PHOTOS: JULIA LOFSTRAND | Los Angeles often gives the term “tough crowd” its definition—not Saturday night at the Wiltern. On Saturday night, when most people were placing bets on Mayweather versus Pacquiao, a few thousand very excited OK Go fans were eager to be entertained.
It was a mixed bag of very loyal fans. From date night to girls’ night, goth-lite to the boy next door, in a range of all ages, the eclectic crowd represented the array of fans the four-piece band had collected through their seventeen year career. At the drop of the lights, a montage of iconic pop culture movie and TV scenes, cut together to repeat the words “OK” and “Go!” introduced the gentleman pop-rockers.
Band still unseen, OK Go opened with the crowd pleasing “Upside Down & Inside Out.” Mimicking the cover of their 2014 album, Hungry Ghost, headshots of each member was flashed on a large translucent screen that stood in front of stage. A light show of zig-zags and checker boards revealed silhouette glimpses of the band behind it. Every song was greeted with a new element; the screen dropped to fully expose the band. Singing through what seemed to be a “selfie-mic” (a microphone with a camera attached to the end), the face of lead vocalist Damian Kulash was displayed on double screens acting as a backdrop. Lights and lasers continue to run freely behind the band. By the third song, “Writings On the Wall,” a storm of confetti filled the room.
An unlikely occurrence in any concert, the band brought up the house lights for a Question and Answer portion of the show. The Q & A question that warranted the biggest response was inspired by the band’s 2006 mega-viral music video for “Here It Goes Again.” What was the treadmill speed of their choreographed performance in the 2007 Grammy award winner for Best Video?Answer: (Drum roll please) 2.0 and 2.2 miles per hour.
Founded on a twenty-seven year friendship between Kulash and bass player, Tim Norwind, OK Go, along with drummer Dan Konopka, has been producing pop-rock happiness since 1998. Andy Ross joined in 2005, completing the current line up. There is an unspoken commitment between the band and their fans, proven by their longevity. A commitment the band seems to be very much aware of and acknowledges with their show, packed with continuous surprises and left turns. From creating percussive loops with the audience’s clap and stomp, to sing-alongs of more familiar songs like 2010’s “This Too Shall Pass.” They closed by inviting members of the audience on stage for a dance party to “Here We Go Again.”
OK Go shows their sincere appreciation by performing each song on their set list with the energy of a grand finale. Completely creative and engaging, OK Go are a band with the distinctive talent of presenting a live show that is equal to, or perhaps even surpasses, the quality of their recorded work.
OK GO
KITTEN
