OK Go is one highly visual band set to perform at the Rialto Theatre on Thursday.
Though its sound has changed over the years from rock-pop to new rave to electro, OK Go’s videos have their own, distinct look. You’ve probably seen OK Go do a treadmill dance routine in its “Here It Goes Again” video, which was featured in an Apple Inc. advertisement. Colorful, funny, catchy; this style has never changed, even sonically.
The band is also notorious for its live shows, which is apparent when looking at fan comments. Many recommend that you go see the band live; comments rank from “a breath of fresh air, fiesta, pure joy and fun” to people wondering how much confetti its members eat a year.
“About 70 pounds each,” said Tim Nordwind, OK Go’s bass player. “We try to integrate the stuff we do in our videos into our live shows. We spend a lot of time thinking about what we could in a room with a couple thousand people to make it a unique, emotional experience. We’re a band, so music comes first, but we try to look at things from a different perspective. It gets pretty crazy.”
And where does such a creative band get its inspiration from? Daft Punk is definitely an inspiration, at least for Nordwind.
“As soon as the world’s caught up to them, they’re doing something completely new that’s blowing everyone away,” Nordwind said. “And it works. They’ve been around for so long.”
OK Go’s been around for some time, too. The band formed in 1998, and after a couple adjustments in its formation, it won a Grammy Award for the aforementioned music video in 2007. Its contesters (The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers) might have put more money into their videos, but what OK Go lacked in dollars it made up for with time and energy. Its members even founded a label in order to keep full creative freedom.
“It’s working pretty good,” Nordwind said. “If we have a video idea or a performance idea, a book idea or an art idea, we are free to follow those. We’re lucky to be in the position where we are able to do that.”
The newest video for “I Won’t Let You Down” shows the band doing a choreography on scooter chairs, looking every bit as funny as it sounds. The clip was sponsored by Honda and filmed with a drone in one shot, like most of OK Go’s videos.
“Each video can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months,” Nordwind said, “while recording a record takes us about a year.”
So, what can we expect from OK Go’s show in Tucson tomorrow?
“We always try to provide a special experience,” Nordwind said. “We’ve been touring Canada and the East Coast recently, so we’re very much looking forward to coming back to a warmer climate.”
The all-ages concert at the Rialto will open its doors at 7 p.m.
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