MULTIMEDIA

New Wave band Devo performed at San Francisco's famed Warfield last night to entertain the Macworld faithful and help conference attendees unwind after this year's Stevenote. The event was sponsored by, of all people, Microsoft, which hoped to highlight the release of its new Office 2008 suite of applications for the Mac platform. So, how, and why, did Microsoft land the band? Thank Microsoft marketing manager Sheridan Jones for the booking -- she's a huge Devo fan. And, in a cozy bit of synergy, Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh uses Office applications to create postcards and other artwork in his spare time (you can view his pieces at artofoffice.com).

Noting that the last time Devo played at the Warfield was New Year's Eve 1981, Mothersbaugh reflected on the de-evolution of man when it came to our reliance on machines. "In 1981, everyone knew that computers were bad," he remarked, then segued into a monologue, urging the crowd to go back to their hotel rooms and defenestrate their laptops. Mac vs. Windows, indeed.

Left: The band played the first few songs in disposable HAZMAT suits and their famous "Energy Dome" headwear. During the set, the domes came off and the suits were destroyed, revealing black T-shirts, black socks and knee pads.

Photo: Lane Hartwell