I want to like Devo. I really do. I remember I need to whip it, whip it good. Stephen Colbert taught me it’s time to trade in my red pyramid hat for a blue one. I’m even intrigued by the fact that they based their entire new album on market research. That could be good. Or at least interesting.
Or not.
Maybe I’m not enough of a product of the 80’s. Maybe this concert is too much like watching my uncles get wheezy over Rock Band. Maybe I’ve had too much time in the sun and too little booze at an outdoor festival. Regardless, I’m just not feeling it.
Based on the incredible crowd packed cheek to jowl on the great lawn, I’m in the minority. From here, I can see a wall of people rocking out to the 80’s. Over on the Southern Comfort stage, a notably younger crowd is showing Foxy Shazam some serious love. The Devo fans are mostly old enough to be the Foxy Shazam fan’s parents.
That’s not surprising. Take a look at the Forecastle lineup and you’ll see Friday, or "hippie night," was aimed at the 40+ crowd. Saturday they’re courting us Gen X’ers in our 30’s. Sunday is for the hipsters in their 20’s.
I might be a touch put out because Devo fans my parents age elbowed up through the crowd during Cake’s last three songs, loudly bitching the entire time about getting this crap off the stage while they scoped out a good spot to watch their band of choice. So far, I’ve found the younger environmentalists a lot more friendly than the older people who have only heard of one or two bands here. I won’t blame Devo for the fact that their fans are waving canes and telling all these kids to get off their lawn. Instead, I’m heading to another stage for some fresh music.
Photo credit Chris-Rachael Oseland.
