O.A.R. and Neon Trees fueled a night full of sing-along anthems with plenty of personality and crowd interaction at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines on Monday night, December 8 as a part of STAR 102.5’s Ho Ho Ho Show.

Right after some words from some representatives from STAR 102.5, O.A.R. took the stage right at 7 p.m.

The single “Love and Memories,” began O.A.R.’s set with crowd chants and hand claps in full tow.

“Black Rock,” which appeared on the group’s first record “The Wanderer”, followed the opener with traded solos from guitarist, Richard On and tenor saxophonist, Jerry DePizzo and an extended outro featuring another tenor sax solo.

Another single came after with “Shattered,” with an instantly recognizable chorus which had the entire crowd chanting along frontman, Marc Roberge.

“Two Hands Up,” the first track off of the groups latest album “The Rockville LP”, was the first of many newer songs to appear in the set. “Place To Hide,” continued the new tracks with a another extended outro with truly impressive saxophone work from DePizzo on a driving solo.

Next was the only track to appear from the groups 2011 album “King”. Single “Heaven,” seemed to be a crowd favorite, as evident from many screams and cheers throughout the audience. DePizzo soloed yet again continuing his excellence.

“Dakota,” was preceded with a short dedication to John Lennon, who had died 34 years earlier. The song was said to have been inspired by Lennon’s death.

Roberge then took a short break to touch on the bands past. Consisting of basement rehearsals and listening to those musical acts who inspired them, which inspired the next track “Favorite Song,” that contained references to many of the songs that impacted the band.

The band’s first single off of “The Rockville EP”, “Peace,” came and went with lovely fingerpicking of acoustic guitars and lyrics of a yearning for another person and peace in each others’ lives.

As the previous song ended, Roberge acknowledged a fans sign that was being held up in the audience requesting that the band played the fan-favorite “Hey Girl.” After a quick laugh, the group jumped straight into the tune.

After some brief thanks toward the crowd and STAR, chords were strummed and playing cards flew through the air, signaling the beginning of the band’s signature and final song, “That Was A Crazy Game Of Poker.”

After a 20 minute break, the representatives from STAR 102.5 returned to the stage to welcome the next act, Neon Trees.

The room went dark as the band took the stage and jumped right into “Lessons In Love,” which, along with the entire show, was accompanied by a spectacular light show.

After a quick introduction, frontman Tyler Glenn introduced the next song, “Love In The 21st Century,” with his fascination in the popular matchmaking app Tinder, saying “I’m tired of hookups, and I want to find something real.”

Following the last track, Neon Trees wasted no time at all and began the popular single “Animals,” from their 2010 album “Habits”.

“Moving In The Dark” and “Text Me In The Morning” continued the energy as a solid pair of catchy tunes.

“Teenager In Love,” began with a false opening where Glenn stopped the band and pleaded to the audience that he wants to have a good time with the crowd but can only do so if they move around and dance.

He went further to explain how comfortable he can finally be after coming out as a gay man in the past year and how “Teenager In Love,” was one of the first songs he wrote after this announcement. The track was one of the more enjoyable of the set, with fun wordplay in the chorus and handclaps in the verses.

“Sins Of My Youth,” came after, showcasing some great bass work from Branden Campbell. “1983,” was said to be an anthem of calling back to your youth and not necessarily just about the year it is titled after, which was also the year Glenn was born in.

“Mad Love,” came and went as one of the lesser memorable songs of the night.

During a short break Glenn went on another rant about a friend he used to have from Des Moines and how he would visit him and they would “Split a Jimmy Johns sandwich.”

“We didn’t talk about sports scores, we talked about Food Network shows and sh*t like that,” Glenn said. He ended his rant with the one of the last things he said to his friend, which was also the title of the next song” “I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends.)”

The last quarter of the show included tracks from all over the bands discography such as “In The Next Room,” from 2010’s “Habits” and “First Things First,” from 2014’s “Pop Psychology.” A cover of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me,” was also thrown in between these two songs and seemed to please the crowd.

The show ended in a great climax with the two singles “Sleeping With a Friend,” and “Everybody Talks,” which kept the energy high for everyone watching.

STAR 102.5’s Ho Ho Ho Show was a fun and exciting co-headline show with two of pop music’s best groups showcasing their different styles of songwriting and musicality.