For a brand new festival, losing one headliner right before the event is rough enough, but to lose two, good luck. Speaking about the recent inaugural Moogfest, they first lost headliner Cee-Lo so he could start his European tour earlier. Then, the week before the festival, came the terrible news that Devo’s Bob Mothersbaugh had sustained an injury (laceration to the hand) and the band would be canceling their tour, including two festival appearances. From this sudden drop, the rumors and questions started – most importantly, was there any chance for a last minute set?

As it would turn out, for the lucky people at the inaugural Moogfest, all was not lost, and for those watching The Octopus Project that Friday evening, you got actually got your Devo. Well, half of Devo actually. With their cancellation made so close to the date, Devo’s front runners Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale didn’t feel right about leaving the festival hanging. It was very possible to play a crude set, all they needed was a back up band.

Who would be so lucky? Of all the bands playing that weekend, they turned to The Octopus Project to be the backup band so Mothersbaugh and Casale could do their Devo thing, and still bring, even if just for a few moments, a little Devo to Asheville. Two songs were played, obvious crowd pleasers “Girl U Want” and “Beautiful Girl”, and for having run through what had to have been a hasty rehearsal, they don’t sound too bad. The songs were rough around the edges, The Octopus Project’s lower production a little punk rock, yet, according to the video and some attendees, it worked well in that care-free environment. Not bad for a last minute move.

In the end, no, the real Devo still didn’t play Moogfest, but even a short appearance says volumes about how the band feels about their fans. It also shows that the band is keeping an eye on the pulse of music. If anything comes from this moment, at the very least, The Octopus Project now has one hell of a story to tell their grandkids.