Well, Devo refused to give the past a slip! Saw Devo with Cake this past week and I must say that Devo put on a great show. Cake was fun (I've liked their quirky style for a while now). But Devo ... I really didn't expect to be as impressed as I was. Sure, Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerry (I think it was?) had packed on some pounds, but they still had a lot of youthful energy. It looked to be the same lineup from the late 80's with David Kendrick on drums. They opened with a brilliant, hilarious video montage introduced by General Boy (Mothersbaugh Sr.) which segued into "That's Good". They did a few synthy tunes, before strapping on their guitars and doing a huge set of their earlier, edgier guitar-dominant songs ("Uncontrollable Urge", "Mongoloid", "Jocko Homo", "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA", "Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy", "Blockhead", "Come Back Jonee"). The emphasis on their earlier material was a pleasant surprise and a real crowd-pleaser ... something that even the younger generations could appreciate.
Oh yeah, they wore their energy domes (flower pots) along with yellow industrial outfits both of which they proceeded to rip off and discard revealing their black, rugby-like uniforms underneath ... an actual on-stage costume change!
Don't miss them live if you get a chance.