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Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
With over a quarter century having passed since its earliest hits, Depeche Mode is an act with cross-generational appeal. So when the houselights dimmed to signal the start of last night's show at Nissan Pavilion, fortysomethings, college students, and 10-year olds alike rose to their feet. A band doesn't achieve that kind of staying power on luck alone, it has to be doing something right. In this latest iteration of Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe, the electro-pop icons marched through a set list that mixed new material with decades old classics, and pulsating electronic beats with gentle ballads. Yes, the boys from across the pond still have it.
Vocalist Dave Gahan is still one of music's best frontmen and is every bit the rockstar he was twenty years ago. Looking stylish in a sharply tailored black suit, parts of which seemed to disappear over the course of the night to reveal his many tattoos, he twirled and pranced around the stage with his voice in fine form. Not to be outdone in the wardrobe department, Martin Gore, the band's otherwise brooding chief songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist, wore a shining silver lamet suit. Founding member Andrew Fletcher ceded the spotlight to his mates, content to remain behind a deck of keyboards. Drummer Christian Eigner and keyboardist Pete Gordeno rounded out the ensemble. The stage set up included a massive rear screen, which alternated between colorfully doctored live shots and surrealistic film footage in keeping with the music's introspective themes.
As the band took the stage, the scrimmed backdrop shifted to a searing white, accompanied by the intro chords to "In Chains", the opening track to Depeche Mode's latest release, Sounds of the Universe. This began a trio of songs off the album, which included "Wrong" and "Hole to Feed". The new material was in-line with the band's trademark sound. But live, the songs had a heavier feel that depended more on guitar and drums than synthesized gadgetry. The only other visit to Sounds was "Little Soul", which, along with "Home", put Gore at center stage in an intimate piano/vocals duo setting that showcased his impressive singing.
Other than this brief interlude, the remainder of the set was energetic and stretched across the band's entire catalog. Highlight's included "Precious", off of 2005's excellent Playing the Angel, 80s B-side "Fly on the Windscreen", and "I Feel You" was a vehicle for drummer Eigner's muscular groove. Of course, the program included hits like "Policy of Truth" and "Enjoy the Silence", though the band surprisingly chose to close its main set with "Never Let Me Down Again", an underrated tune that was only a moderate hit in its day.
In its two encores, the band gave the audience more of what it wanted, playing "Master and Servant", "Strangelove", and "Personal Jesus". The evening ended on a soft note, with Gahan and Gore sharing vocal duties on "Waiting for the Night".
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Any word on Peter Bjorn and John's opening prowess?
Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of getting to Nissan Pavilion, I caught only the last tune of the opening set. But what I heard sounded good.
Fifth, and best time I've seen DM live. The new album has got tons of energy and bombast...the live show really reflected that. Great to know they can still rock the old stuff too (and the girl/girl soft porn on the video screen behind them during "Strangelove" didn't hurt the show's appeal!). "I Feel You" was just phenomenal...brought the house down. I leaned over to my buddy and said (okay, screamed), "I can feel that kick drum in my arm hair". Sidenote: I feel a little slighted by iTunes, since my copy of the new album didn't contain "In Chains"...but whatever. Was a killer show.
The 14thandyous were there, and it was indeed an awesome show. You'd never guess these guys have been around for as long as they have--truly one of the best live acts around. And yes, I Feel You rocked hard.
I loved "Policy of Truth."
PB&J were very underwhelming to me. I only heard the first part of the set and it was all new stuff and nothing really stood out musically.
They just announced a show at 9:30 for later in the year, so you can catch them then if you want (PB&J).
Right there with ya, Kyle. "Policy" was another absolutely killer performance. Great shots of the show, by the way!
Dang, I really, really wanted to see DM live again. Like DJ Jesus Loves Lucy, I've seen them at least 4 times and isn't the last time ALWAYS the best?!? I didn't go, because between a weeknight and Nissan Pavilion, it seemed like a big bucket of fail. And I'm getting too old to handle fail well.
