Alice Teeple
Devo rolled into Brooklyn’s Paramount this week for their farewell tour, 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!, and promptly blew the roof off. The sold-out crowd, a multigenerational mess of die-hard mutants decked out in radiation suits and iconic Energy Domes, arrived ready to witness the final chapter in Devo’s glorious saga of weirdness. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Fun? Hell yes.
With zero openers and no nonsense, Devo exploded into action, kicking off with their vintage “Rod Rooter Now” video, lovingly splashed across the Paramount’s big screen, a reminder they were popping out music promotional films nearly a decade before MTV.
Mark Mothersbaugh stormed the stage like a caffeinated professor, bouncing manically between synths and vocals. Gerald Casale strutted around, hamming it up with a grin so wide it could swallow Ohio. Bob Mothersbaugh shredded guitar riffs effortlessly, flanked by the seamless talents of Josh Hager and Jeff Friedl on keys and drums.
Dropping “Whip It” mid-set was the night’s genius move: Mothersbaugh cheerfully hurled domes and suits like candy from a parade float, whipping the audience into full delirium. Classics rolled out like caffeinated punches—”Jocko Homo,” “Gates of Steel,” “Freedom of Choice”—each one hitting like a Devo-flavored espresso shot straight to the soul.
Between frantic costume swaps, accompanied by choice cuts like Carl Sagan clips and the classic “Corporate Anthem,” Devo’s energy never wavered. Red Energy Domes bounced in joyous syncopation, and blue lights spun dizzyingly around a band clearly relishing every moment.
Closing “Beautiful World,” the band summoned Booji Boy, their mascot prophet, whose deranged helium voice cracked the song’s sugary surface to expose the rotten core beneath. And just when you thought the spectacle was done, Booji gleefully unleashed a volley of smiley-face bouncy balls into the crowd.
If this is Devo’s goodbye, they’re making sure it’s one gloriously subversive ride. Here is the whole setlist from the show:
- Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)
- Peek-A-Boo!
- Going Under
- That’s Good
- Girl U Want
- Whip It
- Uncontrollable Urge
- Mongoloid
- Jocko Homo
- Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA
- Gates of Steel
- DEVO Corporate Anthem
- Freedom of Choice
- Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)
- Beautiful World
Catch Devo on the following dates:
- May 9, 2025 – Boston, MA – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- May 11, 2025 – Cleveland, OH – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- May 15, 2025 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party
- May 17–18, 2025 – Pasadena, CA – Cruel World Festival 2025
- June 18, 2025 – Saint Paul, MN – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- June 20, 2025 – Columbus, OH – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- June 22, 2025 – Chesterfield, MO – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- June 24, 2025 – Cincinnati, OH – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- June 26, 2025 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest 2025
- June 28, 2025 – Detroit, MI – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- June 30, 2025 – Toronto, Canada – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- July 19–20, 2025 – Oakland, CA – Mosswood Meltdown 2025
- July 21, 2025 – Denver, CO – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- July 23, 2025 – Seattle, WA – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- July 24, 2025 – Seattle, WA – DEVO: 50 Years of De-Evolution… Continued!
- July 26, 2025 – Portland, OR – Project Pabst 2025
- August 29, 2025 – Chicago, IL – My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade Tour w/ DEVO
- September 21, 2025 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees 2025
- September 28, 2025 – Ocean City, MD – Oceans Calling 2025
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