Decades later, DEVO still ahead of the curve, still having fun
Even after 35 years of de-evolution, DEVO’s off-kilter marriage of high concept and low humor still plays ahead of its time.
On Tuesday at the Power Center, the band revisited its entire, groundbreaking catalog, bringing it all back not to the place where it started, but where it first caught a foothold in the art-rock market.
“The first time anyone ever heard of DEVO was at the Ann Arbor Film Festival in 1976,” co-founder and bassist Gerald Casale said toward the end of the band’s 90-minute set.
A short film by and about the band, "The Complete Truth About De-Evolution," won a prize at that year’s film festival.
“So it’s great to be back here in Ann Arbor,” he said.
And it seemed as if the band — featuring the classic lineup of Casale, his brother Bob Casale on synthesizer and guitar, guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh and keyboardist-singer Mark Mothersbaugh — was having fun, mixing songs from its fine new album, “Something for Everybody,” with cuts dating back to its first record.
The performance was multi-media theater of the absurd. With classic DEVO film footage — much of it recut from “The Truth About De-Evolution” — serving as a visual backdrop, frontman Mark Mothersbaugh melded the band’s big ideas about devolution with vaudeville stage tricks and slapstick humor, while the rest of the band provided those trademark pulsating rhythms.
Changing from one iconic look to another — flowerpot hats, yellow jumpsuits — the band covered the “hits,” including “Whip It,” “Uncontrollable Urge,” “Girl U Want” and “Mongoloid,” while offering a healthy dose of the new material, which blended together seamlessly.
From its music to its look to its stage show, DEVO is about juxtaposition: industrial noise next to catchy melodies; synthesizers mixed with analog drums, high concepts vs. mass appeal. Form and function. Sound and vision. Taken as a whole, Tuesday’s concert wasn’t unlike like a collision between Blue Man Group and Kraftwerk … if Kraftwerk had more of a sense of fun and Blue Man Group more of a sense of purpose.
And ultimately — at the risk of putting too fine a point on what really was little more than a really good, fun, uplifting rock ’n’ roll show — it seems that DEVO, on Tuesday, was mostly about finding beauty amid the decay of the modern world. There was an overarching thread of positivism that ran through the show. One might almost call it uplifting.
As Mothersbaugh, in the guise of the band’s Booji Boy mascot, sang in the show closing “Beautiful World, “It’s a wonderful time to be here / It’s nice to be alive.”
Comments
eclectablog
Fri, Jul 9, 2010 : 8:50 a.m.
I hear you guys. Really, I do. I don't care that they aren't running around like 20 year-olds. When I say the energy wasn't there, I was referring to the fact that they are doing their old songs EXACTLY the same way they did them 20 years ago. Same moves, same outfits, same arrangements -- there was no new energy to them at all and I know this is possible. I've seen other bands do it. I was actually hoping they would reinvent themselves like so many great bands have done. Look at Peter Gabriel. Look at David Byrne. Look at a wide variety of 70s/80s bands that are back on the road today doing the same songs. They've all managed to find a way to make it fresh and exciting again. DwightSchrute wrote: "Dude, you're trying to compare 20-something energetic, out-of-control punks with highly choreographed sets from insane 1970s shows to 55-something, gut-wielding musicians who obviously don't have the same energy or physiques." No, I'm not comparing them to 20-somethings at all. And, please, don't get me started on "highly choreographed sets". There was nothing at all spontaneous about that DEVO show. It's the exact same one they give at every venue. It has to be because it's so tightly synchronized with the video behind them. They did the same thing during the "Oh No, It's DEVO!" tour. But back then the music was all new and had that new energy I'm talking about. I really think they should have played more from their new album. Nothing like playing new material to keep you fresh. Get it? "Fresh"? Is this thing on...?
recordhound
Thu, Jul 8, 2010 : 7:52 a.m.
Initially I too thought Mark Mothersbaugh's energy level was a little low, but he was obviously pacing himself. He moved constantly throughout the entire set, running from one end of the stage to the other, changing costumes and instruments. They all worked pretty hard for guys their age, or any age really. I too wish I had seen them thirty years ago at the Punch & Judy or Bookies, but it was a very strong show. They were far from phoning it in.
DwightSchrute
Thu, Jul 8, 2010 : 1:13 a.m.
"Man, I have to tell you I really, really WANTED to love this concert. I mean, I did pay over $60 for the ticket. And I have been listening to DEVO since the mid-70s. And I have seen several times before. But, honestly, they looked like a middle-aged DEVO cover band that knew the songs really, really well but really lacked the *umph!* of the original. The energy level wasn't there and too many times during the show I caught myself thinking, "These dudes are just phoning it in..." Dude, you're trying to compare 20-something energetic, out-of-control punks with highly choreographed sets from insane 1970s shows to 55-something, gut-wielding musicians who obviously don't have the same energy or physiques. But man, their musicianship is the best it's ever been in terms of how tightly they played.
regularjoe
Wed, Jul 7, 2010 : 10:37 p.m.
A great rock and roll show. One of the best I've been to in a long time. Been a long time fan from the early eighties and it was the first time I've seen them live. Definitely did not disappoint. @ eclecta, I only hope I can rock that hard when I'm 60!
Alan Benard
Wed, Jul 7, 2010 : 9:24 p.m.
I'm sorry to hear not everyone had the transcendent experience I had seeing DEVO, live, in the intimacy of a medium-sized hall. Maybe it helps to have only seen DEVO on TV, and to have wanted for many years to experience them in person. That caused me to not wish I was watching the band I saw 30 years ago... and not pine for being the person I was 35 years ago, either. What I saw was a band in the middle of a fairly long tour which brought an appropriate amount of energy, considering they are closing in on eligibility for Social Security. Nobody ever gave Frank Sinatra crap for not being able to croon like he did in the '40 when he was 60, and if they did, they shouldn't have. The musicianship was far from sloppy. And at any rate, the one aspect of the concert which conceivably required physical stamina was the drumming, which was handled by a young man. I'm not sure how one could be disappointed by the wall of sound built up during "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA." I wouldn't call that phoned in.What I think anyone had a right to expect for their almighty dollars was the best show DEVO can put out in 2010. I think that's what I saw.
eclectablog
Wed, Jul 7, 2010 : 3:18 p.m.
Man, I have to tell you I really, really WANTED to love this concert. I mean, I did pay over $60 for the ticket. And I have been listening to DEVO since the mid-70s. And I have seen several times before. But, honestly, they looked like a middle-aged DEVO cover band that knew the songs really, really well but really lacked the *umph!* of the original. The energy level wasn't there and too many times during the show I caught myself thinking, "These dudes are just phoning it in..." I would love to have heard more than three new songs. The new album is quite good, actually but we heard almost none of it. All in all, I was really disappointed. And I didn't want to be. I wanted to be thrilled to have seen them again. But I have to say, at the end of the day, it was actually pretty lame. Man, it pains me to even write that...
ritabook
Wed, Jul 7, 2010 : 10:57 a.m.
I was at the show last night and it was absolutely amazing! One of the best concerts I have ever been to!
Nerak
Wed, Jul 7, 2010 : 8:04 a.m.
Sure looks like Bob Guenzel fronting that band!