captkevman

(my DEVO Concert Review - Show date: July 30, 2010 at The National in Richmond, VA)

(Father Spud & Tater Tot)

Pre-Show

I had been looking forward to the Richmond, VA DEVO concert since it was announced in early June. Unfortunately, business hasn’t been as brisk as I’d like (I’m an independent tech consultant, still just getting started), and it looked like I was going to have to miss the show. (I even lamented a bit about it in a DEVOlved post on the ClubDevo.com forums). Then, out of nowhere, the Devolutionary Army forum announced a ticket giveaway; I entered and won guest passes to the show a mere two days ahead of time. To say I was ecstatic would be the understatement of the summer. I had taken my 18-year-old son to see them in D.C. in November, and in the wake of that show, my 10-year-old daughter Emily expressed her desire to see DEVO in concert the next time they came around. It was her turn, and when I told her we had won the tickets, she was giddy with excitement.

Emily & I left around 3:00 p.m. to head to Richmond for a 9:00 p.m. showtime at The National. Richmond is normally about 2 hours away, but in Friday afternoon traffic, it can be as much as 4 hours. We got about 25 minutes away when I realized I had forgotten my wallet. A quick backtrack and 45 minutes later, we were back on our way at about the same place. While stuck in traffic, the afternoon sun was bothering Emily, who is a little short for the visors to have any effect, so I had her pop open an umbrella, and she busied herself drawing to pass the time. While under her makeshift sun-shaded studio, she kept quizzing me about the band: “Who’s the leader?” “What are their last names?” “If Josh is their drummer, why won’t he be there tonight?” “If Jeff is playing with them, doesn’t that mean he’s in DEVO, too? I think it should.” (Although she loves DEVO, she’s been more interested in their music — she’s still a little young to be concerned with obsessive fan details). An hour or so later, she emerged with her drawing of DEVO, complete with all 6 members (including Jeff, whom she was very concerned would feel left out):

[She made a point to thank the band for the concert, since she was aware that we wouldn’t have been able to swing it otherwise. Sweet kid.] ;^)

We arrived in Richmond around 7:00 p.m. to find about 10 DEVOtees in line already. They wore a variety of DEVO shirts, and one had a chrome Energy Dome (I recognized that Spud from the November show in D.C.). I stepped over to the ticket window and claimed the guest passes and the After Show passes (which I wasn’t expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised to receive). As we were waiting, it just so happened that the very next people to get in line were another father and similar-aged daughter, and then two parents with their 8-year-old son. DEVO certainly has multi-generational appeal, and not just because of DEVO 2.0 (all the kids there had said they prefer the original over the kids version).

The doors opened, and the merch table was right inside the main doors. No plastic, though, so I had to find an ATM. Emily & I claimed a spot at the right side of the front row, and I ventured out to the lobby to find an ATM. I found it, but for some reason, it didn’t like either of my bank cards. After wrestling with it for about 10 minutes, I finally was able to procure some cash and headed out to the merch table, which by that time had a line of about a dozen Spuds. As I was waiting, I met fellow Spud Bob, who was attending the show solo. I also saw Michael Pilmer, and introduced myself as the Richmond forums contest winner, and thanked him and the band for the show. He spotted a few DEVOtees with custom t-shirts, and after he snapped a few pics of them, I told him about Emily’s custom t-shirt.  After purchasing a blue Energy Dome for Emily and a Something For Everybody mask for myself (since my head is too big for the Domes…dangit!), Bob & I headed back in where Emily was saving a spot. Almost as if he had been waiting for us, Michael came right up and asked Emily to pose for a photo for the band’s archive/website. I also met fellow Spud (and Akron native) Matt, as well as fellow ClubDevo.com forum member ScumFox (another young Spud). We buckled down to wait for the show to start.

