Mode

Posted on August 25, 2009

Saw an absolutely incredible performance by Depeche Mode tonight in Salt Lake City with Marty and WarpedGirl16...

   

   

For a spoiler-filled set list and some additional photos, you can get all that in an extended entry.

   

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Mode, Continued...

If you haven't seen the concert, but are planning to, I'd really not read anything past this point until you have.

The stage tech was fantastic! The lighting rigs almost seemed alive as they transformed to various configurations as the show went on. There was also a "half-sphere" glued to the top of a giant screen which was playing all kinds of material (both live and recorded) for a very cool experience overall...

The set-list was pretty darn good, providing a balance of new and old material, just as it should be...

1. In Chains. Great song off the new album, and the perfect song to start the show. The musical arrangement was very, very well-done, as it kind of kept building up right to the end.
2. Wrong. Fantastic new song performed exactly as it should have been. You felt. the song as much as heard it, which just made it all the better.
3. Hole To Feed. Not one of my favorite DM songs, but sounded excellent live.
4. Walking In My Shoes. YES! This song is awesome live, and was performed flawlessly.
5. It's No Good. The first surprise of the evening, I was thrilled to get this great song from their back-catalog in the set.
6. A Question Of Time. Another nice surprise.
7. Precious. I think they went a little too far on the musical arrangement here, as they tried to run it through acid for a heavier sound. The result is still great to listen to, but not as good as when they performed it more "delicately" during their previous concert tour.
8. Fly On The Windscreen. This song took me completely by surprise, and I loved it. Like most of the older tracks, they added a harder edge, but were completely faithful to the original song. A smart... very smart... addition to the set list that was guaranteed to blow the fans away.
9. Jezebel. I hate... hate. this song on the new album. It's just so... lazy... I guess is the word I'm looking for. The music is boring. The lyrics are just plain bad ("They call you Jezebel. Whenever we walk in. You're going straight to hell. For wanted acts of sin." WTF?). Martin could have sang any number of songs here during his turn (Home comes immediately to mind) but we got this mess. BLARGH!
10. A Question Of Lust. Martin kind of redeemed himself here, performing a classic tune exactly how the audience wanted to hear it.
11. Miles Away / The Truth Is. Hands-down the standout track of the entire show. I liked the song when I listened to the studio track. I now love the song after hearing it live. It's as if it were written specifically four touring, and everything from the rockin' musical arrangement to the giant screen background was flawless.
12. Policy Of Truth. Loved it! Really loved it. Modified just enough to sound fresh, but not so much that it destroyed the beautiful balance that the original kept so well.
13. In Your Room. The live arrangement was not as strong as I've heard at other shows... but still an incredible song that was performed to fantastic effect.
14. I Feel You. Another amazing live track that blew the doors off the arena... in a good way.
15. Enjoy The Silence. Not overly thrilled with the way they reworked the music here, but it's one of my all-time favorite DM tracks, so I was very happy to get it anyway they wanted to serve it.
16. Never Let Me Down Again. Really wishing they would have worked in the "Route 66" remix stuff here, but was so happy they included this song in the set list that it didn't really matter.
17. Encore 1: Shake The Disease. GAH! They took one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs and utterly destroyed it. This track does not work as a ballad, and just died on stage for me. Disappointing, because had it been performed as it was originally written I would have peed myself.
18. Encore 1: Stripped. A fantastic song which Dave pushed to the limit.
19. Encore 1: Strangelove. I don't know what's cooler... that they included this classic track... or that they had some rather =ahem= racy visuals playing playing on the giant screen behind them.
20. Encore 2: Personal Jesus. The music powered over the vocals in places, but was absolutely brilliant. They took a song that everybody knows and didn't really mess with it so much as added an edge to it.
21. Encore 2: Waiting For The Night. This is not how I would have closed the show, as it kind of leaves the audience deflated after all the harder songs that were belted out... but still, it's a lovely song that was beautifully performed as a duet between Martin and Dave, so it's hard to be upset about it.

All in all, an amazing show. Depeche Mode is one of the greatest live bands ever, and I highly recommend their "Tour of The Universe" if you have a chance to see it...

All my photos were taken with my iPhone and don't look that great. Fortunately, Marty brought his "real" camera and has a great set up at Flickr...

Now I suppose it's time to get some sleep before having to fly back home tomorrow...

Comments

Awesome!!!! :D

Posted by Sybil Law on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

My envy knows no bounds. I've been a big DM fan since the 80s, before they hit the mainstream. Thanks for sharing.

Posted by Nenette on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

I am so jealous! And OMG "Fly On The Windscreen" is one of my favorite older songs. You know how I like to make the little noises and such. :)

Posted by Hilly on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

show sounded great. i saw them back in 88, great show as well - i kinda lost interest in DM when alan left the band and struck out on his own as Recoil. i've heard good things about this last album.

Posted by kyle on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

Annnd, I need to go download every Depeche Mode song I've ever heard (which is a lot because I was obsessed with them in high school... cough, I mean, when I was five). Also, pictures look great for iPhone quality!

Posted by Faiqa on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

I get nervous when a band changes a song. It seems like it never works out for the better.

I'm so jealous that you saw DM live! I have loved their music since junior high.

Posted by Becky on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

Woah, dude...they do this sort of thing in SLC?? I had no idea. Tsk, tsk.....

Posted by A Lewis on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

Great review of the show, song by song. "Jezebel" was the weakest of the songs of the night. And "Shake The Disease" could have been so much better.

Hard to pick a favorite from last night. Both "Fly On The Windscreen" and "Walking In My Shoes" came out equally on top.

And the cackling freaks stayed nice and quiet during DM.

Posted by martymankins on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

That looks like an amazing concert!

Now I want to go see them.

Posted by Sarah on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

They let Marty in with a real camera? In the days of yore, photography & recording was always prohibited. Have the rules become more lax because camera phones are so prevalent?

Posted by claire on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

Awesome review. Glad you had a good time. I'm also slightly miffed why they picked Jezebel over any number of songs with Martin on lead vocals.

Posted by Kevin Spencer on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

Lucky you. They're not coming near here on this tour and I can't be a groupie and follow them elsewhere.:P

Posted by Christine on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

I saw DM on the 101 tour in '88 & haven't had a chance to see them again. Thanks for sharing! Great pix, even if they were taken on the iPhone.

Posted by Tracy on August 26, 2009 | Reply

   

cool ;-)

Posted by whitenoise on August 27, 2009 | Reply

   

So umm... I got my first taste of the things you have to give up when you become a mom when one of our friends offered the Ninja and I free tickets to see Depeche Mode last week in Anaheim. You're one of the few people who can understand how difficult it was to swallow that pill, but when you have a two week old baby at home, that's how it goes.

Posted by The Bombshell on August 27, 2009 | Reply

   

No "Home"?? *sad*

I still can't believe they didn't come to Chicago. Maybe next tour.

Posted by kapgar on August 28, 2009 | Reply

   

Claire... point and shoot cameras were ok. It was DSLR and actual video cameras they were trying to keep out. None of us were searched beyond a simple peek inside my daughters purse.

Posted by martymankins on August 30, 2009 | Reply

   

I love their albums... I'm not big on most live shows, even of some of my most favorite artists. However, I loved DM's live dual disc set. They really do a great show and sound AWESOME.

Posted by whall on September 01, 2009 | Reply

   

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