----DEVOtional 2018 - The world's largest (& only) yearly fan gathering once again topped last year's. We sold well over 100 tickets in advance for the first time, and quite a few spuds opted to pay at the door. Certainly one of the reasons we had such good pre-order ticket sales was because of the free gift we offered to the first 100 tix purchasers this year - A very limited edition TURKEY MONKEY PIGGY BANK! The first realistic 3D version ever made of this classic DEVO character. There's a great story about how I kept this a secret from Mark Mothersbaugh until after the event, then surprised him with it via FedEx. Look deeper into the report for video & details!
Special guest: Gerald V. Casale of DEVO, who was nice enough to be here on his birthday for 2 years in a row. We also welcomed Bobbie Watson Whitaker & Susan Alyward, truly the first two hardcore DEVOtees, who both followed the band and assisted DEVO since the very beginning. A few of their photos & pieces of memorabilia are included in the new DEVO Book, which was released this year. This year's attendees had a chance to ask this panel of 3 about the book and got some inside stories from the early DEVO days as Jerry, Bobbie, and Susan reminisced onstage.
----Our 2nd annual 5KDEVO Race in Akron was a huge success again. Hundreds of spuds wearing DEVO tees traversed the 3.1 mile course in the heart of downtown. Check out racer times & winner names at the 5KDEVO site.
----This year we welcomed visitors from Canada, Germany, Italy, and all parts of the USA. Really hoping that many of you make a return trip for next year's event. For now, please enjoy this collection of photos, videos, and stories from our DEVOtional 2018 weekend.
THERE ARE VIDEOS EMBEDDED ON THIS PAGE (scroll down), but also BE SURE TO CLICK ON THUMBNAIL IMAGES BELOW for a chronological journey through the event.
---- Printed Materials, Press, etc:
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imagery for larger view, more info, and to view in chronological order.
Pre-event photos:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday
July 28th @ Beachland Tavern
----It was very clear early on that this DEVOtional had an attendance boost this year. The Beachland Tavern was packed as soon as doors opened, and we noticed *lots* of new faces mixed in with spuds-we-know who keep returning for more. Friday was the official start of a weekend packed FULL of devolved entertainment. We should remind you...the 1st rule of any DEVOtional: No Sleep During DEVOtional Weekend.
----With a room full of beautiful mutants eager for fun, the night started with kids from the 3 O'clock Rock school, who came from Oakland, CA to share their "Re-Evolution" tribute to DEVO called REVO. Then DEVOtional favorites, The Fantastic Plastics, did their thing to the delight of a packed tavern. After that it was time for the return of DEVOMATIX as the Dev-o-ke (Devo Karaoke) backup band. Lots of spuds, Including yours truly, took part in the mayhem. I must say I was forced to by a mob of spuds, but I did it, nonetheless!
Check out the photos & video clips below.
Click imagery for larger view, more info, and to view in chronological order.
Video: Turkey Monkey Piggy Banks Arrive in Ohio! Thur. July 26th/Radisson Hotel Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: Sam Oesterling GATES OF STEEL Dev-o-ke Fri. July 27th/Beachland Tavern Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: Jason Lindsey PLANET EARTH Dev-o-ke Fri. July 27th/Beachland Tavern Video by Tim Nolan
Video: Devo-Obsesso UNCONTROLLABLE URGE Dev-o-ke Fri. July 27th/Beachland Tavern Video by Mark Nowak
Video: Late Night Sing-Along in Devo-Obsesso's Hotel Room Fri. July 27th (well, technically 7/28)/Radisson Hotel Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday July 28th Cleveland @ Beachland
----Like a repeat of Friday night, Saturday at Beachland Ballroom was full of DEVOtees early on, and the first band had a full house to play to. First up was the rambunctious MERCUROCHROME w/ Al Mothersbaugh & Poopy Necromponde. Right on time, they jumped out of the gates with high energy & a full-injected hyperactive stage presence. I'm hoping these guys return next year 'cuz I always dig a Al/Poopy partnership. Next was Double Helix from the CA starring Francis Lau and Zane Boyd. They were great and did a few songs with Jerry Casale. Malcolm Tent and Jeep Jones hosted a couple interesting chats onstage, and then DEVOtional veterans, Spudboys took the stage. They also performed a song with Jerry. To round out the night, DEVO-tion from Germany & DEVOMATIX from GA gave attendees what they were there for - Devolved Entertainment!
