Devolving Again

My very first concert ever was DEVO at Radio City Music Hall in 1981. I saw them a second time the following year at the Palladium on East 14th Street, this being well before its makeover from a live-music venue into a giant nightclub. A few years later, I saw them outside of New York City in 1988 at Columbus’ own Newport Music Hall in their home state of Ohio, and later still at the Hammerstein Ballroom, McCarren Pool in Brooklyn, at Central Park Summerstage, a couple of performances at Irving Plaza and then at Pier 17 in 2022. If they come to town, or I’m in a town where they’re playing – I go. It’s that simple.

For that last show at Pier 17, I brought my then-16-year-old son, Oliver, making DEVO his very first concert, too. The boy returns this very day from his first year at Trinity Dublin in Ireland, and tonight, we are going to see DEVO at the Brooklyn Paramount.

The picture in the frame was taken by the great Allan Tannenbaum, who captured it at the 1981 show that was my first concert. He lives in TriBeCa, and I bought a print of it from him several years back. He’s also got a great retrospective show happening at the Morrison Hotel Gallery that is well worth everyone’s time.