Devo
2021-09-25
A Theatre in
Inglewood, CA

SOURCE:
SP-CMC-8 (w/Mods) > SP-SPSB-11 (95Hz Roll Off) > Sony PCM-M10 > Sandisk Mini-SD Card (32gb - Class 10)

TRANSFER:
.WAV (24 Bit) > Adobe Audition 2021 CC (normalize/amplify/tracking/downsampling/dithering) > .WAV (16 Bit) > Trader's Little Helper > FLAC (Level 8)

SETLIST:

01. Intro
02. Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)
03. Peek-a-boo
04. Going Under
05. That's Good
06. Girl U Want
07. Whip It
08. (interlude - costume change)
09. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones cover)
10. Secret Agent Man (P.F. Sloan & Steve Barri cover)
11. Uncontrollable Urge
12. Mongoloid
13. Jocko Homo
14. Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA
15. Gates of Steel
16. Devo Corporate Anthem
17. Freedom of Choice
18. Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)
19. Beautiful World

NOTES:

Alright, this was my third time seeing one of my favorites bands of all time, Devo, and the first time I saw them at their own proper show (the two other times - Coachella 2010 and Desert Daze 2019 - were both at festivals). In fact, I believe this was Devo's first full non-festival show since 2014 (if Setlist.FM is to be believed). That's a bit of a crazy fact, and makes this show extra special I think. But if you were thinking that since this was a non-festival show, that you might get a super elongated set compared to those of recent festival sets, well you'd be wrong. I counted two extra songs played that Riot Fest didn't get. But I suppose it makes sense...the band's been rehearsing this set, and most members are approaching 70 years of age or more, so I can't expect them to play 2 hours worth of material. It would be nice to hear deeper cuts like Space Junk, Out of Sync, and Snowball, but as always, beggars can't be choosers.

The venue was the brand new "YouTube Theatre", out in Inglewood, CA, which is attached to the new six billion dollar SoFi Stadium. Yeah, 6 fucking billions, with a B, dollars. I overheard a couple fans flabbergasted over that fact. I mean, it did look like a nice stadium? It was my first time out there, and though the location itself is a practical shit hole, the stadium does look cool, I have to admit, even if a bit overdone (imho). The stadium is huge, and I literally got lost walking around it. My Uber ride there ($50 from North Hollywood, if you're wondering) dropped me off on the wrong side of the stadium, and I ended up walking the entire perimeter just to find the proper entrance to the theatre (it did provide a nice opportunity to kill some time and for some cool photos though), and then at the end of the show, I had no idea where the proper Uber pick-up lot was, so again, I walked around the whole stadium in the wrong direction, until some parking attendant pointed me in the opposite direction. Eventually I found it, but holy shit, the scale of that place is just mind boggling. The theatre itself though, it's not much to write home about. The sound was decent, but the place has no character. Just a cold, basic modern design, like pretty much anything built these days. Picture a highschool auditorium, but slightly enlarged, and there you have it.

The show was great though, lots of spuds out there with their energy domes (some that even lit up) and not many talkers around me for once. In fact, my entire row was empty for most of the show, until other concert goers, who were seated farther back, realized this and eventually made their way down closer next to me. But everyone was having a good time, and the place was pretty packed, which was a good sign for the band. The energy the band actually surprised me, they sounded better than I was even expecting. AND it was cool to see Josh Freese back on drums (Jeff Freidl was on drums back at Desert Daze).

As for the recording itself, I got a brand new SP-SPSB-11 battery/bass box before the show, and decided to try it out (hadn't used one for a few years, as my last one took a shit - as they all seem to eventually in my experience), but I think maybe it's not set up correctly with my PCM-M10 or something, or I have the bass roll off set wrong, as I think the sound is a little, umm, weird in this recording? Like the guitars just sound too compressed or muddy? I don't remember it sounding that way live, but maybe my ears are just playing tricks? Maybe someone out there in deep space can let me know some better tips using the bass roll off and levels with this? I'm almost inclined to skip the battery box at my next scheduled show. I dunno. In the end, it is what is, I still think it sounds decent, but I think it could have been a lot better? Download or not, it's your freedom of choice!

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http://www.themojavetent.com
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