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indie-snob>+!#
ok go @ chicago st. fairs (5-30+31-03)
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OK Go @ Fest '03: DePaul University (5-30-03) OK Go have become Chicago pop legends, I guess. Beginning their career at the Fireside Bowl not all that long ago, OK Go built a name for themselves on being a sort of funky pop that I suppose was fairly unique for a Chicago band. Now, after their debut full-length on a major label, OK Go have found themselves on a slightly different path, all of a sudden opening up for the Vines and then headlining a mid-sized venue show the very same year. This summer, OK Go took a break from their extensive touring of Japan and Europe to play a couple Chicago dates, the first of which an underpublicized, little known event with Naughty by Nature headlining the bill. Air This Side of Caution played first when I arrived, but after another band called the Exaggeration. Air This Side of Caution, who I've heard of because they seem to be a standard opener for bad emo or pop-punk bands passing through, really sucked. Hard. The man's voice seemed to all of a sudden do a dive bomb towards a howling, painful, forced falsetto. The lyrics and melodies were so unpredictable, that as I was making fun of the band, I actually was singing along without ever hearing the song. Frightening. What an awful performance. Settles into a top 10 spot for worst bands or musical performers I've ever seen live [in a concert setting]. But, OK Go coming out made things seem okay. The sun shine overhead in the high-60s as OK Go blasted through a wonderful setlist, debuting one or two new songs and covering an old Violent Femmes song (who I'll be seeing on Friday) in addition to some rap song... which was amusing. OK Go really did a great job of entertaining the crowd, which seemed like a greater feat as the rains started coming in, the lead singer battling the stage crew to keep his monitors in place. Sure, there were those occasional screams like: "Shut up you fucking rock star!" And I think that best interprets what OK Go has become. I wasn't a fan early enough to be cool like so many other people who were there... One of my new-found friends has seen them 11 times, she said. In spite of this, they manage to put on a pretty awesome show, some of their best songs being "Hello My Treacherous Friends," the song with one of the most killer choruses in history, and the strangely Cibo Matto like punk rock thriller, which to the best of my knowledge is titled "This is Not the Sound of the Train" or perhaps simply "The Train." (I am so very reminded of "Blue Train" by Cibo Matto when I think this song.) In addition to this, OK Go played those sugary sweet, classic pop songs they do so well, including "C-C-Cinnamon Lips," "It's Tough to Have a Crush," "Don't Ask Me," "You're So Damn Hot" and of course, "Get Over It." So, it wasn't that bad being soaked by the rain listening to OK Go. In fact, it was awesome. OK Go @ the Belmont & Sheffield Music Festival (5-31-03) May I say, another great show by OK Go. I must also say, though, that this show was sponsored by my favorite local "alternative" music station. *coughs and chokes on his lie* Okay, so this music station is owned by Clear Channel and is really pure crap, but whatever. OK Go played largely the same set, just in a different order. That, however, was okay, because they once again did a very good job of articulating that pop charm. I guess seeing OK Go live gives me new respect for them. Well-deserved respect. Instead of covering that rap song, they covered "Jesse's Girl," which was both funny and good. Mmm... Yep. Definitely worth checking them out should you have the chance. |