Well, well, well. We got the email this morning from DEVO central stating that the 50th anniversary farewell tour will have the spuds baking in the European festival summer season beginning…next week! I suppose that it finally had to happen, and what better time to throw in the towel that after 50 years of devolutionary hijinx? When I saw Mark Mothersbaugh speak five years ago at Western Carolina University, he posited that there might be a farewell tour at some point soon. We saw a poster right before the pandemic for a SoCal music festival that proclaimed that it was part of their farewell tour, but that was crossed wires. This looks to be the real thing.
The European dates are largely summer festivals this month, with a few headlining gigs added where they make sense. The US leg might be better called the West Coast Tour since they are strictly WAORCA shows. The timing for this couldn’t be worse personally, since we are scrimping, selling, and saving for the similar NITS:50 show in Amsterdam next April. No other trips are feasible. Not even for the spuds who were right all along! So what are those dates exactly?
EUROPE/UK • 50 Years Farewell Tour
Aug. 8 – 12, 2023 | Oslo, Norway | ØYA FESTIVAL 2023
Aug. 8, 2023 | Copenhagen, Denmark
Aug. 10 – 12, 2023 | Gothenburg, Sweden | Way Out West 2023
Aug. 11 – 13, 2023 | Helsinki, Finland | Flow Festival Helsinki 2023
Aug. 15, 2023 | Berlin, Germany | Spandau Citadel
Aug. 17, 2023 | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | O2 Academy Edinburgh
Aug. 18, 2023 | Brecon, United Kingdom | Green Man Festival 2023
Aug. 19, 2023 | London, United Kingdom | Eventim Apollo
USA • 50 Years Farewell Tour
Nov. 3, 2023 | Paso Robles, CA
Nov. 7, 2023 | Seattle, WA
Nov. 8, 2023 | Portland, OR
Nov. 9, 2023 | Portland, OR
Nov. 11, 2023 | Del Mar, CA
Nov. 12, 2023 | Del Mar, CA
Nov. 14, 202 | San Francisco, CA
Nov. 16, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 18, 2023 | Huntington Beach, CA | Darker Waves 2023
It’s a bittersweet time for me as I was so heavily into the band but the one time that I could have gone to see them, on the “Total DEVO” tour in Orlando at Visage, the club that booked 90% of the shows I saw, I stupidly blew them off since I hadn’t liked their previous album [“Shout” – and I still don’t] all that much and felt that it was too late to see them. Hard to believe, but that was the bad attitude I was stewing in as I approached middle age. In old age, I know better! Now it is too late to see them.
Unless they have another leg they haven’t announced yet. A monk can always hope. Meanwhile, it looks like California is having another festival where every New Wave band still standing is playing the same fest! Fortunately, I’ve seen most of the bands in find of already. The only bait for me would be Soft Cell, The Chameleons and you know who. But I would be wary of hold such events, a rogue meteor could wipe out the remaining New Wave bands still active! And didn’t the B-52’s announce their final tour a while back? I guess it’s in the air.
Join us for the announcement of the East Coast/Midwest leg of the Farewell Tour that will hopefully happen by summer/fall of 2024. When the KISS farewell tour has been happening since 1998 or so, these things can get surprisingly drawn out.
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![Want List: Visage DLX RM […finally!]](https://i0.wp.com/postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/visage-dlxrmuscda.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
I have tix to the London gig, but in nosebleed seats. Really looking forward to this and hope to get a T-shirt like your top graphic. I’m also hoping to see New Order in Leeds in Sep…I did not go to many concerts like this when I was younger and am really glad I’m taking advantage of my current location and these bands still performing. It’s all so nostalgic-the music and how it transports me back to the time when I was younger and what I was doing. I guess that’s the stage of life I’m in…it’s also been so much fun. I’ll send a trip report :-)
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Deserat – When I was younger, cool bands bypassed Central Florida! Not that I had a car anyway. I didn’t really get going on concerts until I was graduated from college. By that time, the bands still together by mid-decade, noticed the Southeast. And graced our stages with some pretty lackluster gigs. I’m talking to you, Simple Minds. Especially. At least I got my spiffy “Duty Now…” T-shirt!
