Devo deserved better. Kudos to the local radio station for adding them to their Buzz Under the Stars lineup at City Market on Friday night, but the pioneering synth-pop band merited more than a 50-minute set shoehorned in with four other acts.
The five-piece band hasn’t played Kansas City in some time, and many in the crowd were seeing the band for the first time. They weren’t hard to spot. Many were sporting the group’s trademark blue energy dome hats that look like inverted Lego flower pots. Several more knew the precise moments to mimic singer Mark Mothersbaugh’s choreographed hand signals. At times they looked like a group of subversive air traffic controllers.
The five-piece band took the stage wearing matching gray suits with half-masks that looked like berets extending over the eyes. The kinetic keyboard riff to “Don’t Shoot (I’m A Man)” a track off the band’s first album in 20 years, showed they hadn’t lost any of their zany energy during the time off.
Music was only part of Devo’s multimedia message. A large LED screen behind the quintet showed clips from past music videos and footage designed to amplify the songs. The footage during “What We Do” commented on mass consumption and the arbitrary nature of elections as partying humans gradually regressed into simians. Another new song, “Fresh,” featured rapid-fire images of fruit and a bikini-clad derriere.
The diverse lineup prevented the crowd from completely gelling with the music for most of the night. The one exception came during “Whip It,” Devo’s Top 20 hit from 1980. For three minutes, everyone was a Devo fan, whipping the air and singing along.
The final third of the set was an about-face. Synthesizers were replaced with guitars as the band embraced the punk roots of its first two albums. Dressed in yellow radiation suits, the band delivered wonderfully sideways covers of “Satisfaction” and “Secret Agent Man.” Closing song “Jocko-Homo” found the crowd answering Mothersbaugh’s question “Are we not men?” with the hearty “We are Devo.” And then they were gone.
The transition from Devo to Silversun Pickups was jarring. The Los Angeles-based quartet opened with the dreamy wash of “Growing Old is Getting Old.” Their very vocal supporters made a lot of noise during a great performance of “There’s No SecretsThis Year” that somehow managed to find dynamics and texture in an abysmal sound mix.
Guitarist and singer Brian Aubert also gave a shout-out to all the fans that came out for the band’s free St. Patrick’s Day show at the Power and Light district last year. The 50-minute set ended with a run through three of the band’s biggest singles: “Substitution,” “Panic Switch” and “Lazy Eye.”
Ben Folds closed out the night. His one-hour set included favorites like “Kate” and “Annie Waits.” Accompanied only by his piano, the crowd was more than happy to pitch in. They sang all of Regina Spektor’s part on the duet “You Don’t Know Me,” provided three-part harmony to “Not the Same” and participated in a joyously profane call-and-response during “Rockin’ the Suburbs.” Folds also sang “Levi Johnston's Blues” a track from his upcoming album, and rarities “Steven’s Last Night in Town” and “The Secret Life of Morgan Davis.”
Against Me! and Crash Kings completed the evening’s bill.
Devo setlist: Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man); Peek-A-Boo; What We Do; Going Under; Fresh; That’s Good; Girl U Want; Whip It; Planet Earth; Satisfaction; Secret Agent Man; Uncontrollable Urge; Jocko-Homo.
The five-piece band took the stage wearing matching gray suits with half-masks that looked like berets extending over the eyes. The kinetic keyboard riff to “Don’t Shoot (I’m A Man)” a track off the band’s first album in 20 years, showed they hadn’t lost any of their zany energy during the time off.
Music was only part of Devo’s multimedia message. A large LED screen behind the quintet showed clips from past music videos and footage designed to amplify the songs. The footage during “What We Do” commented on mass consumption and the arbitrary nature of elections as partying humans gradually regressed into simians. Another new song, “Fresh,” featured rapid-fire images of fruit and a bikini-clad derriere.
The diverse lineup prevented the crowd from completely gelling with the music for most of the night. The one exception came during “Whip It,” Devo’s Top 20 hit from 1980. For three minutes, everyone was a Devo fan, whipping the air and singing along.
