Photo Gallery: Devo at The Met in Philadelphia – Thursday, May 1st, 2025

Upon arriving at The Met, the very first thing that I was met with, other than a sea of red and blue energy domes, was a pop-up beer garden right outside the venue. This wasn’t directly related to the show, and it seemed that it was a regular occurrence, but for a first-time visitor to the venue, this was a very welcome surprise. Inside, the venue was quickly filling with fans excited to celebrate over 50 years of the legendary Devo, speaking of, nobody came on before them, so onto the Spuds!

With the lights going down, the video screen behind the band turns on playing a video featuring the one and only Rod “The Man” Rooter riding a Peloton while on oxygen, reminding everyone who owns Devo and that he still wishes they would drop the de-evolution stuff. With the video ending, the band came out and jumped right into the show, kicking this off with “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man) immediately followed by “Peek-A-Boo!”, a one-two punch that got the packed Philly Met on their feet dancing.

What followed was a tour through their entire career. The band touched on a little bit of every major release, from the debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978) to 2010’s Something for Everybody. No matter which album the song came from, everyone was singing loud and proud. Even with it being the group’s 50th anniversary, there were still plenty of “younger” people present singing every word, showing the multi-generational reach of the legendary Devo.

The whole show was really an homage to their extensive career, even beyond the music. The use of a massive LED screen behind them allowed them to have a backdrop fit for Devo. From massive laughing devils during “Peek-A-Boo!" to flashing the lyrics to the chorus of Jocko Homo, they made the most out of the screens. They also took a trip through their costume “closet”, donning their energy domes during “Whip It”, their signature jumpsuits for their covers before literally tearing them off during “Uncontrollable Urge”, to even each member sans Josh Freese donning a different letter of Devo for the end of the show.

This show was a perfect example of showmanship meeting musicianship, with Devo’s unique style shining all throughout. The musical prowess shone all night long, and the aforementioned visuals made the night exactly what you would expect out of the band of Spuds. With one final message from the band reminding us to “mutate, don’t stagnate, mutate” and Booji Boy reminding us that we have a “Beautiful World” while showering the crowd in bouncy balls, the show came to an end, leaving the whole crowd happy to be there for the start of this leg of their 50th anniversary celebration.

Devo played a 17-song set the contained:

Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)

Peek-A-Boo!

Going Under

That's Good

Girl U Want

Whip It

Planet Earth

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover)

Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan cover)

Uncontrollable Urge

Mongoloid

Jocko Homo (with "Ohio: Round on the End and High in the Middle" snippet)

Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA

Gates of Steel

Freedom of Choice

Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)

Beautiful World (with Booji Boy, snippet of Stones version of Satisfaction at end)

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