The legendary DEVO kicked off their “50 Years of De-Evolution” Tour at Santa Cruz’s Civic Auditorium for a night of classics in front of a packed house of DEVOted fans that lined up well-before doors and quickly beelined it to one of two places: the merch table or the barricade.
In true fan fashion, many in the crowd dressed for the occasion with plenty of Energy Domes peeking above the crowd and many fully decked out in yellow jumpsuits. For those unwilling to pull out their wallets, stacked red solo cups served as a humorous poor man’s version of the classic hat.
With no opener, DEVO took the stage promptly at 8:15, and while the Auditorium was packed, the vibe was incredibly intimate, feeling like the band was playing in a high school gym despite the huge LED screen that synchronized video to the setlist.
The set kicked off with “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” from the band’s excellent 2010 release Something for Everybody but quickly DEVOlved into a non-stop peppering of hit after hit, with all of the remaining songs dating back to 1982 or earlier. Focusing on the music, the band only stopped briefly for Gerald Casale to ask, “do you believe in devolution now?!?” to be met with a resounding “huzzah” from the Santa Cruz crowd.
For those that didn’t want to fork over the cash at the merch table for their own, Mark was kind enough to toss some red energy domes into the crowd frisbee style during “Whip It,” and those in the front row were equally satisfied to snag the remnants of the band’s yellow jumpsuits that they tore off during “Uncontrollable Urge.”
An encore kicked off with “Freedom of Choice” and Booji Boy finally took the stage to close the night with “Beautiful World” as the LED screen teased the band’s 100-year anniversary tour in 2073. While it’s unlikely that the band will still be active in its current form by then, it’s a safe bet that DEVOlution will be alive and well!
SETLIST
Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)
Peek-A-Boo!
Going Under
That’s Good (shotgun)
Girl U Want
Whip It (suppow)
Planet Earth (gerald sings?)
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover)
Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan cover)
Uncontrollable Urge
Mongoloid
Jocko Homo
Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA
Gates of Steel
Freedom of Choice
Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)
Beautiful World