----The Q&A regarding the new DEVO book brought out great stories from Jerry Casale, Bobbie Watson Whitaker, and Susan Aylward. Lots of questions from the audience about the book and about DEVO's early days. As always, we don't usually allow video or audio to be posted from the Q&A sessions at DEVOtionals. It's good to keep something only for the ears of attendees who are able to show up in person.
----Our yearly DEVOtional prize raffle was popular this year - surely because the grand prize was a Deluxe Signature Edition of DEVO's new book. There was also a standard version of the book up for grabs, and a slew of other prizes including a ton of DEVO vinyl donated by hardcore collector, Aaron Williams-Matthews.
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imagery for larger view, more info, and to view in chronological order.
Video: Al Mothersbaugh's Mecurochrome - Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: Al Mothersbaugh's Mecurochrome - Be Stiff (Partial) Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: Double Helix & Jerry Casale - Jerkin' Back n' Forth Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: Double Helix & Jerry Casale - Find Out Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Fred Hollins
Video: Spudboy & Jerry Casale - Later Is Now Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Fred Hollins
Video: DEVO-tion (from Germany) - That's Good Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: DEVO-tion (from Germany) - Fresh Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Mark Nowak
Video: DEVOMATIX - Big Mess Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: DEVOMATIX - Going Under Sat. July 28th Beachland Ballroom Video by Fred Hollins
Video: DEVOtional Mix by David Adler July 27/28 Beachland Tavern & Ballroom Video by David Adler
Sunday July 29th Akron - 5KDEVO Race
----Our 2nd Annual 5KDEVO Race was again a success in downtown Akron. Hundreds of registered racers attended to traverse a 3.1 mile course. A band from the Miller School of Performing Arts, called Detention, set up early to give music to runners who should up on the grounds before 9am. They performed a mix of songs including Black Sabbath, Green Day, Judas Priest, AC/DC, and of course DEVO.
----Jerry Casale started this race just like last year's, with a "D-E-V-O...GO!" countdown. The weather was great, and it was quite a sight to see 500+ humans wearing DEVO shirts in the early morning sun. Kyle Cochrun won (with a time of 16:12) for the 2nd year in a row. Congrats, Kyle! As Jerry said during the awards ceremony, "We're gonna have to handicap him next year!"
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imagery for larger view, more info, and to view in chronological order.
Video: 5K DEVO Race Start with Jerry Casale Sun. July 29th Downtown Akron, OH Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: 5K DEVO Kinetic Energy "Spinner" Medal Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: DETENTION & Jerry Casale perform MONGOLOID Sun. July 29th Downtown Akron, OH Video by Michael Pilmer/Devo-Obsesso
Video: MARK MOTHERSBAUGH meets TURKEY MONKEY PIGGY BANK Mutato Muzika Studios/August 2018
Video by Hana at Mutato
Online Event Press:
DEVOtional 2018 generated some great press after the event in Ohio papers and on German radio (Thanks to our pals in DEVO-tion for German coverage!). See below.
Thanks to all who dontated time, money, resources, raffle gifts, etc. to make DEVOtional 2018 the best yet. This includes Nick Ciasullo, Ren & Joe Provo, Robin Armstrong, Aaron Williams-Matthews, Kit Watson. Special shout out to Jacob & Jason for driving all the way from TX, and of course all the bands who pumped devolved tunes into our ears throughout the weekend.
DUTY NOW TILL NEXT YEAR!
Don't miss out on DEVOtional 2019 weekend!
Be Stiff,
-Michael Pilmer - for DEVO, Inc. &
Devo-Obsesso.com
