SAB snags OK Go for December concert

Here they go again.

Pop rock group OK Go will play at Truman for the Student Activities Board fall concert. Sophomore Meaghan Larson, SAB Fall Concert event chair, said the band will perform Dec. 7 and was the number two choice on the SAB fall concert survey.

"We read everyone's comments on our survey," Larson said. "One of the student's comments about OK Go was 'I don't know all of their hits, but I know that they're fun and I'd love to go even though they're not my favorite one so we can have fun and dance around and stuff.'"

Larson said members of SAB have been preparing for the fall concert since last spring. The concert committee began referencing bands this summer by calling universities across the nation and asking about their concert experiences within the last year. SAB then contacts a music agent to find out more about potential bands.

"The agent that we work through, he tells us if they're easy to work with: 'This is how long their contracts usually take. This is what they ask for,'" Larson said. "We were kind of expecting [OK Go to be picky], ... but in the preliminary rider agreement they mentioned that they want things like socks - argyle socks - six pairs. And mild salsa. One. Not 10."

Students have expressed mixed reactions about SAB bringing OK Go to campus. Senior Kim Mitchell said she took the SAB concert survey and was disappointed in the selection.

"That's definitely not who I wanted," Mitchell said.

Senior Marie Weichold also participated in the survey but said she was more enthusiastic about OK Go's pending visit.

"I'm excited," Weichold said. "But there [also] was no one who really stood out to me on the survey."

Senior Mindy Maness, SAB concert chair, said the concert committee tries to present students with a variety of choices of musical genres. SAB makes concert decisions based on the survey results.

"We want to bring what students want," Maness said. "We have different genres, but they simply don't survey high enough."

Maness said SAB explored bringing the number one survey choice, the Goo Goo Dolls, before contacting OK Go.

But because the Goo Goo Dolls are not touring currently, the cost for the concert exceeded the concert budget.

Although SAB has begun to publicize the concert, Truman has not yet received a final contract signed by OK Go.

In past years, SAB has refused to comment about potential entertainment acts on campus until the University and the entertainer have a final written agreement. However, Maness said SAB can begin publicity sooner because of state laws regarding verbal contracts.

"A verbal contract, in the State of Missouri, is binding," Maness said. "... At any point in time an artist can drop out. ... [But] if they break their contract, they have to give the money back and anything we might have spent on [the concert] because the stage is expensive, too."

Maness said tickets for OK Go go on sale Nov. 12. Student tickets cost $5, and general admission is $10.