Devo is one of the most inventive and visual entertaining groups that rose up during the '70s New Wave movement. Their 1978 debut, "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!", was an epic release and took the quintet of denizens from Akron, Ohio to success (and landing them a musical spot on "Saturday Night Live" later that same year).
The band was also a perfect act for video and Devo was a large staple during the early MTV days.
Currently undertaking a farewell tour (labeled as "DEVO: Celebrating 50 Years of De-Evolution"), the band performed at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway on May 9, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts (USA).
Raucous versions of "Shoot (I'm a Man)" and 1982's hit, "Peek-A-Boo!", opened the set which found Devo in peak form.
Consisting of original members Mark Mothersbaugh (vocals and keyboards), Gerald Casale (vocals and bass) and Bob Mothersbaugh (guitar), the band is now rounded out with newer recruits Josh Hager (guitar and keyboards) and Jeff Friedl (drums). Devo continued the cerebral musical assault with "Going Under", "That's Good", and a phenomenal take of "Girl U Want".
Not even at the show's halfway point, they trotted out their biggest hit, "Whip It", the song that elevated Devo on the pop charts (peaking at #14 in the USA in 1980), and garnered them a more mainstream following.
After "Planet Earth", the group left the stage (while a Carl Sagan video played) and returned donning their classic yellow jumpsuits and red energy dome hats and railed into their eclectic version of The Rolling Stones', "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". The Boston crowd was elated to sing along - (especially when Mark Mothersbaugh recreated his almost robotic chanting of "Baby" 34 times!).
Another cover tune, "Secret Agent Man," kept the 60's aura alive, but Devo quickly returned with original tracks "Uncontrollable Urge" and the first single Devo ever released, "Mongoloid."
The classics continued with "Jocko Homo" (originally the flip side of the "Mongoloid" 45 rpm) and a frantic meshing of "Smart Patrol" which immediately went into "Mr. DNA" and concluded the set with 1980's "Gates of Steel".
Before returning for the encore, a pre-recorded tape of the "Devo Corporate Anthem" was pumped into the arena that led into a trio with "Freedom of Choice", "Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)" and ending with "Beautiful World".
Mark Mothersbaugh sang "Beautiful World" while dressed in costume as the character "Booji Boy" ("Booji Boy" debuted in the Devo short film, "The Truth About De-Evolution" in 1976).
Devo had not performed in Boston for nearly 17 years, so the prospects for this show were quite elevated. Devo surpassed all expectations, leaving the crowd euphoric.
MUSIC PREMIERES
Lykke Li didn’t hold back when speaking about the making of her sixth studio album, ‘The Afterparty’, during a listening session in Los Angeles earlier this year. “Let’s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,” she admitted to the crowd. While balancing motherhood, the chaos of modern culture shaped by Trump and AI, and her own desire to create something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than ‘EYEYE’, as she previously shared with NME, the Swedish alt pop star arrived at a headspace that “feels like it’s 4am and the sun is going to rise”. The record captures that blurry final moment before regret, exhaustion and reality settle in, which makes it even more emotional considering she has hinted this could potentially be her final album.
There is something fitting about how brief the project feels. With only nine tracks running across 24 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Lykke immediately drops listeners into the atmosphere with opener ‘Not Gon Cry’, painting a picture of those lonely early morning hours with the line, “No angels here tonight, no dancing queens.” Alongside the shadowy pulse of ‘Happy Now’ and the twisted disco energy of ‘Lucky Now’, she revisits the emotional yet dance driven spirit of her earlier material while blending in the sharper, more confident attitude heard on ‘So Sad, So Sexy’ and the shimmering influence of her 2019 Mark Ronson collaboration ‘Late Night Feelings’.
The emotional fallout begins to settle in quickly. ‘Famous Last Words’ carries a lush orchestral sadness as Lykke reflects on lessons that only came after years of chaos and late nights, confessing, “I had to crash and burn to tell the tale.” Then comes ‘Future Fear’, a delicate acoustic track with robotic textures that stares directly into anxiety and uncertainty with the chilling question, “I’m going to a dark place, do you need anything?” Meanwhile, ‘So Happy I Could Die’ glows like sunrise after a sleepless night, holding onto fleeting moments as she sings about “slipping through the hourglass”.
Throughout the album, Lykke Li vividly captures the beauty and wreckage of reckless nights with the vulnerability that has always defined her music. On ‘Sick Of Love’, she channels heartbreak into revenge, wanting to “make you beg for it” after rejection in a way that feels spiritually connected to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’. One of the strongest moments arrives with ‘Knife In The Heart’, a track that fully embraces her desire to become the “rock god” and “fuck boy” she spoke about, firing back at anyone who tries to tear her down with the words “you can spit, you can walk on me” while delivering one of the catchiest songs she has created in years.
Closing track ‘Euphoria’ leaves behind the same bittersweet feeling that runs through the rest of the album. With sweeping strings, pulsing beats and emotional intensity, Lykke Li reminds listeners that nothing lasts forever as she sings, “Player play your song, waste the night away”. Like the fading energy of the perfect night out, ‘The Afterparty’ ends in a haze of beauty and uncertainty. If this truly is her farewell, she leaves with one final intoxicating statement, though it still feels like there could be another chapter waiting.
