Some strange blue men are about to hit Ames.

The Blue Man Group is coming to Stephens Auditorium Monday, March 25, 2013, and Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Among the group performing at 7:30 p.m. is Shane Andries, who has been touring with Blue Man Group since 2008.

Andries has always had a knack for drumming and kept up with the hobby since he was a child; playing on the drum kit his father provided him. His drumming would come in handy after graduation from North Carolina School for Arts.

He auditioned for the group right out of college and has been touring with the Blue Man Group since 2008.

Blue Man Group is known for its PVC pipe instruments that take on a different sound than traditional percussive instruments.

The Blue Men play on a mixture of PVC instruments throughout the show while interacting with the audience. Playing with the blue men is the band, who play more traditional instruments like the guitar, bass and a drum kit.

The technique required to play these PVC instruments are not any different than playing any other type of percussive instrument.

“A lot of their members, the artists in the group, are specifically percussionists. Really, the skills that they use in playing the music is a small part of the whole bunch of skills that they need to do,” said Matthew Coley, lecturer in music and theater at Iowa State University.

The PVC pipes are naturally resonant just like the marimbas, for example. It’s the different material of the pipe that gives it a unique sound.

The outfits the blue men are known for are relatively simple to put together. They wear a bald cap and blue grease makeup with their black jumpsuit.

“The closest thing to grease makeup texture would be Vaseline, but it’s not as oily. … It wouldn’t dry. It would just kind of stay put, and water would repel off of it,” Andries said.

The color blue was chosen as a part of their act because it was the most welcoming. Green made them look too much like an alien and red made them look devilish. Other colors, like yellow and purple were hard to light on the stage.

“It’s soft, it’s welcoming and it’s gentle. It just works with the character,” Andries said.

Throughout the performance the blue men are not allowed to say anything. They need to stay in character during the improvisation parts when they are interacting with the audience.

“The blue man is curious about everything no matter what happens. It becomes an experiment with the other two guys. … It’s the blue men responding to all sorts of circumstances,” Andries said.