Thanks to construction on I-70 from Lawrence, I arrived just in time to miss openers Crash Kings, which gave enough time to wander the perimeter of 96.5 the Buzz's third installment of its summer concert series, Buzz Under the Stars. In a rare show of inspiration, 96.5 the Buzz acquired weirdo-rock legends DEVO -- and then relegated them to a fifty minute set in the middle of the show. It was disrespectful, sure, but seeing the already drunk crowd of well-dressed to shirtless and skeezy twenty-somethings, dads, drug dealers and teenagers, it was probably the safest bet to keep folks from leaving early. (Sad, but true.)
Against Me! used to be a punk rock band -- a really good one. The Gainesville, Florida group was signed to well-respected D.I.Y. label, No Idea Records, and churned out lo-fi anarcho-punk with heart and soul. Eventually, they signed to Sire records, put out an album produced by legendary alt-rock producer Butch Vig (known for making even the scrappiest of indie bands radio friendly), and alienated the band's entire fanbase. I was prepared for the worst, but was caught off guard: ex-Hold Steady member Franz Nicolay was playing keys with the band! Like a good Hold Steady diehard, my heart melted.
The first part of the set was made up of tracks from their new LP, their first in twenty years, Something for Everyone. While they sounded like tracks from a reunion record (see: a shell of the former band's greatness, still kind of good, but really corny), the synchronized video accompaniment made for a pretty fantastic spectacle.
Of course, they played "Whip It," and it was the one song that got any sort of rise out of the audience based on the number of camera phones that were raised into the air. Well, that and when they threw free energy domes (which were thirty dollars at the merch booth!) into the crowd and caused a mass panic because people love free shit. Shortly after "Whip It," they left the stage and returned in yellow DEVO radiation suits and played the old hits, namely "Uncontrollable Urge," their cover of the Stones' "Satisfaction" and the DEVO rally cry, "Jocko Homo." It was kind of like watching your dad's college band get back together. There's a sadness to it -- they don't quite move the way they used to when they were young and virile -- but it's kind of awesome that they're still doing it.Silversun Pickups' hit, "Panic Switch," on the other hand, is one of the most excruciating popular songs in recent memory. (Apparently, all you need to do to make a hit is repeat the same non-hook over and over and over again until it's stuck in people's heads from the sheer, merciless repetition.) Naturally, the two aforementioned songs were the last two they played with extra distortion that only added to the terrible, nothing-but-bass sound mix. Listening to them on the record is a bit of a slog, but in a live setting, the skeleton of the band's '90s influences float right to the top. Note: To Silversun Pickups' credit, they are quite a bit better than the current incarnation of the Smashing Pumpkins.
Ben Folds closed out the evening with an hour of piano pop he's been honing for nearly twenty years. Accompanied only by a grand piano in the middle of the stage, it's easy to say that it was the quietest set of the night, and though the crowd began to thin as soon as Folds took the stage, hundreds of his loyal followers were as up close and personal as you can get at City Market. Folds drew from his expansive discography, and naturally nailed fan favorites like "Annie Waits," "Kate," "Steven's Last Night in Town" and "Army." Despite a move into near-novelty act with tracks like "Rockin' the Suburbs" and "Bitch Went Nutz," Folds has this weird charm that gives those songs a wry humor rather than say, joke songs by some frat boy band.
Perhaps the worst thing about this concert was that DEVO made every other act look incredibly boring. Whatever happened to having guts? Sure, Silversun Pickups, Against Me!, and Ben Folds are nice to listen to -- even good in their own right -- but on the same bill as DEVO, they didn't really stand a chance. But, I mean, come on. It's DEVO. Mark Mothersbaugh does scores for kids shows, and they're still living proof that nerds can be badasses.
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Thanks, Buzz, for bringing DEVO to KC. I showed my age when I realized they weren't the headliners. I love the way they devolved through their stylistic phylum to become the guitar-dominated-paper-Hazmat- suited DEVO of yore. I've heard rumors that someone played before and after their set. I'm still waiting for the data.
DEVO got the shaft, end of story. They're the best live band I've seen in a helluva long time. It's insane to listen around the musical spectrum and realize how much they've done. SSPU was much better live than I expected. As soon as I heard the first chord to "Substitution", I had to plug my ears. That might be one of the most ridiculously repetitive songs ever made. At least "Well Thoughtout Twinkles" and "The Royal We" can rock out a bit. I was impressed by what I saw of Against Me!. As for Ben Folds, I was never really a fan, but his set had me laughing my ass off. The "Levi Johnston Blues" had everyone damn near crying from laughing so hard.
BUTS3 was one of the best shows I've ever been to. I thought BUTS1 of 2009 (The Used, TBS, & The Offspring) was fairly stellar, but this one blew it out of the water.
YOu are absolutely right about Devo being headliner material. Ben Folds??? He is nothing but a retread Billy Joel!!! Silversun PUs??? Nothing against em ---I get em confused with a million other BUZZ 96.5 "fodder bands". I am 49 yrs old and have always loved Devo for their originality. Great article!!!
Ah, Dan's just pissed because the writer doesn't share his same enthusiasm for the band Against Me.
Calm the frick down, Dan. Whether the writer is a DEVO fan or not doesn't matter. Look at all the bands on the roster that night. Tell me who's sold more albums. Tell me who's been more influential? Tell me how many of those bands that night had David Bowie and Iggy Pop fighting to produce their first album? (Brian Eno ended up producing it) I believe DEVO got a raw deal on that lineup. 50 minute setlist?
I didn't see them this Friday, but caught them live in Chicago just six months ago. IT WAS BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST LIVE SHOWS I'VE SEEN. I'm not calling them musical geniuses. But how frickin' tight they are, the ability to still entertain and the number of familiar songs is still outstanding.
As Ian said in the article, age can slow a band down a bit. While they don't have the insane energy level back from the 70's-80's, they still can whip any bands ass on the stage.
Do yourself a favor. Embrace your inner nerd and just love DEVO. Your lame ability to be hip will thank you.
Story continues:
I managed to get on DEVO's tour bus and sucked them all off. The end.
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