OK Go & Atomic Tom

I got a text invitation to see OK Go and Atomic Tom. I didn't know much about the bands. I had seen OK Go's video (yes, that marching band video) on the internet but never heard of Atomic Tom. I had never been to Avalon either even though I lived in Silicon Valley for over 7 years. Nevertheless, I was excited to go to see a concert with my gal pal. I rarely turn down an opportunity to see a live performance especially when it's free.

The show started with The Relay Company, a local band from San Jose. They were pretty good and wasn't shy about asking the audience to check them out on Youtube and follow them on Twitter.

I looked up Atomic Tom before the concert, and they totally reminded me of 80's pop bands. Sure enough, the lead singer announced during the show that they love 80's music. They started performing one of the 80's biggest hits and got the crowd all rowdied up! I recorded a part of it:



By the time Atomic Tom finished performing, it was 10 PM, and it seemed like forever for the crew to setup the stage for OK Go. The audience was getting really excited because most of them were there to see OK Go, the headliner. I was curious how good these guys might be. Their videos sure are creative and fun to watch. The band came on stage wearing their colorful suits - blue, red, yellow, and green. They started blowing tons of confetti from the stage. At one point, the crew brought out a table with bells of different sizes, and they performed a song by ringing those bells.

Besides singing, the lead singer also joked a lot. He stepped down from the stage and sang among the audience for one song. The crowd just went wild. He didn't forget to turn around to face the other side at the midway of the song. I know how much his fans must have appreciated that. I never forget any concert that I had the opportunity to see the musicians straight in the eyes. For that reason, I much prefer small venues over big sports arenas for live music.

Avalon is a pretty cool concert venue. It's all general admission and there's plenty of parking. In the same parking lot, there is a L&L Hawaiian BBQ, an Indian restaurant, and a few other eateries. Inside of Avalon, they have a kitchen, a full bar and plenty of booth seating although it's harder to see the stage if you sit in a booth. I got the schedule of upcoming shows. I might catch another concert or two at Avalon.