For my 16th birthday, my sister Mary gave me Devo's Freedom of Choice. All that Winter and Spring, I did my Algebra 2 homework to that record, and my grade improved. Thirty years on, I can't do a problem involving trigonometric functions to save my life, but I have finally seen Devo live, and they did not disappoint.

Devo front-loaded their set with new material from Something For Everybody, their first album in twenty years. "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)" and "What We Do" were complimented with videos on the big screen behind the band, and the single "Fresh" segued nicely into classic tune "That's Good".

The set seemed to move backwards through Devo's catalog, and it wasn't long before the band donned blue energy domes and served up tunes from Freedom of Choice. It was nice to hear "Planet Earth" from that record, along with the expected "Girl U Want", "Gates of Steel" and "Whip It". Front-man Mark Mothersbaugh was the focus through many of the numbers, but it was bassist Gerald Casale who kibbitzed with the crowd and introduced songs.

The first video-break of the set allowed the band to run back stage to change into their trademark yellow jumpsuits. They returned to the stage to work through classic tracks from Duty Now For the Future and Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. The jumpsuits didn't last for long, as Mothersbaugh tore handfuls of the plastic fabric from himself and his bandmates during "Uncontrollable Urge". He finally removed his suit and tossed it into the crowd.

Energy domes got tossed as well, along with what appeared to be an endless supply of towels. During "Freedom of Choice", Mothersbaugh kept pulling towels from the back of his athletic shorts. He'd wipe his face, pits and crotch with the towel and then toss it into the audience, and people were actually diving for them. Are they missing the point of the song?

Twice Mothersbaugh entered the audience, once brandishing pom pons to lead us through cheers during "Mongoloid" and again during "Jocko Homo" to ask spectators if they indeed were not men. At the end of the set, he went backstage to don the Booji Boy mask. In the middle of the closer, "Beautiful World", Booji Boy told us a heart-warming tale about meeting Michael Jackson during Devo's first trip to Hollywood. He said they went back to Neverland Ranch, petted llamas and slept in sleeping bags. Then Booji Boy unzipped his fanny pack and rained super balls on the crowd.

The members of Devo are more than grey around the edges, sport paunches in those sleek yellow suits, but they haven't lost much of their energy. The choreography and sound was tight throughout, and since they've finally put out a new record, I didn't feel as if I was watching a nostalgia act. Judging from the number of energy domes and yellow jumpsuits I saw in the crowd and on the midway before the show, I think my sentiments were shared by many.

And now...the usual set of blurry pictures.







Ra Ra Riot, an indie-pop band from Syracuse, opened the show with a 30-minute set of melodic pop tunes. Soaring vocals and instrumental accents provided by the violinist and cellist set Ra Ra Riot apart from so many bands working in the same sonic space. They were well-received by the folks who had come early and were patient (or tired) enough to sit through their set, but it was an odd choice for an opener, given the high-energy of Devo.

The cellist was particularly, uh, talented. One of the guys manning the video cameras for the Celeste center thought so as well, and she got plenty of time on the big-screen.