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Who could possibly pass up an experience like strolling the midway of the Ohio State Fair for a couple hours followed by a concert by Akron’s own Devo? Not this spud boy…or the 3 Devo-tees who accompanied me. No one was disappointed. Of course attending any fair…and especially the state version…involves a little voluntary yet joyous dumbing down. It’s not the place to sashay around discussing Camus. But that’s the point is it not? ARE WE NOT FAIRGOERS?
So
after a trip through a tent selling every candy ever made in
the history of humankind…then devouring what some call “fair
food”, the four of us made our way to the dairy barn. There
we witnessed a calf a mere 3 hours old. And in to see the Butter
Cow (it’s a state law to visit this if you go to the fair),
followed by some delicious ice cream…the only thing I would
call nourishment the entire evening. Then it was time to De-Evolve.
The Celeste Center is the perfect place to do so. Resembling an airplane hanger, this giant aluminum shed has remarkable acoustics, all things considered. Devo stormed the stage, immediately launching into material from their new CD, Something for Everybody. Dressed in their newest Devo attire, the band has never sounded so good. The staging and intense visuals…a Devo trademark…of course were much more sophisticated than decades ago. Yet the high tech heroics enhanced their music rather than distract. And Fresh, Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man) and What We Do certainly lived up to the standards of their best older material.
Time flew as the Spuds rolled through some of their best tunes: Girl U Want, That’s Good, Peek A Boo, Planet Earth, Gates of Steel…ending the first half of the show with their signature Whip It. The crowd was shown a video while the band morphed into what seemed to be their 5th wardrobe change. Upon returning in their classic yellow jumpsuits circa 1977, Mark and Alan Mothersbaugh, Gerry and Alan Casale (backed by Nine Inch Nails drummer Josh Freese) switched from synthesizers to the guitar driven mayhem that began Devo’s career. Mongoloid, Jocko Homo, Uncontrollable Urge, Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA, and the nervous tack on (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction…had all the urgency and meaning they did 30-some years ago.
The members of Devo made no bones about the fact they were all a little paunchy and middle aged. But it was more than refreshing to see their unpretentiousness, augmented by their relentless rocking. Gerry Casale used themselves as proof that De-Evolution does indeed exist. Devo closed with the enigmatic Freedom of Choice…a tune as politically relevant today as it was in the Reagan era.
Devo soon enough returned to the stage fronted by Boojie Boy (Mark Mothersbaugh). While the opening strains of Beautiful World wafted throughout the Celeste Center…in falsetto voice…Boojie told a surprisingly sympathetic story about meeting Michael Jackson when the band first moved to Los Angeles. “And if he were here today he’d say…It’s a beautiful world for YOU…for YOU…for YOU…but not for ME!” This made for an incredibly striking sensitivity set within the cynical philosophy that is usually Devo. Yet it made perfect sense and became a fitting conclusion to a great, great concert by a band that certainly does not get its due.
Opening act Ra Ra Riot provided a strong set. The ensemble included cello, violin, keyboards and the usual guitar, bass and drum. I might best describe Ra Ra Riot as a rocking chamber group. Fine, fine set it was. And regardless of musical label, they might be the most polite rock band I’ve ever seen. Back out on the midway things were winding down. A fabulous fair day came to an end. |
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