O.A.R. thrilled to headline Stadium Series Pep Rally at alma mater

COLUMBUS -- The famed Horseshoe on the campus of The Ohio State University will be the site of an NHL outdoor game Saturday, but for the members of the band O.A.R, a different shape comes to mind.

"It's a complete full-circle moment," guitarist Richard On told NHL.com.

It sure is.

The five main members of the platinum-certified rock band all attended Ohio State University in the late 1990s, making their bones as an incredible live act in the process. Now, nearly 25 years later, they will be part of the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+, TVAS-D, FX-CA).

O.A.R. -- which stands for Of A Revolution -- will headline the NHL Stadium Series Pep Rally with a free concert at St. John Arena at 2:30 p.m. The band will be joined by the OSU Athletic Band and the university's award-winning Spirit team, which consists of cheer and dance, bringing the high-energy enthusiasm of OSU game day traditions to fans before the outdoor game. Blue Jackets players will make their first stop at St. John Arena before the ceremonious walk over to Ohio Stadium with the drumline of the Athletic Band.

The pep rally is free and open to the public with first-come, first-served seating.

The full-circle comment comes from the fact that On, and his bandmates singer Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, bassist Benj Gershman and saxophonist/guitarist Jerry DePizzo all attended the pep rallies before Buckeyes football games.

John Lampley, who plays trumpet for the band, was in the Ohio State Athletic Band, and even dotted the 'I' when the band spelled out the script "Ohio."

"I think the most exciting part for us is being able to play the show with the Ohio State band, which is the best damn band in the land, right?" On said. "They're an incredible, incredible group of talented musicians, and being able to weave in what they do with some of our songs, that's what I'm really excited about."

As On spoke about the pep rally and the 90,000 fans expected to be in The Horseshoe to watch the game, he reflected on his time as an OSU student.

"Those are some of my best memories, you know, just being a freshman and getting up at six in the morning to get your day started," On said. "And never in a million years did I think that we'd be a part of an event when, not only is it Buckeye Stadium, but also with our favorite sport in the world with some of our favorite teams. It's incredible."

Unquestionably, their favorite player is former Blue Jackets great Rick Nash, who came to Columbus for the 2002 season, two years after the team joined the League and one year after the members of O.A.R graduated Ohio State.

In fact, it was Nash who broke the news to the band that they would be playing the pep rally at the Stadium Series.

"He's been a good friend to us, and has always come out the shows, and obviously a legend in his own right," On said. "And we've always just kind of talked about doing creative events together, especially because we're all big hockey fans; my kids play competitive youth hockey, and so does Marc's kids. So we're always trying to figure out how these two worlds can collide and make something special.

"So Rick has been talking to us about it. And then finally the announcement, we did a Zoom call and Rick surprised us with the news and we were thrilled."

And again, the full-circle moment.

"We just we spent so much time at Ohio State, growing our band, you know, literally running around campus at one o'clock in the morning with staple guns flyering the campus," On said. "And the dream is to play something that's bigger than ourselves, you know. And being able to do that with a school that we spent a lot of time with. We credit our time at Ohio State with the building blocks of the band and that really put us into the whole touring circuit and become a full-time musicians."