of one of their most beloved singles, “The General,” in Russian to show their support of Ukraine..
For over 25 years, O.A.R. have embodied the kind of joyfully communal spirit that's transcendent for both artist and audience alike. Since forming in Maryland in 1996, the multi-platinum-selling band have merged their musical DNA into a free-flowing sound and exhilarating live show, repeatedly selling out legendary venues like Madison Square Garden thanks to their massively devoted community of fans. In a thrilling new chapter for the ever-evolving collective, O.A.R.'s tenth studio album The Arcade marks their most collaborative effort yet: a boldly unpredictable body of work that fully showcases the extraordinary expanse of their singular musicality.
"From the beginning, this band has been about people with different influences and different styles of playing coming together to tell stories through songs based on my lyrics," says O.A.R. lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Marc Roberge, whose bandmates include Richard On (lead guitar, backing vocals), Chris Culos (drums), Benj Gershman (bass), Jerry DePizzo (saxophone, guitar, backing vocals), MikelParis (keys, backing vocals, percussion), and Jon Lampley (trumpet, backing vocals). "Over the years our family has grown to the point where we've got seven musicians adding their flavor to the performances, and it felt like the perfect time to really lean into that collaborative spirit on the records, try new things, and celebrate the music we love."
That mission of making music with a profoundly life-affirming impact has defined O.A.R. since its earliest days. First taking the stage at an eighth-grade talent show, the group grew a grassroots following while attending The Ohio State University, largely on the strength of their exuberant live performance and through their fans' feverish sharing of live recordings (a practice emphatically encouraged by the band). Over the years, O.A.R. have maintained one of the most dedicated fanbases in the world while amassing a multitude of platinum and gold certifications, selling out Madison Square Garden twice and filling Red Rocks Amphitheater over a dozen times, and performing at such high-profile events as the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony and the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration. Known for their rare level of autonomy in the music industry, they've also engaged in a great number of philanthropic endeavors, including establishing a scholarship at The Ohio State University and founding the Heard The World Fund (a nonprofit that's raised over $1.2 million in its efforts to support youth and education in underserved communities throughout the U.S.).
“Dispatch has always been a name on our white-board wish-list for bands we wanted to tour with,” said O.A.R.’s sax player Jerry DePizzo. “It’s almost as if we’ve existed in parallel universes. We both came up through the ranks and cut our teeth playing colleges and small clubs throughout the northeast and Midwest. It’s taken a few years, but the stars have finally aligned. We’re looking forward to this because we feel both audiences will be excited as well. We should have done this a long time ago.”
Located in Holmdel Township, New Jersey, on the Garden State Parkway, the PNC Bank Arts Center is an amphitheaer with a capacity of about 17,500. It is considered one of the most successful amphitheaters in the United States, and is just one of two outdoor arenas in the New York City Metropolitan Area. Summer concerts of all genres are welcome at the PNC Banks Arts Center.
