Back in ‘99, I was lucky enough to have been in attendance at the now-notorious “punk rock reunion show” held at Santa Monica’s Track 16 gallery.  X, The Bags, The Go-Go’s, The Flesh Eaters, The Weirdos and many, many other bands, all played in their fullest possible incarnations.

Given the passing of time, and people, it was a moving, memorable evening, but I think no band played tighter—or stronger—that night than closing act Devo.  They opened (I believe) with Jocko Homo (Are We Not Men?), and I remember shooting friends WTF looks as the whole gallery started quaking (see photo below).
 

 
Well, starting this fall, you can witness some of that “Akron magic” yourself:

Ohio nerd-rock legends Devo are taking the whole playing-a-classic-album-in-its-entirety trend to the next level.  On their November tour, they will play two-night stands in every city, dedicating each night to one particular album.  The first night, Devo will play their 1978 debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! straight through.  The next night, they’ll run through 1980’s Freedom of Choice.  So you’ll be able to choose between experimental weirdo Devo and early-MTV new wave Devo, or you could just buy tickets to both shows.

And sure, doing the “whole album in its entirety thing” is, by now, not the newest of tricks.  But let’s give the boys…er, men, their due, shall we?  As you can see from the below promo film touting “laser discs,” when it comes to embracing new forms, be they mutant or technological, Devo’s always been on the cutting edge.

 
Via Pitchfork: Devo Reissue Classic Early Albums, Play Them Live on Fall Tour

Devo on Fridays: Girl U Want/Gates of Steel

(Thanks Danny Gromfin!)