By Paul Robicheau

The arty, satirical rockers from Akron, Ohio, remain a singular entity — Devo has been as inspirational as it has been influential.

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo at MGM Fenway. Photo: Paul Robicheau

Devo could have played stadiums “like Kid Rock,” mock entertainment CEO Rod Rooter lamented in Friday’s show-opening video, but he noted the band’s “still slogging their de-evolution swill from the outside looking in.” Sucking oxygen atop his exercise bike, the aging exec scoffed, “Have fun preaching to the converted tonight.”

The packed house at MGM Music Hall at Fenway was indeed converted and enthused (some fans sporting red “energy dome” hats like Devo wore in its iconic “Whip It” video) or at least open to the idea. This was the new-wave band’s first Boston show since 2008 — as well as Josh Hager’s first hometown show since replacing the late Bob Casale on keyboards and guitar in 2014.

Despite lost decades, with Devo co-founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale now in their mid-70s, the show celebrating “50 years of De-Evolution” came off surprisingly fresh at MGM, augmented by vivid visuals and superb sound (mixed by Hager’s brother Paul). Sure, the concert seemed short at 85 minutes — it included three video interludes — and Devo’s handful of hits oddly peaked just past the halfway point. But in terms of persona and performance, the group delivered a steady punch, reviving the question why Devo still isn’t in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The arty, satirical rockers from Akron, Ohio, remain a singular entity — Devo has been as inspirational as it has been influential.

Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo. Photo: Paul Robicheau

Backing visuals quickly grabbed attention with kaleidoscopic cityscapes and lyrics writ large as frontman Mothersbaugh spread his arms wide in a welcome to Devo’s view of our twisted world in “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)” and gestured through “Peek-a-Boo!” while his guitarist brother Bob and Casale injected guffawing backup vocals. Casale stuck to his stage-front keyboard through several songs, culminating in the hits “Girl U Want” and “Whip It” (given its snap by his call and response with Mothersbaugh, who flung red hats like Frisbees into the crowd), then took lead vocals for his consumerism jab, “Planet Earth.” Hats multiplied onscreen in a floating 3D field around a spinning globe.

Gerald Casale of Devo at MGM Fenway.  Photo: Paul Robicheau

But, after a (space)-warped Carl Sagan video intro, Devo shifted to a higher gear when Casale and Hager ditched their keyboards for bass and guitar and the band donned yellow jumpsuits. Drummer Jeff Friedl (deftly following in the footsteps of the late Alan Myers and current Foo Fighter Josh Freese) cued the nip-and-tuck beat in Devo’s deconstruction of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” The players’ robotic moves and minimalist mashup didn’t lock in like Devo’s WTF moment on Saturday Night Live in 1978, but it was still a joy. The same went for “Uncontrollable Urge,” where a pacing Mothersbaugh tore pieces off the jumpsuits before the members bunched at center stage to pogo on the beat and divvy up the song’s “Yeaah” refrain before his rapid-phrased climax.

That burst of punk verve — both musical and visual — was hard to follow for the set’s backstretch. But, after fully peeling off the jumpsuits, the band went wild on a practically jammed-out “Jocko Homo,” even if its chorus, “Are we not men? We are Devo!” (the title of Devo’s Brian Eno-produced debut album), went on too long. Mothersbaugh sank to his knees to summon swooshing synth noises from his stage-side keyboard during “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA,” causing his brother Bob to move from ripping on his guitar to putting his hands over his ears.

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo at MGM Fenway. Photo: Paul Robicheau

However, a closing stroke of absurdist theater fell flat when Mothersbaugh appeared as Booji (pronounced Boogie) Boy for a 10-minute finale of “Beautiful World.” On record, the song draws its gravitas from a deep-voiced optimism that flips on the resonating couplet “For you. But not for me.” Casale sang in that tone to start, but Mothersbaugh took over in a falsetto that muted the song’s potential impact, while his clownish baby-head mask made his spoken rambles (including a pointless bit about the Cars’ late Ric Ocasek showing up) difficult to decipher.

“It’s kind of a weird time in this country,” he told the crowd, suggesting some actual commentary to follow, but his mumble just turned to a hopeful reunion in another 50 years, lifted by his genuinely funny request: “I’d like to see all of you here — and try to remember where you’re standing so I can recognize you.”

Of course that was all unrealistic, given the predominant ages both onstage and in the audience. But Devo foretold the madness of our modern society through its concept of de-evolution back in the ’70s. No matter what the future brings, on Friday, the band proved it’s still a unique and vital force.

Paul Robicheau served more than 20 years as contributing editor for music at the Improper Bostonian in addition to writing and photography for The Boston Globe, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He was also the founding arts editor of Boston Metro.