When I found out Devo would be appearing on a Wednesday taping of Lopez Tonight at Warner Bros. Studios, I resolved myself to the fact I just had to be there.
But … Lopez Tonight? Really?
Yep. Looked like I was just going to have to put on my big boy pants and steel myself for a couple hours to get to the goods. “Nothing comes for free” — the old adage definitely applies.
That was all right, though. I knew I could do it. I’ve weathered rougher pickles. I figured a few hours of live talk show taping, complete with everything that goes with it, was a light sentence to shell out in order to see a beloved iconic band.
Now, let it be said I’m not a fan of George Lopez. But I did enjoy much of his most recent HBO special. And, based on that alone, I didn’t think I’d have a problem sitting through an entire show. And I was right.
Lopez’ show band, Michael Bearden & The Ese Vatos? Tight. Superb. Each and every one of the members a consummate professional. A bit of a surprise … not that the band was terrific, but that Lopez had such a terrific band in his show’s possession. Not only were they engaging, they made you feel as if you had exclusively paid for a ticket to see them. And that’s really saying something.
George’s monologue and interaction with the guests? Not too shabby. I wasn’t bored by any stretch of the imagination. Truth be told, I was hanging on every word the guests had to say, Thomas Jane and Tim Gunn from HBO’s Hung and Project Runway, respectively. Both were nifty guests. And I didn’t even know Mr. Jane would be making an appearance … so that was a bit of a treat as I watch Hung.
But … the real reason I was there was for Devo. (Access the link to see the performance.) And they didn’t disappoint this fan. Devo may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but: You get the opportunity to see a band you love, do it. You never know if they’ll come around — or be around — next time ’round.
Suffering through a couple of hours of George Lopez and Lopez Tonight (which turned out to be not so bad in retrospect) beat the hell out of sitting through a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show a couple of studios over….
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Sep 18, 2010 @ 09:38 EST5EDT
Umm… Fallon has the Roots so the quality of the host and of the band don’t always add up;) (I’m dissing Fallon here btw, not my beloved roots)
*POST AUTHOR*
. . . . .
Johnnie:
I know it doesn’t. Still, it was a pleasant and well-appreciated surprise. Doesn’t everyone like the occasional surprise … ???