Feeling Sam Roberts

Sat 17 Sep 2011 | Comments (0)

by Mike Battista ~ Real Serious Blogger

When I showed up shortly before the Sam Roberts concert on Monday, the Western Fair grandstand area was pretty empty. A handful of fans mingled around the stage, but the crowd was sparse. A lot of people were probably held off by the rain, which had been splattering down a few minutes earlier, and a lot of other people were probably going to show up later to see Sam, figuring there would be an opening act. For the price tickets were going for, I expected an opener too.

When Sam took the stage immediately, then broke into the album version of the band’s latest hit I Feel You, all those potential problems were forgotten. People came down from the bleachers and filled out the crowd, all of them clearly happy to see Sam Roberts.

The band has perfected the standard four-piece rock concert, with a few twists. The saxophone player added some spice to their sound, and the bright lights constantly shining on the audience practically begged for the participation of the crowd. This was put to good use in songs like Brother Down, which has received so much radio play that, without the audience being encouraged to sing parts, it could’ve been boring. A loud guy behind me got ahead of himself, singing the wrong part half the time, but hey, that’s part of the charm.

It was also a bit of an awkward moment when Sam sang “the kids don’t know how to dance to rock ‘n roll” to an audience that hadn’t really been dancing to his rock ‘n roll. Point made, Sam.

The band has been known to break into long jam sessions on non-hits, but that was entirely absent here. Encore included, the show only lasted a bit over an hour. Although I would’ve liked to see more, a snappy set of sweet pop songs sure fits the atmosphere of of fast-paced rides and sugary snacks. Sam Roberts rocked the Western Fair.

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