Parties You Will Never Get Into

Technophiles everywhere turned out for the party heralding the release of Microsoft Office 2008, the specially designed version for Macintosh software. New wave sensation Devo entertained participants at the corporate bash in San Francisco’s The Warfield, their first gig in the venue since January 1981.

Sheridan Jones, manager of Microsoft’s Mac marketing team and an overt Devo fan, booked them for the party. A year before, Devo vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh, who is also a painter, tried to wheedle her into staging an exhibition at the 2008 Macworld Expo, of which the party is part. Instead, Jones lined up his band for a performance at the party on January 15, 2008.

Devo delivered a 16-song set that night, including such cuts as “Whip It” and “Beautiful World.” As expected, the band entered the stage wearing HAZMAT suits and their iconic red hats called “energy domes.” Many in the audience were wearing energy domes too, courtesy of Microsoft. As the gig wore on, the band swapped suits and headgear for a darker ensemble of shorts, knee-length socks, knee pads, and t-shirts.

Wild applauses aside, the loudest sounds to puncture the performance were the band’s signature ramblings about “devolution.” At the end of the show, Mark Mothersbaugh, putting on a Booji Boy mask, prodded the otherwise tech-savvy crowd to throw their laptops out the window.

Surely there were fans in the audience who understood. Earlier in the week, Microsoft had the foresight to make some tickets available to hardcore Devo fans for $40 apiece.

On the night of the event itself, Microsoft distributed gift bags containing freebies like card sets of DEVO imagery and t-shirts to the earliest 500 attendees. Before Devo left, fans and Microsoft employees alike were able to meet and greet the band and get autographs.

Limited-edition M&M candies with the Office insignia were passed around. The organizers even gave free iMacs.

Mac Blast! was part of a longer line of affairs in the 2008 Macworld Expo, where Steve Jobs unveiled laptop Mac Air.