The Michigan Daily-Sunday, October 29, 1978-Page 7

Beach Boys: Riding
the old wave high
By TONY BLOENK and MARK JOHANSSON
Could it be the California girls, TM, or surfing keeping the Beach Boys
so young? It has been said old rockers never die, they just roll away, and
these would-be teenagers from Hawthorne, Ca. proved it Friday night at
Crisler Arena by shaking the sand from our blue suede shoes.
The show was simple. The Boys led us through their hits for what was
obviously the umpteenth time for them. By now, they must have trouble
bringing freshness into each show, because they do not perform much new
material, but rely mainly on their incredible number of hits dating from
1962-66. While other groups have faded, the Beach Boys still shine, playing
their classic oldies straightforwardly and without apology.
DESPITE ITS LARGE size, the stage was plain with everything in
white, including the grand piano and three organs. This somewhat sterile
setting emphasized the musicians and their music, and rightly so.
The lighting was as unpretentious and yet impressive as the rest of the
show, taking full advantage of the clean white linesof the stage. There were
no unusual tricks or tons of technology, because no special effects were
needed. It would be farcical for the Beach Boys to use smoke machines or
laser lights while playing "Surfin' Safari!"
Neary all ages were represented in the audience. A middle aged couple

We must repeat:

We are Devo

By BRUCE YOUNG
"Devo are nothing more than a
not-so-good joke," a friend told me this
summer. Newsweek magazine took
pains to note that the theory of de-
evolution has been scientifically
refuted. Even a "punk" publication
proclaimed that "they're art students
who ate only kidding." All of which I
find quite annoying. If Devo proved
anyting Friday night at Grosse Pointe's
Punch and Judy Theatre, it was that we
need to deal with them on their own
terms-the terms of de-evolution.
Their show started with the showing
of three movies, "Come Back Jones,"
"Satisfaction," and the essential
"Truth About De-evolution." The last
helps to explain the concept that drives
this band:
God made man
But he used a monkey to do it
Apes are the plan
And we're all here to prove it
I can walk like an ape, talk like
an ape, do what a monkey
can do
God made man, but a monkey
supplied the glue.
AS THE ENTROPY of the universe
increases (according to the first and
second laws of the thermodynamics),
humans must go back to lower animal
states. We came from the monkey, but
in return we shall again become the
monkey. Despite pompous and self-
serving claims to the contrary, eviden-
ce of our regression abounds. Our lives
become more planned by machines,
and we, just like monkeys, are in-
creasingly programmed by them. We
turn into something no better than the

songs and performance antics try to
show us the folly of spudism
You got praying hands
They pray for no man..
Alright relax, and assume
the position-
Go into doggie submission!
"ALL RIGHT, DETROIT, LET'S
SEE WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR'
HANDS!!!" Lead singer Mark Mother
sbaugh, otherwise know as "Boojil
Boy," leaped into the crowd and asked
several people what they were doing'
with their hands. They made the spuds
look stupid, but not necessarily wrong.,
For someone who had only_
moderately high expectations from'
Devo, Friday night must have been.a
truly great show. But a few of us expee-"
ted to witness something transcendent'
and couldn't help but be disappointe.
Devo did tell me that, like all critics
dance the poot," but couldn't go into,
more details. They are simply a good,.
tight band with an interesting sound.
and a powerful, often hilarious concept.
They express a simple idea incredibly
well. But there it ends.
Devo gets a seal of approval, but not,'
without reservations. Before we left for
Grosse Pointe, our opinion was dif-
ferent. "We're going to see Devo," my:-
friend said to a passer-by. "We'll never
be the same." The show's over n
and we are the same.

Daily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG
Devo lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh took Devo-tees on a sentimental journal
through the land of monkeys and machines Friday night in Grosse Pointe.

Daily Photo by CYRENA CHANG
The' Beach Boys ran through a joyous succession of their hits before a loving
audience Friday night at Crisler Arena.
sat beside us, and behind us sat a grandmother-type in her seventies, with
her daughter who certainly was on the other side of forty. They all appeared
to enjoy themselves (Grandma was on her feet dancing during most of the
second half), but most of twisting was done by local students.
AUDIENCE REATION during the evening mirrored the quality of the
performance. The start of the concert was delayed by sound problems, and
in fact, the entire first half was plagued by technical difficulties of one kind
or another. Fully aware of the problems, the audience enthusiasm was
somewhat subdued. About one third of the way into the first half, a group on
the main floor yelled to lead singer Mike Love for more vocals. Love,
however, simply turned to another section of the crowd, asking if they could
hear. After they screamed and applauded, the band just launched into their
next number.
Several songs later, the technicians were still fooling with the audio mix
with varied results. The band left the stage for intermission with the audien-
ce feeling not nearly satisfied.
THE GROUP PLAYED nearly every big hit they've recorded, starting
with a vocally weak (and unenthusiastic), but instrumentally strong
"California Girls."'"'Sloop John B" was next, with a better volume and tight
rhythms, although the tempo raced faster with each repetition of the chorus.
On the whole, the first half was inconsistent. The diverse sounds could
only be partially accounted for by equipment trouble, as in "Without 'You,"
which was plain sloppy, and "In My Room," where bad mixing sent the
vocals booming way over the accompaniment, compounded by bad notes
sung by Mike Love. Brian Wilson, the creative force responsible for nearly
every Beach Boys song, left the stage during this number because of what
appeared to be a shock from his base guitar-but brother Dennis later
blamed his absence on a hangover.
The better moments, before intermission came with "Little Deuce
Coupe," "So Fine," "Gotta Go Through It," and'the great Buddy Holly hit
"Peggy Sue," which were all played with the exhilaration of live performan-
ce and nearly studio-perfect sound.
The second half seemed like it would be a continuation of the first half's
mediocrity, until "Country Pie," where Mike Love demanded audience par-
ticipation and Dennis Wilson leapt on top of the piano to dance hotly with a
broom, which finally got the audience moving and making noise. After this
the audience never sat down and the band never let up.
The show was caped with raucous versions of "Barbara Ann," and
"Fun, Fun,'Fun," and afinal "Thank-you very much, we love you," from-
Carl Wilson.

