I thought I would just close out this week with one last Depeche Mode bit, while I’m still on a concert high from their show this past Sunday. In a post last week, I took a picture with some of my Depeche Mode concert ticket stubs (original post here). Well, I decided to scan all of the ticket stubs that I could locate, which makes me a bit sad because I’m usually so diligent about keeping all of my ticket stubs. I’ve been to nine Depeche Mode tours (although I attended two shows of the Exciter Tour). Not pictured are my stubs for the Devotional Tour (November 16, 1993), Exciter Tour (August 11, 2001 and either August 14 or 15, 2001) and Touring the Angel (November 19th, 2005) ticket stubs. I also attended Dave Gahan’s Paper Monster tour and Recoil with Alan Wilder. I’ve only missed one tour ever, and that was the Tour of The Universe (August 14th, 2009), due to cancellation. I have the unused tickets for that tour as well, although it may be lost with the others.
Lastly, I’ve also included the very first newsletter I received when I joined Depeche Mode’s fan club, known back then as The Depeche Mode Info Service (I joined in 1986 and hand wrote the date on the newsletter). When a new member joined, you had to send six self-addressed stamped envelopes, and you were sent a simple tri-folded newsletter all about Depeche Mode. It then turned into a mini-magazine and other goodies would come with the subscription, such as post cards and flexi discs (as seen in my post here). I kept the subscription through the Violator album, then I stopped subscribing. But I do have the newsletter where the Info Service held a contest to change the name, and the final choice was the Bong Magazine (I’m unsure if it’s still being produced). It’s always fun to go back and look at those, because it was initially run by Dave Gahan’s then girlfriend and now ex-wife, Jo Bailey. Once their fan base grew, it then turned into the magazine format. I’m sure this shows you the depth of my love of Depeche Mode, but I’m sure you had no doubt about that, right?
I know I have other posts to put up of events that I’ve attended. Before I post those, I must indulge a little more in my love of Depeche Mode, as I have just seen them in concert over the weekend at The Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista through Live Nation. That long awaited night was more than worth the wait, because it has been eight years since I have seen them live. I went with my husband, my sister and her husband. We then met up with my best friend Janice, and friends Angi and Suzanne, and we all sat together on the lawn. Eileen, who saw Depeche Mode with me for the first time back in 1985, was also supposed to attend, but she couldn’t make it due to work obligations. When did we grow up? I also got to see my friends Shirley, Rene, Tifany and Merrick (he is pictured below in the third shot), and I want to say hi to Suki, Kirsten and Suzi, who I didn’t get to see, but I who I know were there. I love that so many people I know share the same love of such an influential band.
When we arrived at the gig, my sister and I left our men to “jump” the long line by making $10 donations each to the Sleep Train Foster Kids charity program. This allowed us to get some good real estate in front of the lawn area. Unfortunately, we happened to be right behind a speaker post, making picture capturing challenging, but still doable. Crystal Castles opened up, and my husband described them as Garbage, but darker. I can see why they toured with Depeche Mode, as they definitely are in the same genre of music. I’m afraid that I was way too anxious about Depeche Mode to fully pay attention, so I won’t attempt to review their performance. I’ll have to give them a listen when I’m off of my Depeche Mode high.
As it started to darken, I felt my anxiety rise. And the moment the lights went out and the first few notes and lights began to emerge, I leapt up from my seat and lunged forward. Everyone laughed as they have never seen me move so quickly. I think I scared my poor husband, thinking he had to save me from falling down to the walkway below. Although I knew I was in full control of all of my faculties, I felt my heart nearly beat out of its chest hearing my all time favorite band live again.
I enjoyed every second of this concert, because I am a fan in every sense of the word. I have loved this band for more than half my life, and I felt I have been with them through everything. I can assign a Depeche Mode song to every important event in my life and create a soundtrack that would describe the very essence of who I am, and where I have been. This is why I wanted my husband to attend this show with me because he is a part of the soundtrack of my life. If you ask my son who my favorite band is, he will tell you resoundingly that it is Depeche Mode. Their music has permeated every part of my existence, down to the name of my blog.
