CLICK IMAGES FOR FULL VIEW & MORE INFO

DEVO returned to Atlanta, GA after nearly 20 years since the band last
performed there, and they were welcomed by quite a few happy spuds.
This was the first show of DEVO's 2005 concert schedule, with the rest
of the tour starting up again in early August with shows in California.

Midtown Music Fest is an annual event in downtown Atlanta, and
offers a variety of mainstream musical acts (pop, rock, rap, and country).

I arrived in Atlanta around noon on Sunday, the same day that DEVO
was scheduled to perform, after being in Milwaukee the night before for a Mothersbaugh art show reception at KM Art Gallery. I'd been fighting a nasty
cold all weekend and was feeling mostly like a big pile of poo when Rick Harris picked me up at the airport. We quickly headed to the Marriot downtown where I dropped off luggage, consumed cold medicine, and made some phone calls. After I spoke to Jerry and got something to eat, we headed to the 99x stage,
which was just a few blocks away, to meet the band & crew.

By the time Rick & I arrived, the band had just finished their soundcheck
and were preparing to head back to the hotel. Jerry asked me
to apply the D-E-V-O lettering to the fronts of the yellow suits in time for
their return to the stage at 4:30pm for interviews with UPN and CNN.

We made an effort to explore the rest of the event that day, but could never seem to see any other bands performing. I especially wanted to see Joan Jett, Slick Rick, and Public Enemy, but with no luck. (Public Enemy was scheduled to perform at the exact same time as DEVO on a different stage). We did meet a few fans sporting home-made DEVO T-shirts, which was great. After walking around the festival for a while with Anita Greenspan, Mark Mothersbaugh's
wife, we headed to the backstage area for a little relief from the heat.

Just before DEVO's set, there were text messages from the audience
displayed on huge screen above the stage; Messages like "Whip it Good"
and "General Boy Rules". DEVO's intro film started around 7:15pm,
and the crowd was more than ready.

DEVO's set list for this show:

That's Good
Girl U Want
Whip It
Satisfaction
Uncontrollable Urge
Mongoloid
Blockhead
Jocko Homo
Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA
Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy
Gates of Steel

Encore:
Freedom of Choice
Beautiful World w/ Booji Boy

(NOTE: The band plans to add at least 2 rarely performed songs
to the setlist by the time they perform in August & September.)
--------------------------------------------------------------

I was only able to snap a few photos before my camera's battery died.
Luckily, a few spuds came to the rescue and donated photos for this report.

After the show, I relayed info to some fans that most of the band agreed
to meet for autographs after dinner at the Marriot downtown around 11pm.
It was midnight before the band actually arrived, but the fans who waited
were eventually treated to meetings with Bob2, Mark, and Jerry. The few
fans who hung around the hotel bar until late were treated to a very
devolved reanactment of an R. Kelly song by Jerry Casale.

The next day, I woke up and headed for the airport. While waiting for my
flight to board, I noticed DEVO on the cover of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
and promptly bought a few copies. After closer inspection, I found a photo
of the audience at the DEVO show on the front page of the LIFE section,
and noticed one of the young fans I met the night before in the photo
with his fist raised in the air. A great ending to an incredible weekend!

SEE THE REST OF THE DEVO LIVE 2005 TOUR REPORT HERE

Duty now,

Michael Pilmer • Devo-Obsesso.com

Thanks to everyone who supplied photos & info for this report:
Evil Jim - Grant Dawson - Jeff Mothersbaugh - Todd Prusin - Frank Mullen

-----------------------------------------------------------
SHOW PRESS:
THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION SHOW REVIEW
99x.com (Photos)
99x.com (Video)
Fans report on the show - Access Atlanta
Macon Telegraph show review & photos

-----------------------------------------------------------