I'll just bask in your afterglow, DM showgoers.
"I've seen them at least 4 times and isn't the last time ALWAYS the best?!?"
So true. This was my sixth time seeing them, and after every performance I think "wow, that was the best they've ever sounded."
Fantastic band, fantastic show.
Not always...the last time I saw them, on the Faith and Devotion tour in the early 90s, Gahan was between rehab stints, and was pretty clearly strung out on stage...it bordered on scary, and was really depressing (I know, DM's depressing anyway). After seeing him at this show, I'd guess he's been clean for a while now, because he was on his game.
For a band that's verging on geriatric, they're still amazing.
Dude, they're all the same age as Cheryl Crowe, Marcia Cross and Gina Gershon. Are they geriatric? But I get it, still out there, still AMAZING.
Cheryl Crowe is a great-grandmother now, but she still looks amazing! I hope they keep it up. They still have a long way to go before they reach Rolling Stones status. Those guys all died in the early 70's, but the technology of that era was impressive enough that they were all mechanically reanimated well enough to fool several generations.
I haven't seen DM since '88 when they played in Merriweather Post with OMD opening and haven't really been all that big of a fan of anything since (sure, 'Personal Jesus' and 'Enjoy the Silence' got heavy play on my walkman back in college, but those songs haven't really held up for me...). I guess that's why I'm amazed to hear that their live set is so rockin' because back then, the music was so much more synth-heavy (which was still filled with energy, just not 'rockin' energy).
Did they play anything older than 'Master and Servant'? They had to have played 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'Everything Counts' right?
"Did they play anything older than 'Master and Servant'? They had to have played 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'Everything Counts' right?"
Nope, Master and Servant was the oldest song in the set. Other than that, the set was pretty evenly spread out among their albums from 1986 onwards.
Their live sound has changed a lot (for the better, I submit) over the last 15 years or so. The addition of a live drummer helps things a lot, and Martin Gore is pretty much a full-time guitarist anymore, with a couple of exceptions here and there. Their albums are still very much synth-heavy though.
"The addition of a live drummer helps things a lot, and Martin Gore is pretty much a full-time guitarist anymore..."
That's absolutely correct...in the 80s (think Black Celebration/Music for the Masses and before), everyone in the band except Dave Gahan basically hid behind keyboards for the whole show...was still great, but very different. Now that they've added the (completely kickass) live drummer and now that Gore's spending so much time out front on guitar, it brings a much harder edge to the show, which amps up the energy exponentially (see again, "I Feel You" from the Tuesday night show).
This was the 2nd time i have seen DM live and i dont think any show could top this one!!! Loved it wished i could've been a little closer to the stage but the play list was incredible could not beleive they sang master and servent and waiting for the night .... SWEET!!!!!!!
This was the 5th time I've seen DM! This was one of the best shows I've seen...loved the set! Awesome that they can still rock it as always!!!!!!
I've been a DM fan since '84ish with my first show at the Warner Theater. The entire show was completely mind blowing - as always. However, to be greedy - despite the 5 songs dual encores - I really wished they would have stuck to their roots and closed with 'Photographic', 'Just Can't Get Enough', and 'Everything Counts'.
Perhaps it was best that they didn't. Had that happened, my head would have completely exploded.
this was my 3rd time seeing DM, it was rockin, but the best time was the first time I saw them in 2000...on the Exciter tour at Merriweather Post. Quite possibly the best show I've ever seen by any musician.
Sriram: Very nice review, except for your comment:
"...though the band surprisingly chose to close its main set with "Never Let Me Down Again", an underrated tune that was only a moderate hit in its day."
Those of us who are familiar with this amazing band--my favorite of all time (ahem, this was my TENTH time I've seen 'em--I beat you ALL, hehe!)-- know that this is a signature concert closer (or encore) for DM. It carries beautifully live, with David each time leading the crowd to the arm-wave motion in dance-beat time at the end, giving an electric effect as the lighting brightens the audience in this unison wave. It's my favorite part of every show!! :)