The B-52s and Devo were two of the quirkiest and most popular bands to emerge from the late-1970s New Wave and punk era. Now the two groups are teaming up for a fall co-headlining trek called the Cosmic De-Evolution Tour.
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The 11-date North American outing kicks off September 24 in Toronto and is plotted out through a November 2 concert in the Houston suburb of The Woodlands, Texas. New Wave chanteuse Lene Lovich will serve as the opening act at all shows. The joint concerts are part of The B-52s’ and Devo’s respective ongoing farewell tours.
Tickets for the trek go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 20, at 10 a.m. local time. Pre-sale tickets are available now for American Express and Citi card members. Fans who want to purchase tickets early also may want to check StubHub.
The B-52s’ most recent performances included a four-show Las Vegas residency in April and a May 16 concert in Mexico City. Before and after the Cosmic De-Evolution Tour, Devo will be playing numerous U.S. shows as part of its 50 Years of De-Evolution…Continued! trek. The band also has some festival dates lined up.
B-52s Members Comment About Tour with Devo
Founding B-52s members Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, and Cindy Wilson all issued statements about the tour with Devo.
“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,” Schneider explained. “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.”
Pierson noted, “When we first came from Athens [Georgia] 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.”
She added, “When we opened the Mudd Club, we partied with Devo and really hit it off on the dance floor. Later, Brian Eno went [on 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.”
Wilson reflected, “When both of our bands performed at the recent SNL 50 concert at Radio City [Music Hall], we started talking and agreed we had to do these shows. “Believe or not, we’ve never done more than a festival or two together in all this time. This will be amazing and I can’t wait for The B-52s to share these stages with Devo!”
Devo Members Share Their Thoughts on Playing Shows with The B-52s
Devo’s main original members, Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, shared statements regarding how they feel about touring with The B-52s.
“The B-52s had one of the best sounds of any of the bands out there in the late [’70s] and early [’80s],” Mothersbaugh said. “‘Rock Lobster’ is one of my favorite songs. … It was either fate or luck or the [Saturday Night Live] anniversary that brought us all together to create this amazing chance to go out on tour. All I can say is Cosmic Devolution is REAL!”
Added Casale, “Devo and The B-52s on tour together! That it took almost 50 years to happen is rather mind-blowing. But better late than never. We each did something right in different ways that withstood the test of time. Now we’re here to prove we can still ‘bring it’ as they say!”
Cosmic De-Evolution Tour dates:
9/24 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ 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 – The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
(Courtesy of Live Nation Entertainment)
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