machines. And one more thing-the
trend is irreversible.
Devo are determined to shock some
sense into those who see them as a joke.
On stage, they are almost flawlessly
mechanical. Sharp and short guitar
licks are punctuated by explosions from
the rhythm section, as the simple
keyboard parts invade the listener's
brain like dangerous electricity. We
heard about our "Wiggly World," a
"Pink Pussycat," the "Uncontrollable
Urge,'' and "Too Much Paranoia."
Devo expected these songs to hold a
unique level of excitement throughout
the show.
Unfortunately, they weren't able to
do that.Their invasion was not a total
success. They did manage to convince
the audience that de-evolution is not
only quite funny, but also an indication
that we take our more-or-less random
lives far too seriously. What they failed
to do what give a hint of how they might
broaden their message to keep them-
selves interesting in the future. Devo
made their point clear, but they didn't
leave an indelible mark on our brains.
DEVO THINK we're spuds. Spuds

The U-M SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENTS
THE UNIVERSITY
OF MICHIGAN
nce
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8at 8 PM
SATURDAY; DECEMBER 9 at 8 PM
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 at 3 PM
POWER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
PREMIERE PERFORMANCES OF WORKS BY GUEST ARTISTS
" GUS SOLOMONS, JR. (performing in his own work)
" LAURA GLENN (funded in part by the Nat'l Endowment for the Arts)
* GARY LUND: Jose Limon's EXILES (danced by Laura Lund and Gary Lund)
Tickets available at the P. T. P. Box Office
in the Michigan League
Mon.-Fri. 10am-i pm, 2 pm-5 pm
(313) 744-0450
NAME

are people who think their lives are im-
portant, who believe in God, who
believe there is a6difference between
Republicans and Democrats. Their

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Daily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG
Mothersbaugh, disguised as "Booji Boy," told the crowd how much he loves
Detroit: "If I had a microphone buried in my heart, it would amplify my love
for you."

DEMOCRATS SEEK REELECTION:

or every Wednesday-Noon & 8:00 P.M.-Michigan Union
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Party
(Continued from Page
board in March.
The two Democrats agreed that they
can't make any judgments about the
South African investment situation un-
til they see more updates on companies'
adherence to the Sullivan Principles, a
set of guidelines designed to discourage
discrimination.
Waters said, however, that he would
definitely opt for divesting University
funds from corporations which do not
follow the Sullivan Principles.
"WE HAVE a commitment tok sell
the stock of any company where that
(non-adherence to the Sullivan Prin-
ciples) is shown," Waters said.
Brown said he still isn't sure whether
the University should remain a
stockholder in companies in South
Africa and use the University's votes to
influence the policies of the cor-
poration.
"It's a tough question..I'm real bor-
derline on it. I'm not sure what the right
thing to do si. If we would do more good
by getting our corporations out of South
Africa, I would certainly be for that.
But if we do more good by keeping our
Moo

key to r
corporations there, I'm for that,"
Brown said.
"IT SEEMS to me if you come to the
position that it's better to get our cor-
porations out of South Africa, I'm still
not sure that leads you to the conclusion
that you should sell your stock. Maybe
at the point you should go to all the
stockholders meetings and say, 'We
want you as stockholdes to get you out
of South Africa',"Brown said.
Both Brown, 44, and Waters, 38,
believe the presidential selection
process guidelines passed by the
Regents last week are workable despite
Michigan Student Asembly's (MSA)
vote to boycott the process. The two
candidates, who are both lawyers, will
probably meet with MSA represen-
tatives later this week to discuss the
disagreements.'

egent ele
The two incumbents disagree on the
issue of food consolidation for dor-
mitory residents.
"I WOULD leave it up to the studen-
ts," Waters said.
Brown, however, said he would vote
down the measure. "I don't like the
idea. It's too impersonal."
Concerning the continuing battle
between the University -and the
Graduate Employees Organization
(GEO) over graduate workers' right to
bargain collectively with the Univer-
sity, Waters recently mentioned he
may present to the Regents a resolution
calling for the University to drop the
case.
Brown wouldn't commit himself
either way on such a resolution.
Should the University lose the case,
however, both Democrats have said

action

they would vote against appealing it.
"I would bargain with them (GEO)
even if they lost the case," Waters said.
DON'T BE DECEIVED
VOTE NO on
PROPOSAL "H"
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ROBERT HIGH, Treas..

U

GUITAR MASTER


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will interview students interested in pursuing a Mas-
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in a special

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Ann

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