At promptly 9:00 p.m., the house lights dimmed and the opening act took the stage. It was a band called QUAL (I think), consisting of two bassists and a drummer, all appearing to be in their early to mid-twenties. For whatever reason, they felt it necessary to drop the F- and M-F Bombs as frequently as possible, as well as encouraging the crowd to drink and “get f-ed up,” because “we like f-ing ladies.” I wasn’t terribly impressed with their stage presence, and their music was at least somewhat sequenced. They were a metal-style band that ran the bulk of the vocal tracks through an auto-tune. Word from the folks in my immediate vicinity was that these guys won a local contest to open for DEVO. Lucky bastards. On a positive note, they did have some compelling bass lines. The crowd endured QUAL for about 45 minutes until they made a much-appreciated exit and the stage crew started setting up for the main event.

The Show

DEVO took the stage in the new Something For Everybody reflective gray suits and masks at 10 p.m. with a crowd-pumping performance of Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man), and immediately segued into a bone-thumping delivery of Peek-A-Boo. They interspersed old and new — the next song was What We Do, followed by Going Under, then Fresh, and back to That’s Good. Somewhere in there, they lost the masks and  gray jackets and put on the blue Domes. The first set closed with a triple shot from Freedom of Choice: Girl U Want, Whip It, and Planet Earth. The entire show was punctuated with the brilliant full-stage animated backdrop, which streamed accompanying video to each song (but our vantage point kept me focused mainly on the band).

The DEVO Corporate Anthem played during a brief intermission. Upon seeing the video on the stage display, Emily turned to me and asked, “Is that them when they were young?” Realizing I was a bit younger than she is when Duty Now was released (but not much older than her when I discovered it), I assured her yes, that was indeed them (except of course for Jeff and the otherwise-engaged Josh).

Time for a bit of a confession here: I was trying to keep up with the set list and details by shouting the songs into my iPhone’s voice memo app to recall later, but there was just too much other noise (and its battery was quickly dying). And honestly, between trying to make sure tiny Emily was safe from the surging crowd and trying to get some halfway decent photos, I forsake (forsook?) my chronology duties and just enjoyed the show as a hardcore Spud. During the second set, though, I did jot down the tracks for posterity (and this report). The rest I filled in with the show’s posting at setlist.fm. At any rate, back to the show:

At the close of the Anthem, the Boys stormed the stage in their yellow jumpsuits and delivered a tight performance of Satisfaction, then Bob 1 commanded a great performance of Secret Agent Man. Next, the crowd completely went nuts as the opening riffs of Uncontrollable Urge played, and despite the “no moshing” rule at the venue, everyone started jumping around and banging into one another. After I made sure to protect a perimeter around Emily and the stage barrier, I decided to let loose and join in the fun a bit. Not a minute later, as I threw one arm in the air and went a bit ballistic myself, I got knocked into ScumFox, and my right elbow connected soundly with his left ear. His red Dome and thicket of curly hair did very little to cushion the blow (I apologized profusely for about 5 minutes, and after checking to verify there was no blood, he was a very understanding Spud about the whole thing). As someone who had only seen DEVO live once before at the Freedom Of Choice show, the rest of the second set was perfection: Mongoloid, followed by Jocko Homo, Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA (my personal all-time favorite), capped off with Gates of Steel.

The encore was a crowd-pleasing rendition of Freedom Of Choice, followed by the show-closer Beautiful World, started by Jerry and closed by Booji Boy with his Michael Jackson homage story. Booji placated the hungry audience with his bag-o-bouncy balls, and I caught one for Emily (another Spud kindly dropped another one in her waiting Energy Dome just after the band left the stage).

Despite some hiccups, I felt the Freedom Of Choice show in D.C. was an outstanding performance, and I was particularly impressed by Josh Freese’s performance (probably because I was right in front of his kit that whole show). But tonight’s show blew even that performance away — the Boys from Akron were spot-on all night, and they seemed really on top of their game. Jeff Friedl filled in deftly for the absent Josh. The mix sounded great, even from our spot dead-front stage right. The lights were great, and the video meshed perfectly with the on-stage performance. It was a tight show from beginning to end that owed itself more to the synergy of the band and their having a great time than being overly rehearsed. These guys weren’t just going through the motions, they were savoring every moment. The set list seemed cherry-picked to be quintessential DEVO — I’d be hard pressed to put together a more perfect list of songs that more accurately define the band than what I heard tonight.

