Give In to Ancient Noise

[ornoth]

When I heard that a tour featuring Devo and the B-52s was going to visit Austin, I knew it was a must-see. Both bands’ songs can be hit-or-miss, but their best ones are exceptional. From the moment I saw them play on the Merv Griffin show on October 16, 1980, Devo – for whatever reason – were a formative part of my adolescence. But opportunities to see them have been extremely rare; I had to wait 28 years before I finally managed to catch them headlining a Boston show in 2008… And I’ve waited nearly two more decades for my next opportunity!

B-52s Love Shack

Devo Jocko Homo

Devo Going Under

The timing wasn’t great, tho. The Austin show was on Saturday November 1, the night before the Livestrong Challenge: a 100-mile bike ride I was signed up for. I started the day of the show by laying out all my ride gear, then made my way to a photoshoot at Livestrong headquarters with my Team Kermit friends. Then an early dinner of takeout Thai food, which was accompanied by ominous thunder.

With threatening weather surrounding Austin, I took hope from a rainbow I saw on the drive to the Circuit of the Americas Formula 1 racetrack where the open-air show was being held. I got there really early to score good parking, but was “asked” to stay in the car due to lightning in the area.

I promptly ignored that “request” and walked the kilometer to queue up at the main entry gate, along with the most disappointing selection of humanity I’ve seen in a long time. It was 6pm: about an hour before the gates opened, and two hours before showtime.

By 7pm there were obvious lightning bolts and thunder, and the skies opened up for about 20 minutes, absolutely soaking everyone. Security told people to take cover in their cars or a distant parking garage, but I obstinately hovered nearby and waited.

After having stood around idly for two hours as the storm abated, we finally were let into the venue at 8pm – the original show time – and were told the performers would go on at 9pm. I grabbed some paper napkins from a vendor to dry off my soaking wet seat and waited: chilly, damp, and shivering.

They dispensed with the opening act – Lene Lovitch – and the B-52s came on at 9pm, which would have been their normal time slot. I like the band, and am especially fond of lead man Fred Schneider’s distinctive vocals and quirky lyrics. Their set included the upbeat “Cosmic Thing”, plus several of their less distinctive, melodic songs that I tend to ignore, and I was disappointed that they passed over the edgier “Channel Z”. And it would have been nice to include something from Fred’s solo career, like “Monster” or even “Coconut”. Overall, they put on a passable show. I’m glad I got to see them once.

I’ll mention here that a couple, seated two rows in front of me, decided to stand through the entire set, which meant I had to do so as well, if I wanted to see anything. So between the wait outside the venue and the concert, I stood in place for an agonizing 4½ hours… on the evening before a 100-mile bike ride!

After the stage was rearranged, Devo came on and also played for an hour. I had low expectations, since they’re known for never changing their setlist or show, but they’d updated some of their visuals and delivered the songs with more energy than you’d expect if you thought of them as a one-hit wonder from four and a half decades ago. They played personal favorite “Going Under”, but not the newer “Mind Games”, and they did not perform “Beautiful World” or their cover of “Satisfaction”. Despite my concerns, they delivered a fast-paced, very satisfying show.

After the bad weather and delays, I was delighted that both headliners were able to take the stage and perform their full sets without having to truncate the show. Scratching the opener was the ideal response to the weather situation.

The Germania Amphitheater at the Circuit of the Americas has a reputation as a horrible place to see a show, mostly because of the long walk between parking and the entry gate, how far it is out of town, and how much of a cluster it is to get into and out of. I found it tolerable, and I somehow managed to get out pretty easily after the show.

Getting home and ready for bed around 1am left me just four hours to sleep before my pre-ride wakeup alarm. And even the bonus hour of sleep I’d get from the autumnal time change that night meant that Sunday was gonna be a grim day in the saddle. But that’s a story for another blogpo…