As Madison residents anticipate the weekend of masquerade and drunkenness that is Halloween, members of Grammy-winning band OK Go are looking forward to putting on a great show for them. Set to perform at Freakfest Saturday, the band will take the Mountain Dew & Amp Stage at midnight, giving the crowd on State Street something other than costumes and beer to get excited about.
OK Go consists of lead singer and guitarist Damian Kulash, bassist Tim Nordwind, guitarist Andy Ross and drummer Dan Konopka, and they are all excited to perform in this college town.
""We were invited to come and it sounded like a fun time so we said yes,"" Nordwind said. ""We've been to Madison a lot over the years, had lots of first recordings in Madison.""
""We got excited to spend a little more time there.""
The band is most well known for their treadmill-filled music video ""Here it Goes Again,"" a song from their second album Oh No. The video nabbed the band a Grammy for Best Short-Form Music Video in 2007 after it became an instant YouTube phenomenon. In the video, Nordwind lip-syncs the lyrics while he and his bandmates perform an intricately choreographed dance. Unfortunately, there won't be any treadmills involved on Saturday, but that's no reason for the hype to die.
""No treadmills, but there will be a lot of surprises,"" Nordwind said. ""I should probably not say too much but expect the unexpected.""
OK Go released a new album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, in January and Freakfest attendees can expect to hear some of those newer songs.
""There will be a pretty healthy dose of old stuff and new stuff,"" Nordwind says. ""You can expect to hear stuff off all three records.""
As for their new music, Nordwind says it is more melancholic, while their two previous albums are more upbeat.
""Really, my favorite song to perform changes every week,"" he said when asked what he enjoys playing, ""but this week I really like ‘Needing/Getting,' a bombastic song about relationships.""
""It's really fun to play,"" he said.
But no matter what music they play, Nordwind thinks the audience is crucial for a successful show.
""Ideally what makes a good show is that we have some sort of connection with the audience,"" he said. ""If we're playing songs, as long as everyone's on the same wavelength, whether up or down, that's what is important, that's when you get something magical.""
Although Nordwind feels this rapport with the audience is important, an emotional connection is not all one should expect at an OK Go concert.
""It usually just feels like a party,"" Nordwind said. Luckily for him, college students are always ready to take the party to a new level.
""College kids are usually unabashedly drunk—drunker than normal—and it always provides for a good time,"" Nordwind said, but immediately qualified, ""not that I condone that, but generally it gets pretty crazy because the kids get to just let off steam, go out for night instead of studying.""
While he expects the audience to participate in excessive drinking and other activities, Nordwind admits this will not be the case for the band.
""We're pretty mellow before our shows actually, conserving our energy before the show,"" he said. ""Generally speaking, we get into the zone. Warm up. Read a newspaper. We try and save the craziness for the actual show.""
After the show, however, students may catch a glimpse of the band around town.
""It's not totally out of character for us to go hang out for a bit,"" Nordwind said.
So as students raid Ragstock and Goodwill to find that perfect combination of original and slutty, it's worth asking if the band members are planning on wearing costumes too.
""We dress up every night,"" Norwind said, and would not elaborate.
Students will just have to wait and see what the band members have up their sleeves. OK Go has never attended Freakfest, but Nordwind is still anticipating a good time.
""I've heard it's a crazy drunken night when lots of people dress up in Halloween costumes and go wild,"" Nordwind said. ""I'm looking forward to it. Should be a pretty good show.""