It really is difficult to choose any one favorite part, but if I was made to choose, I would say hearing But Not Tonight live was amazing (I think Janice enjoyed what we called the porn intro to Personal Jesus, and my sister enjoyed Black Celebration because of memories of the “curtain drop” and A Question of Time because Dave brought back his spinning from days of old). I have always enjoyed that song, specially the extended version, and I even bought the soundtrack to Modern Girls just because that song is in the movie. It really summed up everything I felt that night, because there wasn’t a night quite like that night.
My first concert was the Some Great Reward tour, and the evolution of their show is quite astounding. My husband and I watched The World We Live In And Live In Hamburg video cassette yesterday (yes, you read that right) and we just marveled at just how young they were, and I was when I saw them in concert so long ago. They played to half of The Sports Arena back then and it was sold out. Here they are now, larger than life, still selling out, but bigger venues. They sold out The Rose Bowl at their beginning of their ascend in 1988, and look at them 25 years later.
In reviews I have read, and opinions I have heard about the song choice, I feel like I should step in here and remind those who are more casual fans that I think omission of the incredibly popular older songs like People Are People, Strangelove, Everything Counts and Master and Servant were by design. Their song library is 23 albums deep. How can you possibly fit years of hits into a two-hour set without including your most current music? You can’t. If you have been along for the ride as long as I have, you would have heard songs live that you will never hear again, and I think that’s how it’s meant to be (check out my post about some of the shows I have attended and the set lists from those concerts to see what I mean). They’ve been around, they’ve played it all, and now they’re going to play what they want to, in the style they choose. Enjoy it while you can.
My husband said he enjoyed the concert because he got to hear his two favorite songs, Policy of Truth and Enjoy the Silence, but also because he has never attended a fully sold out show. During Never Let Me Down Again, he was stunned at the sheer volume of people following Dave Gahan, knowing exactly when to sway their arms (I explained this is because of the 101 concert). He truly was impressed, and was very glad we experienced this together. I have included the set list below from Setlist.fm, and also the video I recorded of But Not Tonight. I know this isn’t quite a concert review, but more of the experience of a true fan, expressing how happy I was to see my band. In the words of Martin Gore, I felt like I was home.
The week has arrived where I can now count down the days to when I will see Depeche Mode in concert. I feel like it’s been ages since I saw them live, and that’s only because they had to cancel their San Diego date back in 2009 due to Dave Gahan’s strained throat. Although the following year meant that I got to meet Alan Wilder (posts here and here), I still longed to see my all time favorite band in concert. In “preparation” for the concert, I have surrounded myself with everything Depeche Mode. Delta Machine has only left my car CD player a few times to listen to First Wave on Sirius XM and Cy Curnin’s latest album. Currently I have Violator playing, and I’m probably going to pop in Black Celebration, Some Great Reward, or a greatest hits album at some point this week. Even as I type this, the excitement is rising in me, higher and higher. I’m sure there’s no doubt about my fandom (most of my post titles are either songs or lyrics of Depeche Mode songs). Still, I’m just going indulge myself a little more until Sunday and put up this gratuitous post about my love for Depeche Mode. How much do I love the boys from Basildon? It’s all in the name…of my blog!
One of my favorite dresses by Idil Vice (original outfit post here). You can purchase your own from Idil Vice here!
I entered a contest on KROQ recently to win tickets for one of their sold out LA shows. Contestants had to prove their fandom by submitting photos with old ticket stubs, the older the better! I’m holding a few Depeche Mode ticket stubs from concerts I attended over the years, and below is a close up of the oldest one. Check out the date: April 1, 1985. In the picture above, I’m wearing the shirt I bought at that concert.
This is one of two Depeche Mode shirts I bought for our son. Soon, my husband will have one, too!
These last few pictures are tidbits from my personal collection. This is the “Live at Crocs” on 12 inch vinyl.
“Dreaming of Me” 7 inch single.
“A Broken Frame”, the full album on vinyl.
“The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg” on VHS.
“Strange” and “Strange Too” on VHS; “Strangelove” 7 and 12 inch; “A Strange Hour in Budapest” on DVD and USB.
As mentioned in my post about Richard Blade last week, we ventured to Anaheim to take Dominic to the Disneyland Resort, which was a present from his grandmother. We did go to Disneyland, but I think we will have to go back when we can spend one entire day at each park, rather than trying to split the time between the two. When Dominic was two, we took him to The Cars 2 Experience (post here), so it was fitting that he wanted to stay in “Radiator Springs” (Cars Land) at California Adventure the entire time. Additionally, it was over 100 degrees the weekend we went, which really made us feel like we wanted to restrict our movement. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Disneyland in that kind of heat ever in my life, even when I went to Disney World back in 2003 during Spring Break when it was humid. One good thing about going when we did was there was never a queue time longer than 30 minutes on anything. To give you an idea of just how easy the crowds were, we were able to get on Pirates of The Caribbean in less than 15 minutes. Not once in my history of going to Disneyland have I queued less than two hours for that ride!