The final third of the set was an about-face. Synthesizers were replaced with guitars as the band embraced the punk roots of its first two albums. Dressed in yellow radiation suits, the band delivered wonderfully sideways covers of “Satisfaction” and “Secret Agent Man.” Closing song “Jocko-Homo” found the crowd answering Mothersbaugh’s question “Are we not men?” with the hearty “We are Devo.” And then they were gone.
The transition from Devo to Silversun Pickups was jarring. The Los Angeles-based quartet opened with the dreamy wash of “Growing Old is Getting Old.” Their very vocal supporters made a lot of noise during a great performance of “There’s No SecretsThis Year” that somehow managed to find dynamics and texture in an abysmal sound mix.
Guitarist and singer Brian Aubert also gave a shout-out to all the fans that came out for the band’s free St. Patrick’s Day show at the Power and Light district last year. The 50-minute set ended with a run through three of the band’s biggest singles: “Substitution,” “Panic Switch” and “Lazy Eye.”
Ben Folds closed out the night. His one-hour set included favorites like “Kate” and “Annie Waits.” Accompanied only by his piano, the crowd was more than happy to pitch in. They sang all of Regina Spektor’s part on the duet “You Don’t Know Me,” provided three-part harmony to “Not the Same” and participated in a joyously profane call-and-response during “Rockin’ the Suburbs.” Folds also sang “Levi Johnston's Blues” a track from his upcoming album, and rarities “Steven’s Last Night in Town” and “The Secret Life of Morgan Davis.”
Against Me! and Crash Kings completed the evening’s bill.
Devo setlist: Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man); Peek-A-Boo; What We Do; Going Under; Fresh; That’s Good; Girl U Want; Whip It; Planet Earth; Satisfaction; Secret Agent Man; Uncontrollable Urge; Jocko-Homo.
| Joel Francis, Special to The Star
Amazing show, they are as good as ever. So technical and intelligent. I did their show at Memorial Hall back in '81 and their sound check was as long as their show. They are perfectionists and it still comes through. Got a great bunch of film clips, they will be posted later to YouTube on my channel, rockandrollgrandma13
Posted by: Penny | July 24, 2010 at 11:52 AM
The only reason I went last night was to finally see Ben Folds live. But I am so glad I got to see Devo! They were great. I commented to my concert partner that the demographic changed drastically when Devo left the stage and Silversun Pickups came on. By the way, if you are the parent of a highschool child who went to that concert you might have them drug checked this morning. Half the kids who butted in front of me during that set faced away from the stage and screamed at their BFFs!! OMG!
Anyway, the only thing I was sad about was the length of Ben Folds set - wish it was longer. I loved his drum solo too. I'd love to see him again but in a better venue.
Posted by: metalmomma | July 24, 2010 at 12:05 PM
A friend of mine and I decided NOT to even mess with this gig because we both assumed DEVO would have only gotten 45 minutes. They REALLY should have been the headliner. Sounds like we might have missed out on something good.
Posted by: Bubba Brown | July 24, 2010 at 12:10 PM
They should have brought in a few truck loads of wood chips!
Posted by: Winston KC | July 24, 2010 at 12:16 PM
Devo was fantastic, but Ben Folds deserved another hour at a better venue. Too many underage douchebags that didn't care about the concert at all being obnoxious.
Ben Folds:
Effington
Annie Waits
Sentimental Guy
Still Fighting It
Bitch Went Nutz
You Don't Know Me
Secret Life Of Morgan Davis
Zak And Sara
Landed
Hiroshima (B-B-Benny Hit His Head)
Steven's Last Night In Town (drum solo)
Rockin' The Suburbs
Kate
Levi Johnston's Blues
Army
---
Not The Same
Against Me!:
High Pressure Low
Pints Of Guiness Make You Strong
Thrash Unreal
White Crosses
I Was A Teenage Anarchist
New Wave
Bamboo Bones
Suffocation
Sink, Florida, Sink
Posted by: mankvill | July 24, 2010 at 01:12 PM
Blue Flowerpot hats? That must be a new trademark since red ones were the original. In a previous post, some guy said he was going to enjoy DEVO outside of the show confines by just listening. I thought that odd since they are such a visual band. Nice to see that they played Peekaboo, That's Good & Girl U Want, 3 of my faves. Uncontrollable Urge tops the list.
p.s. I think they have the new half masks to hide the wrinkles...
