Last week I had the honor of finally seeing Devo again live! After they left such a fun impression on my at Riot Fest a few years ago, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for another show nearby, and I happened to be lucky to catch them at their hometown one!
Since it was a hometown show, I think we were specially treated to an opening set from local band, Massive Hot Dog Recall, which happens to be led by the cousin of Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh. Apparently the band’s style is described as “midwestern trashcan trombone rock.” And sure, there were a handful of trombones in that band, but they had other brass instruments, as well! But, I will say the style description did kind of fit them well. While the sound was filled more thanks to all of the instruments, there was a bit of a harshness to their delivery at times, making them seem both unpolished, but also very fun. The lyrics helped out with the fun part, which I think tied their whole aesthetic together. I’m not saying I’ll ever check these guys out again, but I’ve sat through worse things.
I’m sure if I pulled up Devo’s setlist from Riot Fest and compared it to this shows, I’m willing to bet it’s not that different. The show opened with “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man),” which really got the crowd going. Then a few songs later that had double success playing “Girl U Want” and “Whip It” back to back. It’s surprising that they don’t save “Whip It” until the encore, but I suppose that is just another bit of them going against the grain. At least people in the crowd could be lucky enough to catch one of their signature hats being thrown out on the beat! “Jocko Homo” and “Uncontrollable Urge” are the only other songs of theirs that I really actually know, but gosh if the rest weren’t so damn catchy.
I was a fan of “Monogloid” and “Gates of Steel” played near the end of the set, with the latter being a great ending song before the encore. The final song of the evening was “Beautiful World,” which was the first time I’d ever heard of or seen Booji Boy, and gosh was he a little terrifying. The message of that song was clear though, and it’s crazy how much of what they sing about either hasn’t changed from the 70s or has regressed since the orange ape took office again last year. They threw out a few warnings throughout the set, seemingly disgusted with how things are, and, of course, same. But, aside from that more serious messaging, the performances were really fun and they sounded, so dang good! I hope everyone someday gets the pleasure of seeing Devo live.
