I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: May 1, 2025] DEVO

As with most people my age, Devo has been (intentionally or not) part of my life for most of my life.  Even if I didn’t know their earlist stuff, Whip It was unavoidable in the days of MTV.

I never considered seeing them.  In fact I hadn’t really thought about them at all since college.  But a few years ago we saw a Mark Mothersbaugh exhibit in a Denver Museum and I went on a really deep dive of his stuff (and obviously I know he makes all kinds of great soundtracks).

Devo has played live over the last decade, but this was their first time playing Philly since 2008.  And I had heard that the shows on this tour were great.  So I was excited to see them.

And what a show!  They’ve always been a very visual band and this continued in their live show.  And the crowd responded in kind.  There were many people dressed in yellow jump suits.  There were countless energy domes, including one that a guy custom fit the inside with duct tape and other gadgets so it fit him perfectly (he of course had on a yellow jump suit too).

It opened with a funny video showing a where are they now look at the guy who tried to make them stars in the 1970s.  (Very funny, but also quite pointed).

They opened with one of their “new” songs (from 2010) which I vaguely knew.   And the backdrop was a full scale visual assault of colors and videos.

The band were dressed in black suit jacket and pants (with Devo printed on the lapel).  Mark Mothersbaugh looks a lot like Steve Martin now which is somehow even more fun.

There was a great collection of older songs.  I love the super weird Peek-A-Boo (HA HA HA HA).  The first half of the show was songs from the 1980s.  They put on their energy domes.  And even threw a few out into the audience (I was very jealous not to get one).

After a totally enjoyable Girl U Want and Whip It, they played a fairly lengthy video in which the band used the time to change into the yellow jumpsuits.

One thing I never knew about Devo was that bassist Gerald Casale was if not as prominent a singer as Mark, he did sing lead on many songs and he was also a big part of the live banter,  He was very funny and also made keen observations about the band and music in general.  I also somehow never realized that Mark’s brother Bob was still in the band and that he rocked so hard on guitar.  One thing that you don’t really think about with Devo is that their earliest stuff was pretty punk and full of guitars.

A lot of times with older bands like this, you wonder if it’s still the same band. But these three have been with them all along.  They’ve also ha a series of drummers over the years, but their current drummer Josh Freese has been with them since 1996 (I mean 30 years has to count for something) and their fifth member Josh has been with them since 2014, so, they may not all be 50 year members, but it’s still good.

After the break, they focused largely on their debut album.  Wearing their yellow jump suits, they played all of the classics,

I was thrilled that they played Satisfaction, which I’ve always thought was such a weird version (in a good way) that I didn’t know if it was easily playable live–I guess it is.  I also love that they still play up the staccato/robotic style of their movements.  They have always been a performance art band and they haven’t forgotten it.  So a song like Uncontrollable Urge has Mark moving minimally as he brings the mic to his mouth.

But also, this being uncontrollable, Mark tore off the sleeves and pants of his jumpsuit and then proceeded to tear off the sleeves of his bandmates.  All of these pieces made their way into the audience.  They were the most generous band when it came to flinging things to the crowd.  In addition to the energy domes and (let’s be honest here) garbage of their torn suits, they also flung a lot of guitar picks.

In a fun ending part, the one-two, one-two jam at the end had all four guys standing very close and then hopping one-two, one-two toward the front of the stage.

It was also great hearing Mongoloid (Sung by Gerry, with Mark cheering everyone on with pom poms) and Jocko Homo (are we not men? we are devo.  are we not men? D E V O).

After a few more songs they played the Devo Corporate Anthem Video (with the five young guys in sunglasses saluting the future).

For the final act of the set, they wore giant vest-like items, each with a letter on it (Mark’s was V), which means they pretty much have to stand in order.  That all included a rocking Freedom of Choice.

They ended the set with Beautiful World (also sung by Gerry).  After a verse or two, Booji Boy came out on stage.  Yup, that same creepy baby mask that they used in the early days.  And Mark (I assume) sang the song in the squeaky voice of a baby.  Creepy and wonderful.

And that was that.  It was a great show, covering so much material.  And with no opening band, it was over pretty early.  I’m so glad I went and I would absolutely see them again, and I’d bring my wife because she’s enjoy it too.  Plus I want to catch an energy dome.

1. Rod Rooter Now [Video]
2. Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man) ⊄
3. Peek-A-Boo! Ø
4. Going Under ♦
5. That’s Good Ø
6. Girl U Want ⇔
7. Whip It ⇔
8. Planet Earth ⇔
9. Carl Sagan [Video]
   (Band used this to change into jumpsuits)
10. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction €
    (The Rolling Stones cover)
11. Secret Agent Man ∇
    (P.F. Sloan cover
12. Uncontrollable Urge €
13. Mongoloid €
14. Jocko Homo €
    (with “Ohio: Round on the End and High in the Middle” snippet)
15. Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA ∇
16. Gates of Steel ⇔
17. DEVO Corporate Anthem
18. Freedom of Choice ⇔
19. Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy) €
20. Beautiful World ♦
    (with Booji Boy, snippet of Stones version of Satisfaction at end)

€ Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo (1978)
∇ Duty Now for the Future (1979)
⇔ Freedom of Choice (1980)
♦ New Traditionalists (1981)
Ø Oh, No! It’s DEVO (1982)
⊄ Something for Everybody (2010)