Not only the strange circus atmosphere, off-beat social commentary, weird fans, and the innovative staging, but the music was surprisingly good. They actually are terrific musicians and showmen. My wife and I saw them twice. In our mid-30s, we must have been the oldest people in the audience.

There was one sour note. At the end of one set, the band approached the edge of the stage and raised their instruments as a kind of salute to the audience. This was fine, but what happened next really caught me off guard.

The audience snapped to their feet, silently, and raised their right arms in the Nazi salute. It must have been spontaneous, because it hadn't happened at the other concert of theirs we saw. The crowd remained standing for a long time silently, almost a minute, at attention, arm outstretched at a 45 degree angle, this look of grim determination on their faces. It was perfectly silent in the hall (the magnificent Stan, in Pittsburgh, PA). Then they quietly sat down. It was really creepy.

We named our pet black rat snake "Devo" in their honor.