Posted by: wadkc | July 24, 2010 at 06:50 PM
Devo may have only played 50 mins but it was great! I hope Devo comes back by themselves.
Posted by: vster23 | July 24, 2010 at 06:57 PM
They were better than great. I've been a fan since I was 11 years old (that's a long time ago) and this was my first time seeing them live. It's no exaggeration to say Mark sounds exactly like he always has. The inclusion of some fans-only songs (I couldn't believe they really did "Going Under" and "Secret Agent Man") was the best part of the show. Jerry had a great line: "Kansas City, it's 2101, and we're here to do &%$!!-ing 'Whip It' again." The new songs are easily equal to the old. I couldn't have had a better time under the circumstances. I just hope they come back for their own show in an indoor venue. Devo simply isn't a festival band.
Againt Me! did a great job too. Excellent vocal performances and great energy.
Posted by: Derek Donovan | July 25, 2010 at 01:05 AM
Just got back from catching sir PAUL at the Sprint Center. Sort of glad that I chose to pass on DEVO because I may HAVE not felt like spending the ca$h on MCCARTNEY. Great show, but VERY costly!!
Posted by: Bubba Brown | July 25, 2010 at 01:15 AM
We're all DEVO!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PQodFb4_Dc
Posted by: gonzo | July 25, 2010 at 09:42 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NmoUIyAfEE
U Must Whip It...
Posted by: Penny | July 25, 2010 at 10:09 AM
Penny, thanks for posting those videos of DEVO at the City Market. It SERVES the purpose of showing us fans that weren't there WHAT we missed. Weren't you seen taping that? You were pretty close - as there was another fan video taping the show as well. Good work!
Posted by: Bubba Brown | July 25, 2010 at 12:45 PM
Thanks, I still don't have them all uploaded, 3 more to go. I saw others filming, too. I don't think most bands care anymore, it's just good publicity for them...
Posted by: Penny | July 25, 2010 at 01:55 PM
Devo was fabulous. They sounded great, and they actually benefit from their..."nerdiness" as they age because no one is saying they just aren't cool anymore.
Overall, I think the eclectic lineup was great for someone with diverse musical tastes to enjoy. The problem is that those who came to see Silversun Pickups are not the same as those who came to see Ben Folds or Devo, and they paid scant attention to those two acts. We had to move several times because it got too damn chatty.
Posted by: jjskck | July 26, 2010 at 08:58 AM
My little sis and I were in row 4--it was her first Paul concert, my 3rd. He's as good now as he was then. We had the large posters that he acknowledged 3 times, the final time with a personal bow that he hand-pointed directly to us. Sigh..... "We love you, Paul, oh yes we do. We love the way you smile, you send us too. When you're not near us, we're blue. Oh, Paul, we love you!" (We live 5 hours from KS City. "The Cute One" was always our fave.)
Posted by: D.R. | July 26, 2010 at 10:05 AM
You all must have felt very out of place at a DEVO show!
Posted by: gsp | July 26, 2010 at 10:25 AM
I am a fan of all the diverse bands on the line-up, but still wish one or two would have been jettisoned from the bill so Devo & Ben Folds could have had longer set times. Please promoters out there reading this, bring Devo back to town as headliners, soon. Say at the Uptown, or the Midland. Book Passion Pit, Of Montreal, La Roux, Chromeo, Metric or Phoenix or some like-minded new bands to open and sell out the whole show, but give Devo two hours at least...
Posted by: Jeff Brown | July 26, 2010 at 05:03 PM
Anyone notice the treble microphone on BFs piano was constantly clipping out and/or cracking? Possibly a problem with some sort of electronic pedal? About 2/3rds of the songs had this problem. Really took away from the show and sound quality. Everything else was great.
Posted by: Slummy | July 26, 2010 at 10:44 PM
No pics?
At all?
Posted by: djkevin | July 28, 2010 at 09:19 AM