Devo and the B-52s are extending their combined farewell outings and joining forces for the Cosmic De-Evolution Tour, which will hit 11 North American markets beginning Sept. 24 in Toronto. Lene Lovich will open.
The idea to team up was hatched during the SNL 50 anniversary concert earlier this year, when the New Wave-era heroes performed alongside more modern acts such as Post Malone, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny. “Believe or not, we’ve never done more than a festival or two together in all this time,” says the B-52s’ Cindy Wilson..
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“It was either fate or luck or the SNL anniversary that brought us all together to create this amazing chance to go out on tour,” adds Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh. “The B-52s had one of the best sounds of any of the bands out there in the late ’70s early ’80s. ‘Rock Lobster’ is one of my favorite songs. Devo used to sing it to Booji Boy after Devo shows.”
Recalled B-52s singer Kate Pierson, “when we first came from Athens to New York City to perform, punk was in full force, and New Wave was right on its tail! We loved all the New Wave groups, including Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Blondie and the Ramones. We also really dug the far-out weirdness of Devo, which seemed very in tuned to our sensibilities. We remember one of our first shows — amazed that David Bowie, Brian Eno, Frank Zappa, Allen Ginsberg, Talking Heads and Blondie all came to see us! When we opened the Mudd Club, we partied with Devo and really hit it off on the dance floor. Later, Brian Eno went onto to produce Devo’s incredible first album, and now we will align again! So put on your wig hats and Devo bonnets and get ready to party! This is going to be wild.”
The B-52s said they were leaving touring behind in 2022, but have since hunkered down for a residency at Las Vegas’ Venetian Theatre. A book, as well as a long-in-the-works documentary directed by Craig Johnson and executive produced by Fred Armisen, will see the light of day at some point as well.
“In 2022, I swore I’d never get on a tour bus again, but we were careful to say to our fans that we would still perform in special situations that don’t require all of the awful tour travel,” says vocalist Fred Schneider. “Our Vegas residency is going great, and when we were offered the chance to do a small run of shows with Devo, we all said this is an extraordinary opportunity we couldn’t say no to.”
As for Devo, the Akron, Ohio-reared group have their own shows on tap through November, including an Aug. 29 opening slot for My Chemical Romance at Chicago’s Soldier Field. A Chris Smith-directed documentary on the group, DEVO, premiered Aug. 19 on Netflix.
Here are the Cosmic De-Evolution Tour dates:
9/24 – Toronto, ONT @ Budweiser Stage
9/25 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
10/2 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
10/4 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
10/5 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
10/16 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
10/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/24 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
10/25 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
11/1 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
11/2 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
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