Devo and The B-52s played the Circuit of the Americas’ Germania Amphiteatre in Austin last Saturday as a stop on their Cosmic De-volution tour, making for perhaps the most oddball bill we have ever seen.
The outdoor show was delayed by a couple of hours due to the torrential thunderstorm hovering overhead, but that was just as well, considering it took over an hour for crowds to park and make their way into the grounds that normally hold Formula One races.
The crowd filed in, bedecked in red energy domes and yellow jumpsuits. Others wore beehive wigs in tribute to the B-52s’ Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, style icons in their own right. This was the perfect concert to be at for Halloweekend. Costumes were a given.
Though fellow eccentric and British new wave chanteuse Lene Lovich was scheduled to open, the weather had cut short the night’s itinerary, dropping her from the lineup.
The B-52s opened the night with “Cosmic Thing,” the title track off band’s fifth studio album, followed by “Mesopotamia,” originally produced by Talking Heads’ David Byrne.
“We’re here to make Austin weirder!” frontman Fred Schneider said between songs.
Vocalist Cindy Wilson shared her fond memories of Hippie Hollow, the legendary Hill Country nude beach. This was to be a night of high camp. We were entering a bizarro world where nothing was taboo — except being boring.
The new wave and art-pop band brought the grooves for which they’re best known, including “Rock Lobster,” “Roam,” “Planet Claire,” “Private Idaho” and, of course, “Love Shack.”
However, “Love Shack” was altered quite a bit from its original sound, and wasn’t immediately recognizable during the intro.
Kate Pierson, 77, sporting a dress and blazer covered in sugar skulls to honor the Nov. 1 occasion of Dia de Muertos, displayed vocal prowess that showed little of her age. Fellow singer Cindy Wilson matched her in a vocal pairing that has always been its own cosmic thing. Somehow, the pair remain perfectly suited for each other.
And luckily for frontman Fred Scheider, his parts were always spoken in his distinctive deadpan style — something that travels well into your golden years.
Then it was time for Devo.
The group opened with “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” from the 2010 album Something for Everybody.
But are they men?
Through signature robotic movements, the band still generated a sense of the uncanny valley. They were both men and not men. Put simply, they remain Devo.
The set included cult favorites “Girl U Want,” “Mongoloid,” “Jocko Homo,” “Blockhead” and “Peek-a-Boo.”
Always adept at complimenting its singular songs with striking imagery, the band performed in front of slick visuals and animations projected onto a large screen. The clips harkened back to the iconic music videos and album art connected to the tunes they were performing.
Few bands can boast the fervent following of Devo. Putting the devo- in devoted, the crowd was full of “spuds” — as the band calls their fans — who were outfitted in the appropriate gear and dutifully singing along to every word.
Even the act’s Instagram is called “@clubdevo,” emphasizing the community created around its concept.
Its classic lineup comprised of two pairs of brothers, Devo retains most of its original members including frontman and keyboardist Mark Mothersbough, lead guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh, and co-lead vocalist, co-principal songwriter and bassist Gerald Casale.
Josh Hager, who joined the band in 2014, replaces Gerald Casale’s late brother Bob Casale on guitar and keyboard. Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle and the Vandals rounds out the modern-day lineup on drums.
The members of Devo told the audience the band was there to present its theory of de-volution and asked if we believe in it. This theme appeared throughout the set, as a commentary on our modern political landscape.
“It’s Idiocracy every day now!” Casale exclaimed at one point in the set.
Further emphasizing the deconstructive concept of de-volution, Mothersbaugh ripped apart and destroyed the band’s yellow jumpsuits during “Uncontrollable Urge.” The musicians performed several more songs in the tattered uniforms, perhaps indicating they’re all worse for the wear in Trump’s America.
We can relate.
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