Devo shed new light on retirement plans: “It takes a long time to say goodbye”
In an exclusive interview with Far Out, Devo reflected on their previous farewell tour and admitted that retirement might be further than they first thought.
The art-punk band, formed in Ohio in 1973, previously embarked on a 2023 tour. At that time, they were sure to brand the shows as a Farewell show. Named the ’50 Years Of Devolution…and Farewell!’ tour, the band played three dates in the UK: Edinburgh, Green Man festival in Brecon, and London.
At the shows, they jokingly promised to celebrate the iconic band once more on their 100-year anniversary. “Devo 100 Years: 2073” projected banners read at the time. Now, speaking to Far Out, they’ve reiterated this sentiment.
Devo, consisting of Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, and Bob Mothersbaugh, is newly considering when they might finally call it quits. “It takes a long time to say goodbye,” Casale mused, “We still haven’t played about 50% of the markets that want us. So we keep moving through those.”
Mothersbaugh then added slyly, “Who knows? Maybe we got another 50 years. We’ll see how far we can go.”
Netflix recently unveiled a feature-length documentary delving into the rich and at times unbelievable history of this strange band. Speaking on the documentary, Casale told Far Out, “I think it’s just coincidental. It just happened because it finally happened, and probably had to happen was probably now or never.”
Earlier this summer, Devo and The B-52’s announced that they will join forces on a co-headlining tour across North America later this year, which they are calling the Cosmic De-Evolution Tour.
The two classic new wave bands will take in 11 stops across North America over the coming months, starting on September 24th in Toronto and ending on November 2nd in Houston. They will be joined on the road by fellow genre protégé Lene Lovich as their support act.
Devo are Far Out’s cover stars for October. Visit here to read the full interview.
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