Alpha Rev and Sara Bareilles opened for OneRepublic at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on July 11, 2010
Alpha Rev hailing from Austin, Texas wowed a crowded Royal Oak Music theatre with a blend of shiny pop rock reminiscent of the best of Coldplay and Snow Patrol. The price was right for three acts at $25 and the all-ages show had patrons lining the block a few hours early to get the best spot to watch the show. The stage was crammed with three set of equipment to make the transition between bands as seamless as possible. Alpha Rev’s seven members still found room to move while they created soaring melodies, silky harmonies and rich layers with a cellist, frenetic violinist and keyboard player. Alpha Rev have been in heavy rotation on Detroit’s The River 93.9 most notably the title track from their latest offering, New Morning. They delivered a solid set of original material and left the crowd wanting more. The night before, they had played a free acoustic session at Detroit’s Hard Rock Café.
Sara Bareilles came next and wasted no time wooing the audience, opening with her biggest hit to date, Love Song. The ever savvy Ms. B filmed the audience and band with a hand-held camera upon entering and leaving the stage; a likely inclusion in her infamous YouTube updates.
After Love Song with the crowd firmly in hand, she launched into new material from her forthcoming album, Kaleidoscope Heart, which is slated for release on September 7th. New songs like the punchy, first single King of Anything and the album’s centerpiece, Uncharted, are of a similar vein as her first record, Little Voice, and were enthusiastically received by the crowd. Her band was tight and masterfully delivered another new track, the tasty doo-wop-styled Gonna Get Over You.
As Don McLean sings about Dylan stealing Elvis’ crown in his classic song America Pie, Sara Bareilles has rightfully inherited her tiara from another Sarah; Ms. McLachlan. Bareilles is cultivating her predominantly tween through college-aged audience with a mixture of attitude and vulnerability. Songs like the cheeky Vegas and the set-ending solo performance of Gravity resonated deeply. She is sure to return to Detroit in support of Kaleidoscope Heart; next time as the headliner.
Note: OneRepublic was not reviewed as part of this article.
Review by Matt Tremmel