November 2010, 40 Watt, Athens, Ga.
We all know OK Go from their videos — millions of people do — and the band seems pretty cool with that. But I couldn’t help but wonder if the guys with the inventive videos could deliver in the live show (I admit I didn’t have much of a chance to see them before). Safe to say, they did so in offbeat, humorous and smart ways.
And the music was pretty good too.
The Watt saw some 3-D action, a shitload of confetti, lots of dancing and four guys in different colored suits serving as ringleaders to it all. Propelled by the hilarious lead singer Damian Kulash (sporting the blue suit), OK Go’s hour and a half, 17-song show was a delight from start to finish, highlighted by several antics to keep the audience’s full attention.
Opening with “Do What You Want,” Kulash, Tim Nordwind (bass in yellow), Andy Ross (guitar, keys in red) and Dan Konopka (drums, green), leapt off the stage with vigor, accompanied by hundreds of pieces of confetti exploding behind them. “After White Knuckles,” a song of the 2010 release Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, Kulush came to the mic to tell the audience they will hear the song again, in the form of 3-D video. Remarking on the new wave of 3-D movies coming out at that time, Kulash said “we have as much money as Disney but aren’t as fucking classless,” and pointed people to the basic 3-D glasses in the back of the room.
Following “Needing/Getting,” “Back From Kathmandu” and a rousing “Invincible,” a table of bells was brought to the stage. “For this song we will only use God’s instruments,” Kulash said, while the four circled the table and proceeded to play “Return” as the crowd quieted to hear the song’s full effect. Kulash noted how he was prepared for the “hippie town” that is Athens, then moved to the center of the audience with a guitar and mic for a ‘Kumbaya’ song, which in this case was “Last Leaf,” also off of Blue Colour.
Following the 3-D video of leaping dogs, the band ripped into “Here It Goes Again,” “A Good Idea At the Time” and “I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe”. The pace of the show slowed with a somnambulant “Skyscrapers,” before picking back up with “A Million Ways and Get Over It” to end the set.
The encore was flush with LED suits, laser-streaming guitars with furry side panels, and yes more confetti. After “WTF?” and “In The Glass,” Kulash asked for some audience participation, with Nordwind critiquing how the audience did. After the crowd’s first singing of the words “Let It Go, This Too Shall Pass,” Kulash thought the crowd was a bunch of pussies, while Nordwind didn’t realize they were suddenly in Atlanta. After a second and third try, the band was happy with the results, ripping through “This Too Shall Pass” to end the night of frivolity.
All in all, an entertaining show from the Chicago guys. They are as good live as video.
