Devo was introduced at their show at The Lyric Baltimore via video by an old friend – Rod Rooter – who reminded everyone how successful the band would have been if they’d only listened to his marketing suggestions, rather than sticking to their “ideas.” Devo came out to an adoring crowd and demonstrated the long-lasting popularity of those ideas and the music that broadcast them to the world.
And the band seemed to be having a lot of fun on this stop of their Mutate Don’t Stagnate tour, especially Mark Mothersbaugh, who would presumably have no other reason to tour unless he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Mothersbaugh has become one of the most successful commercial, TV, and movie composers in the world. He’s definitely not touring for the money.
On June 10, the show featured an impressive light and video show, with the occasional break for a video message while the band changed into and out of various costumes, including their iconic yellow jumpsuits and red hats, which Mothersbaugh tore off, piece by piece, during “Blockhead.”
Watch Devo perform “Blockhead” live in 1980 via YouTube:
Mothersbaugh came out during “Mongoloid” cheering and dancing around with pom poms.
The crowd quieted down and the band asked, “How many of you here tonight think De-evolution is real? The evidence is in your face every morning.” They then asked repeatedly, “Are we not Men?” Which the crowd loudly answered with, “We are Devo!” This naturally led right into “Jocko Homo.” D-E-V-O! During “Jocko Homo,” the band tossed parts of their jumpsuits and their hats out into the crowd, before marching out into the crowd to sing with them.
As their encore began (with another costume change), there was a video of an increasingly tattered American flag, accompanied by a snippet of the national anthem, leading appropriately into the first encore song – “Freedom of Choice.” Gerald Casale reminded us to, “Use it or lose it.” This was how Devo ended their set at Coachella earlier this year.
The Baltimore show concluded with “Gut Feeling” and, accompanied by Booji Boy, “Beautiful World.”
Setlist:
Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)
Peek-a-Boo!
Going Under
That’s Good
Girl U Want
Whip It
Planet Earth
Uncontrollable Urge
Blockhead
Mongoloid
Jocko Homo
Smart Patrol/Mr DNA
Gates of Steel
Freedom of Choice
Gut Feeling
Beautiful World
Here are some photos of Devo performing live at The Lyric Baltimore on June 10, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
