Since forming in 1998, indie pop-rock group OK Go has earned a stellar reputation for its innovative, playful, and physics-centric videos. Low-budget, but in some cases award-winning, the band’s YouTube channel has received millions of views over the past twenty years.
If you’re anywhere near Cedar Falls this weekend, we suggest you point your car towards UNI’s Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center to see OK Go in the flesh, where they’ll be stopping for one night on their Live Video Tour. Think of it as an interactive rock concert and film-screening rolled into one.
In their Live Video Tour, OK Go will show 20 of their iconic films in chronological order. “To watch them change and grow is exciting,” says lead vocalist Damian Kulash. “This homemade thing we created has grown …” OK Go will be playing their songs live and in sync with each video, pausing for question/answer sessions with the crowd.
Their poppy art-rock sound and wildly entertaining live show hold a broad appeal. In an interview for Milwaukee Magazine, Kulash describes the band’s audience. “Rock shows are great, and can be a sweaty, cathartic experience for guys 18–30. But many of our fans are kids, women, and 70-year-olds. Our concerts are a great sit-down experience.” So yeah, bring the kids—and grandpa too!
How does the band feel about having children in the crowd? “Adults ask predictable questions,” says Kulash, “but kids have much more fascinating components…. They ask, ‘how do you talk to girls?’ Or, ‘my band is playing in a week. Do you have any advice?’ This is what I want an OK Go show to be.”
Ask the band your burning questions, see them perform on handbells, and join in a high-tech interactive piece performed by the audience. Like the band, the show defies categorization, but expect to be wowed … and to have a lot of fun.
Showtime on Friday, April 26, is 7 p.m. Get tickets in advance at GBPAC.com.
