Two very different branches of punk and new wave came together at Coastal Credit Union Music Park for a night filled with red Energy Domes, guitar heroics, ’80s classics and plenty of swagger.
By Dathan Kazsuk
At first glance, Devo opening for Billy Idol sounds like somebody pulled two names out of an ’80s greatest-hits compilation and said, “Sure, why not?”
But somewhere between the red Energy Domes, Mark Mothersbaugh’s herky-jerky movements and Billy Idol walking onto the stage with that familiar peroxide hair and curled-lip sneer, something became obvious: this pairing actually makes perfect sense.
Because long before MTV turned both of them into icons, Devo and Idol shared some of the same DNA. Punk. Rebellion. Theater. A healthy contempt for convention. They simply took it in two completely different directions.
Devo turned punk into art-school satire, synthesizers and controlled weirdness. Idol took it through Generation X, added a fistful of pop hooks and eventually cranked the guitar loud enough to fill an amphitheater.
And they both came together for one evening at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek.
As DEVO took the stage, the band was still anchored by original members Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale and Bob Mothersbaugh, joined by Josh Hager and drummer Jeff Friedl—giving the current lineup a direct connection to the strange, subversive band that helped redefine new wave more than four decades ago.
They kicked off with “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man),” which got the crowd on their feet before launching into a 15-song set of ‘the best of’ DEVO—so it appeared. But one thing became clear throughout DEVO’s set: this has never really been a band built around a single lead singer. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale have long shared frontman duties, and that back-and-forth remained an important part of the show.
Mothersbaugh took the lead through songs such as “Going Under” and “Girl U Want,” while Casale regularly stepped in beside him on material including “Jocko Homo,” “Gates of Steel” and “Freedom of Choice.” The vocal shifts gave the set a little more movement than simply watching one singer command the microphone all night.
And then there was “Mongoloid.”
For that one, Casale and guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh took over the vocals together, with Bob stepping up to the microphone in one of those moments that reminded you just how collaborative DEVO has always been.
The visual nostalgia continued when DEVO returned in its signature yellow radiation suits, another image that has followed the band since the late 1970s. But the suits weren’t designed to survive the night. Over the next couple of songs, the gang began ripping away the disposable material, tearing apart his own suit and those of his bandmates until pieces flew into the crowd and the familiar black stage wear underneath was exposed.
They ended the set with “Freedom of Choice” and got a huge ovation, and now we all waited for the legendary bleached hair and curled-lip sneer of Billy Idol.
Billy came out strong, performing “Still Dancing,” “Cradle of Love,” and “Flesh for Fantasy,” before singing the song “77,” which was recorded with Avril Lavigne, who Idol says, “Is not with us tonight, so I’ll be singing it alone.”
Next was “Love Unchained,” which was featured on his 1990-released “Charmed Life,” which Idol claimed it’s been a long time since they performed this song, “Or maybe never. Sorry! Memories not as good as it used to be,” he claimed. I hear you, Billy!
But Billy still has it. At 70, Idol can still tear across the stage, work the crowd, and belt out songs he’s been singing for decades without making the performance feel like a nostalgia exercise. His voice still carries plenty of grit and power, and his stage presence hasn’t softened much either. After the second song, Idol ditched his shirt, prompting plenty of cheers from the crowd. Seventy years old and still pulling that off? Not bad, Billy. Not bad at all.
Then it was into a lot more of his greatest hits: “Mony, Mony,” “Blue Highway,” “Rebel Yell,” “Dancing With Myself,” “Hot in the City,” and ending with “White Wedding.”
The energy following that evening was spectacular. The ages ranged from the 20s to the 70s. A father in front of me was bringing his son to his first concert. And this probably isn’t said enough, but Idol’s longtime guitarist and songwriter Steve Stevens is a guitar virtuoso. His guitar solo before “Mony Mony” was jawdropping, and having him segue from “Blue Highway” to the Top Gun movie anthem that he co-wrote back in 1986 made you want to hold up an American flag in honor of the song.
What initially looked like an odd pairing turned out to be anything but. DEVO and Billy Idol may have taken different paths out of punk and into the MTV generation, but both built careers around doing things their own way—and more than four decades later, neither seems particularly interested in quietly becoming a nostalgia act.
DEVO was still weird, theatrical and wonderfully off-kilter. Idol was still sneering, strutting and giving the crowd every ounce of rock-star swagger they came to see. And with Stevens beside him making a pretty convincing case that he remains one of rock’s most underrated guitarists, Idol sounded far more vital than a performer simply making another trip through the greatest hits.
