Devo Live

I don’t have a lot of music/concert DVDs in my collection.  I like music, but there aren’t many acts I am willing to pay full price for a DVD of their music.  Some of them are very disappointing like the DVD of Pink Floyd covers I reviewed earlier.  Some of the discs are simply video compilations.  Some of the concerts are so poorly shot that it feels like you’re watching a bootleg video somebody shot by sneaking a camera in to the concert.  However there are two acts that I have purchased every DVD of theirs that I have found whether it was new, used, on sale or full price.  One of those performers is the notorious G.G. Allin.  The other is Devo.

I purchased Devo Live in the Land of the Rising Sun at FYE in their used DVD section back when they were in the Kanawha Mall.  I watched it and loved it.  I found Devo Live later, but I don’t recall where I found it.  I logged it in to the list on the computer and the collection swallowed it up.  I knew it was there, but I kept forgetting to pull it out and watch it.  I decided that I wanted something different tonight and for some reason my mind remembered I still had a Devo DVD that I hadn’t watched.

I remembered seeing clips of Devo on Night Flight, but I wasn’t a big fan at that point.  In fact I really didn’t like Devo much.  I thought Jocko Homo was interesting, but I remember hearing their cover of Satisfaction and I hated it.  I went to Boys State in 1981 and still remember this huge debate we had about which version of Satisfaction was better.  I couldn’t see how anyone could enjoy Devo’s version.  A few years later I bought the Oh No, It’s Devo cassette tape and slowly got converted to Devolution.  One of my favorite pawn shop finds in fact was someone’s Devo CD collection that they had turned loose of.  There were several of the common CDs, but there were also several obscure Devo discs including the Claw Hammer re-recording of the debut Devo album.

Devo Live was recorded during 1996’s Lollapalooza tour at Irvine Meadows, California.  Devo performed 11 songs without any video screens or major props.  The set list opened with Whip It, which was probably the first Devo song I really liked.  Mark Mothersbaugh and the boys launch into it like they had never stopped.  The show continues with Girl U Want, Satisfaction and Uncontrollable Urge.  During Uncontrollable Urge the yellow jumpsuits start to get shredded and after Blockhead, when the group launches into Mongoloid, the suits are fast on their way to becoming audience souvenirs. 

Jocko Homo, Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA, Gut Feeling/Slap Yer Mammy, and Gates of Steel complete the main show.  The band then returns to the stage for an encore performing Come Back Jonee.  I would have loved to see Devo live, but this DVD is probably the closest I will ever get.  The DVD features the spud boys set and a brief interview backstage after the show, but that’s about it.  The sole bonus feature is the ability to watch certain performances with the multi angle function.  Not too many DVDs feature this function, and it is probably one of my least favorite bonuses.

Devo Live is 55 minutes long, but it feels like 15.  For a band I didn’t care for when I first heard them, Devo’s music now has the ability to instantly bring a smile to my face and this DVD had me smiling for the entire 55 minutes.  Due to its length, I will rate Devo Live on the Night Flight scale and give it, not surprisingly a 10.  As for the actual DVD, I give it a 9 only because it was light on bonus features.  Even a static discography would have been nice.