The beloved geeks, in their bright red “energy domes,” electrified the audience at the Mansfield Xfinity Center on the night of Thursday, October 5, 2025. Touring with the B-52s on the Cosmic De-Evolution Tour, Devo lit up the venue with TV static and color bars between donut and crinkle-cut fries innuendos, comic book explosions, a man dressed as a dog and potato-headed aliens flashing across the screens. The ever-precise mix of absurdism and complete sincerity made the 50-year-old band feel less like a nostalgia act and more like a postmodern, post-punk ironic mega church.

Mark Mothersbaugh’s voice cut clean through the decades, still carrying that manic edge that made Devo’s message — “are we not men?” — feel as dire as ever, followed by the iconic, ironic response: “we are Devo.” The setlist leaned heavily on crowd favorites like “Whip It,” “Uncontrollable Urge,” and “Girl U Want,” with deep cuts like “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA” and my personal favorites such as “Gates of Steel” and “Snowball.” The band cycled through several costume changes, including neon yellow jumpsuits that Mothersbaugh theatrically ripped off his bandmates mid-show.

The crowd was a patchwork of Gen Xers and younger fans discovering the beauty of absurdity for the first time. Everyone danced at one point or another, awkwardly swinging to the irresistible buzz of the synth. Devo has always been about that tension between control and chaos, and this show captured it perfectly, especially when bassist Gerald Casale broke all the strings on his instrument.

Walking out of the venue, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we haven’t evolved since Devo’s heyday, but if it’s any consolation, it’s good to know that commentary on the absurdism of American life has a killer soundtrack.