Photo by Leslie Kalohi
Devo played at The Music Box at the Fonda this week to promote the re-issue and re-mastering of two of their albums, the first evening reserved for the group's debut breakthrough, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo! with the second showcasing the band's commercial success, Freedom of Choice.
Immensely influential to so many musical acts of the past and present, Devo proved they are still as relevant as ever. Both sold out concerts, supported by the eclectic and puzzling Reggie Watts, offered attendees unique and different experiences. As fans tend to be more passionate about the Q & A album, did Night 1 reign supreme? Or did the tried (and tired) "Whip It" still resonate amongst the die-hard fans in the crowd on Night 2?
The unusual and indescribable Reggie Watts opened both evenings at The Music Box. Is he a beat-boxer? Comedian? Performance Artist? Prankster? It might be best to actually see what this man does, rather than attempt to put a label on him. Fluttering between original songs, anecdotes, accents, and brief covers (which included Huey Lewis, Mother Love Bone, and of course, Devo), Watts never failed to be interesting. However, the pacing and non-sensical nature of the act left more than a few bewildered and puzzled on Night 1.
Devo's actual segment clocked in at just an hour, which included a showing of Chuck Statler's short film In the Beginning Was the End: The Truth About De-Evolution, a performance of the Q & A album, and a two-song encore. Dressed in their infamous yellow radiation suits and red energy domes, the original members of Devo (save for drummer Josh Freese) gave audiences some of their bread-and-butter antics: ripping off the suits by frontman Mark Mothersbaugh and marching in unison during "Uncontrollable Urge," or Mothersbaugh shaking pom-poms during "Mongoloid."
Despite hearing tracks from the album that rarely get played live, overall Devo's performance didn't showcase anything new. The band didn't seem quite polished, and in some instances the playing was sloppy. Several times Mothersbaugh could be seen looking down for assistance with song lyrics. The band's all-too brief encore included Freedom of Choice's "Gates of Steel" as well as crowd favorite "Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA." What could have been a perfect opportunity to play a B-side from the album was lost, and the end to the Night 1 felt slightly un-fulfilling.
While I did not feel quite as excited going into Night 2, I was still curious on what would happen. Without the "showboating" numbers off of Q & A, how would Devo manage with Freedom of Choice?
When opener Reggie Watts took the stage again on Wednesday, the evening started to take on an interesting turn. While still frantic and random as ever, the act (which included a brief cover from Peter Cetera) actually clicked with the audience. Watts hit his stride, feeding off the audience's acceptance. He appeared much more confident than the night before, the highlight being his performance of "Fuck Shit Stack."
And what about the main act for the night, Devo? The Freedom of Choice segment lasted an hour, prefaced by the music videos for the album's singles ("Girl U Want," "Whip It," and "Freedom of Choice"). Each track of the evening was introduced with a large numbered card before being played, and the men of Devo outfitted themselves with energy domes and matching grey jumpsuits, accented with red duct tape.
The band's playing was tight and efficient, and with lots of genuine, relaxed smiles on stage. Although Night 2 was only graced with a two-song encore as well, Devo made an excellent choice to go with "Be Stiff" before launching into "Beautiful World" and a robe-wearing Booji Boy. At the end of the hour, Booji Boy threw out dozens of bouncy balls with happy faces to the crowd from a fanny pack he was wearing underneath the robe
Devo truly shined on Night 2, and made me have a deeper appreciation for the Freedom of Choice album. Perhaps some additional time was needed to fully rehearse and feel comfortable playing material that isn't part of their normal live catalog. The band gave the audience a great time on Wednesday, as well as something a little different for the fans. Here's to hoping Devo will enjoy the experience of this tour so that future evenings showcasing the band's albums follows suit. Duty Now for the Future, anyone? I can't wait.
Photos from both evenings can be viewed in the galleries below:
Photo Gallery: Devo w/Reggie Watts @ The Music Box at Fonda, Nov. 3
Photo Gallery: Devo w/Reggie Watts @ The Music Box at Fonda, Nov. 4
Both were great shows, but I would have to go with night#1. Very powerful and the energy from the audiance was over the top! so old school DEVO.
Posted by: Frank | Nov 07, 2009 at 09:11 AM