Post-Show

After the show, the venue staff corralled the crowd away from the stage toward the exits. I asked one staffer about my After Show passes, and he directed me to one corner of the venue, where another more aggressive staffer promptly told me my pass meant exactly Jack Squat, and I’d have to wait outside by the tour buses. Emily & I went outside and stood by the buses, and after some more shuffling around and miscommunication by the venue staff (most of whom were very courteous, kind, and helpful), about 30 minutes later we were whisked back inside the venue to an upstairs room where the band was seated at a receiving table to meet the VIP ticket holders. Emily & I straggled at the back of the group, and first at the table was Jerry. He asked Emily if she wanted him to sign her Dome, and she shyly shook her head “no thank you.” I was temporarily mortified, but I gathered my composure, shook his hand and politely asked him to sign my Mask. I explained to Jerry that Emily was a huge fan, and she’s just a little overwhelmed by everything. Next up was Jeff, and Emily reacted the same way, politely declining an autograph. Repeat again for Bob 1, then Michael Pilmer asked Emily to get up on the table so he could take a shot of her with Mark, who was seated next. As she situated herself on the table, Mark signed her Dome. At that point it became clear Emily had a plan all along — she wanted to get Mark to sign her Dome first, and she wanted to present him with the drawing (I think she feels a bit of a bond with Mark, since she also wears glasses). She pulled out her drawing and presented it to Mark, who very graciously complimented her on it and showed it to the other guys. Everyone seemed genuinely appreciative of her efforts, and promised to take good care of her gift. Michael got a shot of Emily presenting the drawing to Mark, with Bob 1 on her right rear flank. I grabbed a shot, as well, and then continued through the reception line to Mark and Bob 2. Bob 1 leaned over to Emily and jokingly asked how she thought his head got on my shirt (the FoC tour shirt from last Fall). Emily then sought the rest of the band’s signatures and saw Bob 2, then doubled back to Jerry and Jeff, but Bob 1 had stepped away from the table. We started to leave, but she was really keen to get Bob 1’s autograph, so we came back and waited in the general reception area to see if he would return. Ultimately, we decided to go. But between her custom shirt and drawing gift, Emily seemed to be a minor hit with the band, and she felt like her gift was genuinely appreciated, which made her night, if not her whole summer.

A Missed Opportunity

I had previously met and spoken with Mark after the D.C. show (story here), and I had promised myself that if I had the chance to meet the band after this show, I’d express my sincere gratitude for both the show and for being an inspiration to me, especially during the past year or so as I’ve struggled with some difficult career choices. It may sound a bit goofy, but their entire catalog has been the soundtrack to my life during that time, and songs like Whip It, Be Stiff, Through Being Cool, Freedom of Choice, and Spin The Wheel have inspired perseverance and patience as I venture into the Great Unknown of entrepreneurship after being chewed up and spit out by a corporation that was the last I’d have thought would behave like a typical corporation. DEVO’s music and message have provided comfort and guidance to me during this whole ordeal. And things like Mark’s Second Act interview (and, well, his whole soundtrack career in general) and the simple fact that the band is back with a new album after a 20-year hiatus have been great inspirations to me, as well.

I wanted to tell them all of those things, but all I could muster at the time was a genuine “thanks for an amazing show” and “could I please trouble you to sign my Mask? Thank you!”

So, to DEVO (if you’re reading this), when I said “Thank You,” I meant it in every personal way: For an amazing show. For an unforgettable evening with my daughter. For a welcome break from a stressful couple of weeks. For a great show and memorable evening with my son back in November. For music and messages that have both entertained me and that have seen me through trying times. For long ago helping me realize it’s OK not to be one of the “cool kids” and to formulate and cherish opinions of my own. In some very real ways, you helped me become (and be comfortable with) who I am.

Thank you for being DEVO and for holding a mirror to the world in the hopes that it will some day realize the folly of its ways. Some of us are listening.

(Hopefully more than we know.)