Cannons shooting out pink and blue confetti at the Westcott Theater set the scene for OK Go’s performance of ‘Do What You Want.’

Behind the band, a screen displaying close-up shots of the band members from microphone-mounted cameras brought each performer closer to the crowd. Wearing suits featuring primary colors of blue, yellow, green and red, the band knew what putting on a visually appealing show is all about.

Even though this was only the first song of OK Go’s Tuesday night show, the crowd was already jumping and singing along. Many fans anxiously waited for the show, standing in the line that spanned two blocks for as long as two hours prior to the venue’s doors opening. The line stretched to Westcott Street’s Papa Johns Pizzeria about two blocks away.

OK Go impressed even the fans that only came to see the opening acts.

‘I really enjoyed (opening act) Those Darlins, but OK Go has both met and exceeded my expectations,’ said Carie Rebecca, a Cornell University student. Rebecca was one of the 4 million viewers of OK Go’s ‘Here It Goes Again’ treadmill-choreographed music video on YouTube.

Even though the band didn’t have treadmills on stage, the energy in the crowd skyrocketed once lead singer and guitarist Damian Kulash struck the opening chords to ‘Here It Goes Again.’ More confetti rained down, shooting from cannons on the stage. The roar of the crowd nearly drowned out Kulash’s vocals.

Even during low-tempo songs like ‘Last Leaf,’ Kulash jumped off the stage and walked through the audience, keeping the crowd on its feet.

Kulash walked through the crowd, greeting fans along the way. This was the moment that defined the concert for Tatyana Ivanyutenko, a junior supply chain management major. She touched the lead singer as he greeted the crowd from the floor. This was Ivanyutenko’s first concert, which she loved, save for some minor details.

‘Waiting for the show was excruciating, but it was all worth it,’ she said.

The show started an hour late, drawing boos and visible frustration from some members of the audience. By the time the second opening act started, people were getting anxious for the headliner to make an appearance.

When OK Go finally got on stage in a haze of smoke, the crowd went wild. Kulash began by telling the audience that later on in the show, the band would be showing the music video for its single ‘White Knuckles’ in 3-D.

‘Make sure you get the 3-D glasses at the back, or else you will be bored and it will be very blurry,’ Kulash said.

The 3-D music video featured expertly trained dogs performing choreographed tricks as the band played on. The video, like the treadmill stunts in ‘Here It Goes Again,’ found a strong audience reaction, even with its low budget and simplicity.

Mallory Squier, a civil engineering graduate student, came to the show with her friends and said she loved the band.

‘They do a really great show,’ she said. ‘Plus the lead singer is really sexy.’

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Published on October 26, 2010 at 12:00 pm