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I was thinking of doing one of the Portland shows, but they both sold out in mere minutes. Oh well!
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Big Mark – You don’t say?! There’s just not enough DEVO to go around, apparently!
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I was in Ireland when the announcement came and the time differential screwed me up but I managed to get two tickets to the Seattle show so I’m taking one of my spuds to see them one last time.
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postpostmoderndad – I would expect no less from one named postpostmoderndad!
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While I should probably score a ticket to the Seattle show while I still can*, I am hoping that there are more dates in other parts of the US (and [gasp] Canada?), since I’d like to see the farewell tour with friends as we are doing for Nits.
*Fat chance, probably.
I am fortunate to have seen them live several times over the course of their career, at least twice in the Orlando area, a couple of other places I can’t recall at the moment, Vancouver (the Early Years tour, 2014), and at a festival near Seattle (with Blondie!).
I believe the first time I laid eyes on them was their appearance on Friday’s, and then their notorious appearance on SNL (or perhaps the other way around). Even though I was already dabbling in the new (to me) sounds of punk circa 1978, madre de dios I had never heard anything remotely like DEVO before, and it really opened a door for me. I saw the video for “Jocko Homo” somewhere and that was that.
I about lost my mind when I discovered Eno produced their first album! Talk about two worlds collide!
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ChasInVictoria – DEVO played Orlando three times. 1980 on the “Freedom Of Choice” tour at the Great Southern Music Hall [Beacham]. If you went to this without taking me along… I HATE YOUR GUTS! 1988 at Visage on the “Total DEVO” tour that I consciously opted out of, so I HATE MY OWN GUTS there. And 1990 New Year’s Eve at Pleasure Island Disney for three figures that I was not going to pay. Right now we are throwing entrails for the hopeful Atlanta/Charlotte dates to be announced.
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Definitely the latter two. Thanks for pulling up those dates!
I wrangled my way in to Disney’s PI with the help of an employee friend. Heh!
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ChasInVictoria – Riding an employee is the only way for anyone living in Central Florida to get into Disney property! So you were at the Visage gig? You should have kidnapped me!! Huge regret there. The one time the stars aligned and I was a punk about it.
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I was at EVERY Visage gig consisting of bands that interested the likes of us!
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Definitely the latter two. Thanks for pulling up those dates!
I wangled my way in to Disney’s PI with the help of an employee friend. Heh!
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I saw the mighty New Traditionalist tour in 1981 when they stopped in Gainesville. What a show! My sister in law at the time was a student so we had a place to crash. Saw Split Enz and Talking Heads the same year.
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Mr. Ware – How long were they on those treadmills??
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As I recall it was part of their extended intro.
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Mr. Ware – I was wondering if they managed to keep it going for the entire first half of the set! But I don’t think there was enough cocaine in the world for that!
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The stage was set up with large back lit scrims so we saw the spud boys in action on the treadmills in silhouette. I recall it looked very cool but at the time had no idea how they did it.
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Mr. Ware – Gerry Casale elaborated on the presentation on the liner notes to their excellent live album from that tour. I think that it was the seed of the idea that ultimately found them with the look they had on the next album videos for “Oh No, It’s DEVO!” With the band interacting with video backdrops of evil clowns and the like.
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Re: the “Darker Wave” poster, here’s my scorecard:
Seen live: New Order, TFF, B-52s, Devo, OMD, Violent Femmes, English Beat
Never seen live: Echo, The Human League (in their prime), Clan of Xymox, The Chameleons.
Don’t care enough about the rest, plus I generally loathe outdoor festivals.
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I’ve been thinking A LOT about that Darker Wave festival. Even with three stages (and I’m betting it’s only two) that’s too many bands for one day. Every band is going to have an abbreviated set, which I know is the norm for festivals, and I’ve begrudgingly gotten to a point to where I can sort of accept that, but even by festival standards there is no way to give that many bands any decent amount of stage time. Regardless of who I have or haven’t seen, who I would REALLY like to see, that festival lineup gives me the heebee jeebies.
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