Oh, here it goes again. OK Go has released their first album in eleven years, And the Adjacent Possible, earlier this year, and are currently on tour celebrating. A run of shows that kicked off on April 23rd in South Bend, Indiana, and have staggered dates through June 22nd, many of which are sold out, will wrap up in Vancouver, Canada. Additionally, it marks the first time Ok Go has made their way to the NYC area since July 19, 2017, when they were part of the Lowdown Hudson Music Festival.
Damian Kulash (vocals, guitar), Tim Norwind (bass), Andy Ross (lead guitar, keyboards), and Dan Konopka (drums), collectively known as OK Go, are probably just as well known for their imaginative music videos as they are for the songs behind them. The band has taken simple concepts, such as printers, umbrellas, and recently mirrors, and taken them to the extreme to create videos that are nothing short of art. But, how does that translate to a live show? Fans in New York lined up around the block in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn at Brooklyn Steel on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, to find out.
The crowd was just as much a melting pot as the city around it, showcasing the true widespread appeal of OK Go’s music. Fans of all ages and walks of life flooded into the venue once the doors opened at 7 PM. Many of the shows on OK Go’s Tour were advertised as sellouts. Brooklyn’s was not, but it was standing room only by the time L.A. Exes hit the stage at 8 PM.
Out of Los Angeles, California, L.A. Exes – Sam Barbera (vocals, bass), Jenny Owen Youngs (vocals, guitar), Rachel White (lead guitar), and Steph Barker (drums) – came to the stage suited up to a huge ovation. The band’s beachy rock themes were infectious from the start with “Skinny Dipping” and “Totally Worth It.” By the time they reached deeper into their set with “Cocaine Girl,” even newcomers were bobbing their heads along and cheering the band during their banter between tracks. A highlight of the night was the band all coming together centerstage for “West Keys” before they returned to their instruments for “Get Some.” The catchy track also serves as the name of their most recent album, which was available at the merch booth in a pretty pink version.
Fans humorously booed the band when Barbera announced they only had two songs left, wanting to hear more from them. Barbera joked back, calling it the only time she’d be ok with fans booing her, but still hoped no one was recording it. Those two songs started with “Baby Let’s Pretend.” After inviting their sound tech on stage to take a photo of the band and crowd, L.A. Exes closed with a stunning rendition of The Cranberries’ “Linger,” giving even those in attendance who were not familiar with the band a chance to sing along with them.
L.A. Exes certainly left their mark on the Brooklyn crowd as the merchandise booth saw a lot of fans lining up after their set to pick up their merch and get a chance to chat with the band. The band’s Surf-Pop tracks and queer-positive personalities are easy to get into. The band will continue to wow fans throughout the And The Adjacent Possible Tour and has more in store for fans, including some shows in New Jersey that will indeed have many of the fans that night crossing the Hudson to check them out again.
Only one supporting act meant that fans were a quick turnaround away from OK Go. When the lights went dark, fans went ecstatic for the headlining act. Mere moments into the set’s opening track, “This Too Shall Pass,” the confetti cannons shot off for what would be the first of many times throughout the performance, absolutely showering fans in blue and white. As the night progressed, other colors would enter the mix. By the end of the night, the rainbow colored madness had taken over the stage and the surrounding area.
Four tracks in, the fans got their first taste of the new album with “Take Me With You,” followed by “A Good, Good Day At Last,” showing off how well the new album sounds live, with an impressive lighting display backing the band. The band then reached back to 2011’s Of The Blue Color Of The Sky with “White Knuckles” and “The Writing’s On The Wall”. From there, the band showcased their unique stage show concepts with a fun rendition of “Shooting The Moon,” played entirely on handbells.
The fun did not stop there as Kulash then took off into the crowd with an acoustic guitar to play in the center of the pit. With lowlights creating the perfect atmosphere, Kulash faced one side of the crowd and played “This Is How It Ends.” The only thing that broke the intimacy performance was when Kulash humorously grabbed the mic and shifted 180 degrees to play the second half of the track to the other half of the audience. The moment was obviously by design and got a good laugh out of the crowd.
The second half of the setlist was more straightforward, but gave fans a lot to cheer about as the band continued to roll out their new tracks with some classic tracks sprinkled in, closing out the proper set with fan-favorite “Here It Goes Again”. After a very short recess, the band returned with a three-song encore featuring “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill”, “Bye Bye Baby” before closing out the night with “The One Moment” with fans getting showered one last time by the confetti cannons. The wondrous emotion the song elicits, and most OK Go songs create, matched with the falling confetti, created a purely magical moment to go home on.
Whether you are a diehard fan who knows the band upside down and inside out or a casual one who remembers them as “The Treadmill Guys,” OK Go’s live show is truly a must-see performance. Coupled with a strong opening act in L.A. Exes, the And The Adjacent Possible Tour is quickly turning into a smash hit, ready to leave fans happy and wholly covered in confetti.
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