ready, set... ok go!

The SAC fall concert drew 1,012 people to the Regents Center Sept. 26 for an evening of music, lights and confetti.

“The show went amazingly smooth,” SAC Concerts co-chair Brandon Flaata (‘09) said. “It couldn’t get any better.”

The opening band, Company of Thieves, was virtually unknown to many but well-received by the audience.

“Company of Thieves pleasantly surprised me with their awesomeness,” Ryan Kitchen (‘11) said.

At 7 p.m. the band opened with two acoustic songs. Their remaining songs were high-energy fused with sultry vocals by the band’s lead singer, Genevieve Schatz.

“They were artistic. I think it’s refreshing to see a female lead singer,” Andis Kancans (‘11) said.

Company of Thieves, hailing from Chicago, was excited for the opportunity to share the stage with a name as big as OK Go. They definitely held their own and captured the audience during their 45 minute set.

“We had never played Iowa before, and playing colleges is fun. There’s a high energy level,” Schatz said.

After Company of Thieves got the crowd going, the suit-clad men of the hour took the stage. OK Go opened with a bass-bumping song as red lights and fog filled the room.

Hanging behind the stage was a large backdrop projecting different images throughout the show. It displayed everything from colorful patterns to live video streamed from a camera attached to the lead singer’s microphone.

“I had only heard a couple of their songs, but I knew about their light shows and the backdrop so I was excited,” SAC Concerts co-chair Vanessa Oelrich (‘10) said.

Lead singer Damian Kulash’s banter between songs was often politically driven, drawing cheers from the audience. In the spirit of an election year, they had the crowd practice voting by choosing a cover song for them to play.

When a concert-goer made a shouted request for “Free Bird”, they laughed and played a short lick. If they hadn’t already won the audience over, that did it.

After rocking the main stage for a while, Kulash announced that they were going to come out and play in the audience.

“I feel bad about this distance between us,” Kulash said.

The band came out into the audience and played two songs acoustically, including one of their big hits, “A Million Ways.” They were on a small riser in the middle of the room, seen only by light from two flashlights audience members held.

They went back on stage for the rest of the show. During “A Good Idea at the Time,” white paper confetti exploded out on the audience.

OK Go kept the audience dancing, clapping and cheering for over an hour. When they left the stage, an encore was immediately demanded. They returned with light-up jackets and played two more songs, ending the evening with a few bangs on a gong.

After the Regents Center emptied, OK Go stayed and talked with the SAC Concerts committee, signed autographs and took pictures.

“College shows are fun. When we’re not touring, we like to play a show every once in a while so we remember that we’re in a rock band,” Kulash said.

Ears across campus are probably still ringing. Both Company of Thieves and OK Go made this year’s fall concert a memorable one.