Despite the heat, we had a wonderful time, especially in Cars Land. It was just like walking into the movie, and I fell in love with that place the more we walked around. At dusk, we hurried back to there because a co-worker had informed me that they bring up the neon lights, just like they do in the movie Cars. Like clockwork, right when the sun started to set, Sh-Boom by The Chords came on loudly on the streets of Radiator Springs, and all of the neon lights come on exactly like the movie. Dominic literally jumped out of his own skin when he heard the song, and rushed toward the middle of the street to see all of the lights come on. Cars Land is a must if you are visiting the Disneyland Resort. Seeing Dominic’s reaction, I will have to follow my parents lead and take him there as often as they took me and my sister. Hope you had a great weekend!
I absolutely adored the Cozy Cone. All of the food and drinks came in something cone-shaped!
We met Lightning McQueen, then Mater!
The best ride in Cars Land is Radiator Springs Racers. Scenes from the movie were placed directly into this ride. It was simply amazing!
We ate lunch at Flo’s, which had a wonderful view of the Radiator Springs Racers. We will have to go back and have their “Ugly Crust” pies.
I have been going to Disneyland since before I was born (I’ll have to find the pictures of my pregnant mother at a 1970’s Disneyland). Now, here I am with my own family!
I have always loved Mr. Toad’s Wild ride because there are cars with my name on them!
When we returned to California Adventure, Deon and I rode California Screamin’, then we all rode Toy Story Midway Mania. It was the closest thing to being in a video game!
These last two pictures are of Cars Land at dusk. The video below is from YouTube, showing the neon lights as they come on, with Sh-Boom in the background. Incredibly cool!
I’ve been incredibly busy lately, so I’m playing catch up with some events that have happened over the past few weeks. Recently, my sister and I attended a “Cupping” session with a local coffee company called Mostra Coffee. Since the location of the session was in the Rancho Bernardo area, it was easy for my sister to meet up with me prior to her going to work. I wasn’t sure what to expect, except that maybe it would be like a wine tasting, but with coffee. What we got was a fabulous coffee experience. I discovered Mostra Coffee through their Instagram account, and learned about the cupping session on their Facebook page. The pictures below tell the story of our experience, and if you’re a coffee fanatic like me, the Mostra Coffee cupping session is a must. Have a great weekend!
We all start off with the ground coffee first, smelling the coffee to distinguish the different aromas.
Hot water is added to each bowl, and we “slurp” the coffee to see if it brings out more aromas or other flavors.
This is a flavor wheel. It helps those of us who are novices to coffee tasting (like moi).
After trying the coffee hot, we then were able to try to their “cold brews”, which surprisingly altered the taste and brought out even more flavors. I loved the Guatemala because it was deep and rich like a French Roast.
After the tasting, we were treated to a siphoning demonstration by Mike, master roaster.
The coffee used for the siphoning was the Guatemala beans, and it was blended with a wonderful Teavana tea called Toasted Nut Brulee. After adding a bit of cream to this blend, it tasted like dessert!
The cupping session took place at the Abnormal Wine Company in Rancho Bernardo, right next to where I work and across the street from where my sister lives. If you would like to attend a cupping session by Mostra Coffee, you can do so by checking out their Facebook page and you can also find out about their events by going to their official site. FYI – this is a Filipino owned company, and they hope to introduce coffee beans grown in the Philippines!
Just a quick little post about one of the nights during our trip to Anaheim last weekend. My mother-in-law purchased tickets for us to go to the Disneyland Resort, which included a park hopper between Disneyland and California Adventure and marked Dominic’s first time at Disneyland. But before we ventured into the lands of Disney, Deon’s mom watched Dominic while we snuck in a date night by dancing the night away with none other than DJ extraordinaire, Richard Blade! My 80’s bucket list definitely included seeing Mr. Blade deejay live at some point, and it just so happened he was hosting a New Wave Dance Party at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney last Friday. Richard is such a nice guy, and even played Joy Division for me because of my shirt! More pictures of our trip to come!
