CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We can point to the idiocy of our political system. The mindless megalomania of the "selfie movement." The cesspool of narcissism that is social media.

We can point to all those and a thousand other things.

But why be redundant and repetitious when you can just point to the teachings of Devo.

In the 1970s, the pioneering Akron band preached an anti-Darwinian "de-evolution" concept that envisioned humans evolving backward. And you thought those zany guys in the weird jumpsuits were clowning.

Devo, you see, has been proven more than accurate - on every level, even when it comes to fans of the legendary outfit.

Four decades after the band's heyday, its fanatical followers continue to revisit the bands heyday, not to mention those wacky hats, yellow jumpsuits and weird toilet-seat-looking things the Akron band used to wear.



Egads, it's the annual Devotional.

The annual celebration of all things DEVO hits the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, in Cleveland Collinwood neighborhood. The bash features movies and music dedicated to the robotic rock band that parlayed anti-Darwinism into a pop phenomenon.

Day One starts 6 p.m. Friday and features 3 O'clock Rock Showcase, Fantastic Plastics and Dvomatix presens De-Voke (Devolved Karaoke). Admission is a donation deal.

Day Two is the big shebang. It starts 2 p.m. Saturday and rolls out talks, multi-media presentations, guests (including Jerry Casale) and a heap of performers coming in from as far away as Gerrmany: Mercuchrome, Double Helix, Spudboys, DEVO-tion and DEVOmatix.

Admission $35. For tickets, go to beachlandballroom.com or call 216-383-1124.

Whoa, there's even a 5k run/walk for adults and kids. It takes place 9 a.m. Sunday, starting at 200 South Main Street, in downtown Akron.

For more info, go to devo-obsesso.com.