By Josh Ballard
Most people who don’t immediately recognize the name OK Go only need a brief reminder of the band’s homemade recording, “Here It Goes Again,” to jar their memories. Shot in only one angle with a handheld camcorder, this seemingly simple video turns out to showcase an intricately choreographed series of dance moves, with a twist: They’re all performed on top of two interposed rows of moving treadmills.
The stunt exploded online. Since 2006, it has received more than 52 million hits on YouTube. To equal that number, every student at the University of Louisville would have to watch it about 2,000 times each. Since then, OK Go, now unavoidably nicknamed “the treadmill guys,” has released two new albums. They kicked off an international tour for their third – “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky” – in January, selling out in cities as eclectic and widespread as Ontario, Liverpool, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York. On Oct. 12, they will pass through Louisville and do a show on Belknap Campus – free to the public.
John Drees, U of L’s associate vice president for communications, would admit to having a certain disconnect with anyone under 30.
“To be totally honest with you, I had no idea who OK Go was,” Drees said. One of his colleagues, Brandy Warren, had to burn him a mixed CD.
Despite this, Drees was charged with the duty of transforming U of L into a destination spot. Part of his job involved figuring out how to bring people to U of L. And, once they arrived, how to keep them coming back. Concerts tended to do both. When Drees’ department polled a student focus group at U of L to discover the bands they would like to see, nearly 30 out of 40 recognized OK Go. Drees then took the idea to the Student Government Association and the Student Activities Board. They knew about OK Go too. Everybody seemed to want them. But there were a few critical questions. How could U of L afford to get OK Go? And where could it put the estimated 3,000 people who might show up to see them?
The president’s office provided a solution to the second problem, by giving permission to hold the concert on the Grawemeyer oval. Few students regularly visit that part of campus. As the venue of several commencements, it had proven capable of serving an immense crowd.
The answer to the first question looked a little bleaker. OK Go was too far out of reach. But that didn’t keep Drees’ department from wanting to put on a great show.
“We actually thought, ‘What can we do to really make this right, to make it cool?'” said Drees.
They decided to enlist the help of two local businesses with just the right kind of expertise, ear X-tacy and Production Simple. Both organizations loved the idea of an on-campus concert. Ear X-tacy signed on to sponsor the event and serve as a music consultant, while Production Simple began shopping for alternative headliners.
The concert was originally scheduled for Welcome Weekend. However, finding viable candidates for late August proved difficult, because most bands had already committed to playing state fairs or had planned vacations. So the event was pushed back to October. Then Drees received a phone call from Production Simple.
“Unless I’m mistaken it was on a weekend…saying, ‘We’ve just found out that OK Go has heard about this and thinks it’s a neat idea and would love to do it,'” said Drees. “And again, we weren’t even thinking on that level. We had to jump on it quickly.”
U of L booked OK Go for the event. But the university still hadn’t figured out a way to pay for them.
Fortunately for U of L, funding the concert wasn’t entirely on U of L’s shoulders. Through its partnership with ear X-tacy, U of L had made a valuable connection with the Louisville Independent Business Alliance. LIBA provided a way to tap into the community for support. More than three dozen local businesses – including restaurants, book and music stores, credit unions and photography studios – all expressed interest in sponsoring the event. Despite all the outside help, hosting an outdoor concert for a Grammy-winning band was still a steep prospect. Drees’ department wanted to make sure that it would have the support of the students. So they quickly turned to SAB for help.
“They really came in looking for funding,” said Robin Chrisman, SAB director of programming. According to Chrisman, the SAB agreed to give that support, through financing and much more. “Part of SAB is that we also have to contribute though work and opinion too.”
The concert idea had evolved. LIBA members weren’t just making charitable donations. In return for their support, they wanted exposure. Sponsors were given permission to set up product and information booths along the outer perimeter of the Grawemeyer oval. For SAB volunteers, this meant assisting those vendors, working crowd control and coordinating parking. Bringing in a band from out of state also required manpower. OK Go would need a place to eat, shower and sleep.
Chrisman will be OK Go’s tour guide while the band is in Louisville. She will be responsible for handling their every need. Fresh from doling out hotdogs at U of L’s annual homecoming cookout, she entered the SAB office and took a seat at a small, circular table near the center of the room to explain what her duties will involve. She is contractually forbidden to mention the word “treadmill” during her dealings with the band on Oct. 12.
“They are sending me a list of places to eat,” said Chrisman. “And Brandy [Warren] asked me to research stuff in Louisville. So if they want to go shopping or see the Louisville Slugger Museum, I can kind of be their tour guide for the day.”
For security purposes, Chrisman can’t use her cell phone while on the job. Ok Go doesn’t want to risk any embarrassing candid photos or Twitter updates about their every move. She is contractually forbidden to mention the word “treadmill” during her dealings with the band on Oct. 12. Chrisman also can’t talk about their price tag.
“We’re not allowed to disclose that,” said Chrisman.
In her broadly windowed corner office, SGA President Sana Abhari held a letter in her hands. It was from Drees – a formal request to mutually determine the meaning of “success.”
“John Drees of the communications department, I was told, was going to come knocking on my door soon to ask for funding, because he had already requested funding from SAB,” said Abhari. “SAB was able to commit to $3,000.”
SGA matched SAB’s contribution and also decided to up the ante. Abhari promised Drees an additional $2,000 if he could guarantee that the concert would not just be a one-time deal. Establishing a concert series on campus is one goal in SGA’s 2020 plan. Abhari seized the opportunity to try to make that happen. She said that Drees would be willing to consider a series, but only on the condition that the first concert proved successful.
“That’s when I read this letter saying, ‘We would like you to let us know the standards by which you’re going to judge the success of the event,’ so that it’s not as arbitrary, so that SGA and SAB can do their part to ensure its success, and therefore, its continuity,” said Abhari.
For his part, Drees wants to see student turnout at the event. He believes that if students truly want more of the same, then they will demonstrate that through showing up for the concert.
“As long as we have a decent crowd and everybody enjoys themselves, it’s a success,” said Drees. “On Oct. 13, we’ll know if we want to do it again.”
