Wednesday night, indie-rock act OK Go played to a packed auditorium at the Bluebird Theater in Denver.
Most people probably recognize OK Go from the cheaply-made-yet-eye-popping "treadmill" music video for their song "Here It Goes Again." It was one of those videos that left viewers saying, "How did they DO that?"--a video that took YouTube by storm a few years ago, and eventually earned the band a Grammy. They've actually topped that visual feat this year with the video for their single "This Too Shall Pass." (Rube Goldberg Machine version, embedded below.)
While their videos have gotten them plenty of attention, it begs the question whether the videos could overshadow the band's music itself, or whether their live show could even approach the creativity or entertainment value of their videos. However, on both counts OK Go seems to be handling things quite well. After an opening set by Earl Greyhound and The Booze, OK Go took the stage and entertained the enthusiastic crowd with a solid set of great songs interspersed with off-beat humor, audience interaction--and yes, plenty of visual surprises, including a confetti cannon, individual mini-cams which occasionally flashed the bandmate's faces on a screen behind them, and an encore played in the dark with lighted, furry guitars with laser lights shooting from them. Frontman Damien Kulash is loaded with natural stage presence and acted as though the crowd were guests at his party. In the middle of the concert, the band even set up a camera onstage and took their picture with the cheering audience. And while the visual props and gadgets might have come off as gimmicky with any other band, somehow they perfectly matched the fun, creative quirkiness of OK Go.
Nevertheless, all the extra frills without any substance would simply be empty hype unless there were some honestly good music underneath it all. This band doesn't just have a good time--they can play. Solid musicianship and great performances were the true value of the evening--a great concert, definitely worth the ticket price. OK Go may have gotten a back door to fame through YouTube, but their music delivers the goods.
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