Confetti, and Lasers and Hand Bells, Oh My! OK Go plays a visually-stunning concert at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY

To my own embarrassing determination, I seem to have a penchant for beating my way to the front of the crowd at concerts – and with OK Go coming to Ithaca, NY I knew I would have raised a fist or two to get where I wanted to be. As it turns out, I didn’t have to; The Haunt – a club and bar decorated in old fashioned beer signs and some slightly spooky décor that I can only assume is meant to live up to its moniker – was small enough that I could easily step right up before the stage and hold my footing while the crowd slowly trickled in.

After surprisingly strong opening acts by the bluesy rock trio, Earl Greyhound and the old-school Beatles-esque, The Booze, OK Go fans were chomping at the bit to continue their eclectic music experience with the main act.

When OK Go finally blessed the crowd with their presence, they did not disappoint. Opening with the always full-charged “Invincible” and a cannon blast of multicolored confetti, lead singer Damien Kulash had the fans dancing along with the first pound of the track’s distinctive drumbeat. Not once did fans feel a lull in the show. The guys moved swiftly from one great track to the next, showcasing the best of their latest album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (2010) (check out my review of that album here ←insert hyperlink), along with hits off of their previous two albums, including the ever-infectious “Here It Goes Again” from Oh No (2005) and my personal old favorite “Get Over It” off their self-titled 2002 debut.

Of course OK Go wouldn’t be their quirky self if they didn’t include some interesting interpretations of their own hits. As they’ve done in past shows, the guys brought out a table full of hand bells and white gloves to perform “Oh Lately” with the haunting, yet quaint sound of a bell choir. For the only time during the night, the crowd hushed, falling almost completely silent as the bells chimed and the band sang a cappella.

Where this show really stood out was in Kulash’s interaction with the crowd. Not once, but twice did he come out into the crowd to play; first with “Last Leaf” and then again to get the crowd hyped during their final song “This Too Shall Pass,” giving the poor schmucks in the back a chance to get lucky.

After a heavenly sixteen-song set, I knew there was more to come. These guys never perform halfway, and Kulash’s playful smirk told me they were far from through with us.

And I was right.

The encore made this one of the most memorable shows in my collection. Equipped with light-up jackets that scrolled “OK GO” down the backs and fuzzy white guitars shooting red and green lasers out the necks, the band was ready to kick it into high gear – and maybe put out an eye or two in the process. As I watched the lasers project around the room, I thought, ‘Only OK Go could look badass jamming on furry guitars.’

As Kulash mentioned during the concert, OK Go recently left Capitol Records to form their own label, Paracadute. With their devil-may-care feeling of independence hanging in the air, it was only appropriate to end with an energized, guitar-screaming rendition of “Do What You Want,” accompanied by more bursts of confetti and the jingle of tambourines that had been thrown out to the crowd throughout the night.

Do what you want? OK Go wouldn’t have it any other way.