I'm sure this show was sparsely attended by boardies, but the review is interesting:
Monday, February 9, 2004; Page C04
OK Go
Three-quarters of the way through its set at the Black Cat on Saturday night, OK Go offered the sellout crowd a choice among three covers: Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover," Elvis Costello's "Oliver's Army" and Toto's "Hold the Line." With guest help from keyboardist Burleigh Seaver, the Chicago quartet tore into the last song, which made the most sense, since the song's crashing power-pop chords and thin layer of cheesiness are also key components in OK Go's infectious rock-and-roll formula. And though its hour-long set Saturday was centered on a handful of new songs, OK Go showed no signs of deviating from the clever, squiggly power pop that made its debut album so enjoyable.
Lead singer and guitarist Damian Kulash -- he of the mischievous, Ashton Kutcherish good looks -- seems to be the chief reason the group's live show has become so popular. (He even elicited female squeals when he chugged a bottle of water.) Whether bounding through the bratty "Don't Ask Me," shouting through the fist-pumping chorus of "Get Over It" or inviting two single members of the audience to slow-dance onstage during "It's Tough to Have a Crush," he was an entertaining, goofily energetic frontman. Which was important, since OK Go's playing, while competent and lively, offered no new insights into the band's songs.
But breaking new ground in concert is probably of little importance to any band that would encore with a truly funny boy-bandish dance routine (Kulash described it as "like a ballerina trapped in the body of a squirrel") to its bubblegum ode "C-C-C-Cinnamon Lips."
-- Patrick Foster
