October 18th’s No Kings Day culminated under a clear and rich, deep blue skyline at the Hollywood Bowl, a reminder exactly why there’s nowhere else compared to Southern California on a warm evening in the Fall.
Last night’s line-up and set performances by DEVO, The B-52s and surprise guest-appearance by Lene Lovich at the forefront of such a momentous day regarding the myriad of present-day unknowns and uncertainties ⎯ was a celebration of resilience. Each of the bands represented a generation of avant-garde artists whose music recordings, performance histories and messages have achieved far-reaching constructive impacts on American culture across generations; as all music through memory and its encryption into individual consciousness and our shared experiences.
While some might be tempted to dismiss DEVO, The B-52s or Lene Lovich, as merely musicians they are not familiar with or some genre of “Pop,” I’ve heard about and read that the music scene(s) that emerged in Los Angeles during the late 1970s and 1980s did so despite being dominated by whatever was promoted over mainstream radio stations [more commercially viable rock-n-roll bands, disco, oldies, R&B, etc.].
It’s been described by my dad that youth in the LA region had a handful of fringe music venues, college stations [KXLU and KSPC] and two relatively small local stations [KPFK and KROQ]. There’s reverence and accolades attributed to a single radio show host for broadcasting on air the records from DEVO, The B-52s and Lene Lovich as well as many more: LA phenomenon and now, the iconic Rodney Bingenheimer.
Bingenheimer was a soft-spoken, self-made purveyor of the rock-n-roll subculture. Through his show “Rodney on the ROQ,” he was the key individual who sourced and bridged the airwaves between emergent music talents like DEVO, The B-52s and Lene Lovich and area youth. Together with a network of homegrown rock-n-roll DIYrs’ and gig-to-gig bands on tour [either branded “Punk” or umbrella under “New Wave”] the bands were also invited by Bingenheimer to make live guest appearances on the air [and they did]. At least this is how local lore has it about how generations of local youth and music scenes emerged before the personal computer, the Internet and the cell phone were household consumer items.
It was with an opportunity of good fortune that I was able to attend this event with my dad, and a huge surprise Lene Lovich began the line up of live performances. It may have been the shortest set played, however she performed better known and cherished hits like “Lucky Number” [even brought out her saxophone].
While all of the artists were amazing in tone and tenor, Lene Lovich and, specifically, DEVO commanded the evening’s performances. I really don’t want to succumb to personal bias [Mark Mothersbaugh, a dear and genuine friend to my late godfather (Richard Duardo 1952-2014)], but DEVO entered the stage in an uneventful manner all “low-profile” and before in brevity of identifying the first song in their set-list, exploding into “Uncontrollable Urge.” DEVO’s whole set was highlighted by their renowned performance art stage antics, symbolic of desires to escape ennui [intrinsic to corporate internal culture] ⎯ iconic amenities indicative of conformity, digital art visuals my generation considers NFTs.
Again, to be fair, each of the bands conjured and cast their magic on the audience who were arbitrarily brought-up to their feet. Our minds exhilarated, bodies of all ages gyrating and doing all else impromptu [the shimmy, the twist, the watusi] in whatever physical space available per seating arrangement. DEVO’s performance however was non-stop full throttle and overdrive ⎯ a mode of electrified intensity and energy displacement that erupted on all audience attendees and venue staff [aesthetics intrinsic or perceived value alike]. No matter what anyone says about DEVO: they rocked-out on the audience with an acuity of message in lyrics that Noam Chomsky himself would have ‘comatosed-the-crowd’ [to sleep] within five minutes or less.
The B-52s’ colorful Cindy Wilson, Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider were the headliners and also played a relatively short set complete with “Dance This Mess Around,” “Planet Claire,” “Give Me Back my Man,” “Rock Lobster,” (etc.) along with more popular known crowd pleasers like “Roam” and “Love Shack.” Adorned in signature 20th mid-century wigs, Wilson and Pierson flanked Schneider along their set and each shared center stage per particular lead vocal.
Again, I’d say the best part was to see a packed venue and marvel over just how many people these musicians and former art-students [literally] have impact, whether their message was more about the mysterious and universal qualities of seeking and being in relationships or the broader implications about the kind of path we choose from.
At the end of the evening, an LAPD Sergeant inquired of my dad “How was the show?” and then gleefully reminisced that the last-time he’d seen the B-52s perform was (25) years just across the 101FWY a few miles from the Hollywood Bowl. His statement “they were awesome!” reinforces just how little we really know about the people we are surrounded by. It was an awesome night.
