OK Go have dedicated their career to ensuring that everything they do is an artistic statement. It’s a creative drive that’s propelled their videos, beginning with the legendary treadmill clip for “Here It Goes Again,” into viral stardom, but it extends to their live shows, as well. At last year’s Maker Faire in San Mateo, for instance, they performed in special diving suits that had Damian Kulash basically singing underwater.
The band’s set at the Avalon on Tuesday didn’t require scuba certification, but it still had the vibe that OK Go seem to be constantly trying to capture, that feeling that this show wasn’t like any other they’ve done, or will do. They’re not into repeating themselves, and phoning it in is not an option.
That was clear right from the opening “Do What You Want,” which announced their arrival with blasts of confetti cannons that turned the club’s dance floor into a blizzard of blue. I’ve seen bands use these things before-They Might Be Giants unleashed them to great effect on their last tour-but not like this. It rained down every few songs, and at an OK Go show, even the confetti has to make thematic sense (white for “White Knuckes,” for instance, and a haze of multi-colored paper for the guitars’ most disorienting sonic assaults). The best moment came when Kulash walked out into the center of the crowd to perform a solo version of “Last Leaf” and fans picked it up off the floor in handfuls and showered him with it while he sang.
The band’s last record, Of The Blue Colour of the Sky, seemed to me to be an epic Prince tribute, twisting through different stages of the Purple One’s career (although part of me suspects it is specifically meant as a homage to Purple Rain). This show offered further proof, with the band dressed in what Kulash called their “fancy suits,” and his in particular looking like a blue spin on Prince’s tailored outfits. (“I want to tell you something, people,” Kulash said at one point. “This suit smells horrible.”)
Surely without intending to, they timed this latest batch of songs perfectly. “White Knuckles” is the grooviest of the bunch, and the perfect song for the current funk-soul revival. They broke out a blistering version of it Tuesday, cementing its title as the best song Prince never wrote.
If “White Knuckles” is their “Let’s Go Crazy,” then “Skyscrapers” is their “Purple Rain,” and it seemed even more so in a slowed-down, more dramatic version that featured an incredible vocal from Kulash.
The most interesting thing about OK Go continues to be their ability to play a wide range of styles and still make their sound unmistakable. “Invincible” was convincing arena rock, “Back From Kathmandu” featured Frank Black-style mid-tempo riffs (not surprising since OK Go cover two Pixies songs, “Gigantic” and “Wave of Mutilation”), and “Needing/Getting” even broke down into a dub freakout.
During the show, Kulash announced that OK Go will be putting out a live album this spring; Tuesday’s show demonstrated why it’ll be worth getting.