This photo is from Richard Blade’s official Facebook page. If you enlarge the picture, you can see me and Deon on the upper left hand side (Deon is wearing a hat).
This is Larry & it was his birthday. Needless to say, it was a quite the blurry evening because I forgot about this picture. I found it on my phone, sent by my hubby!
Just a little shot of part of what I wore (other than my Joy Division shirt): My new studded bomber jacket and mid-rings from SwayChic (the Recoil ring is by Suki Bijoux). Nail polish is Fuzzy Coat by Sally Hansen in “All Yarned Up”.
This month is brimming to the rim with news from and about all the Fashion Weeks happening around the globe. Locally, San Diego has it’s own Fashion Week, which starts September 30th and runs until October 6th. All of the details can be found at the official site, Fashion Week SD, where you can purchase tickets to support San Diego’s emerging designers. I’ll be attending all of the runway shows, along with many of my fellow San Diego Style Bloggers. Paulina Mo, of Lil Bits of Chic and founder of San Diego Style Bloggers, has a fantastic contest on her blog. In addition to her awesome coverage of the press preview of the designers that will be showcased during FWSD, she has been given two tickets to give away! If you are local to San Diego and would like a chance to win tickets to FWSD, please visit her blog at the link below. Good luck and hope you had a great weekend!
New York Fashion Week kicked off yesterday, launching a frenzy of fashion at every turn. If you are a fashion enthusiast, you know the Spring 2014 collections will be showcased during this time, but I’m ready to beat this heat and start thinking about fall!
Fashion Valley will be hosting a wonderful fall fashion event on September 19, 2013 called “Fashion in the Valley”, which will be from 6pm-8pm at the Macy’s Center Court. Enjoy some bubbly while watching fall trends from stores like Ted Baker London, Tous, The Limited, Tommy Hilfiger, Banana Republic, Stuart Weitzman, White House | Black Market and many others. Fashion Valley is also partnering with Hard Rock Hotel San Diego and Father Joe’s Villages to give back through the COMPASSION ROCKS Clothing Drive, which benefits the homeless residents of Father Joe’s Villages. This campaign kicks off on Thursday, September 12, 2013 and runs through Thursday, September 26, 2013. Donation barrels will be available at Fashion Valley and will be located at Old Navy and at the Guest Services booth throughout the duration of the clothing drive.
If you are one of the first 50 attendees who donate new or gently used clothing for the COMPASSION ROCKS Clothing Drive on the night of September 19th, you can grab a front row seat at the fashion show (one per donor)! Additionally, the first 200 attendees will be treated to swag bags filled with discounts, coupons and other Fashion Valley goodies.
I’ll be there, and I hope to see you there as well as Fashion Valley begins their season of giving back…in style!
This is the outfit I wore for my 25th high school reunion, covered in the previous post. I fell in love with this Made Fashion Week for Impulse dress when I saw it online on Macy’s site. I actually bought it in Las Vegas, as I couldn’t find it out here in San Diego. I immediately got a retro vibe from this dress, reminding me of my checked Vans back in the 80’s. The faux pan-collar and pockets sealed the deal, and I bought the dress straight away. I paired it with my fuchsia pumps for a pop of color and my new clear studded vegan purse.
Chequered Past was a group led by Michael Des Barres back in the 80’s. They toured with Duran Duran during the tour I went to, but I can’t recall if I saw them. However, The Power Station did tour back in 1985, so I did have the pleasure of seeing Michael Des Barres perform live.
Outfit – Made Fashion Week for Impulse Check-Print A-Line Dress from Macy’s; Imoshion “Robin” vegan studded handbag from Bubbles Boutique; Mossimo pumps from Target; London Underground cuff c/o designHype; Rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Michael Kors watch; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA
Nail Polish: Color Show “Clearly Spotted” by Maybelline
It’s hard to believe I just recently had my high school reunion…and that it was 25 years since I graduated! It was a fun-filled weekend, beginning with part one at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in La Jolla on Saturday August 17th. Part two was a family picnic held at Glorietta Bay Park in Coronado the following day. I was on the committee for our 10 year reunion, so I thought it would be fun to be a part of the 25th one (the 10 year reunion was larger and at the US Grant). We did have a smaller more intimate 20 year reunion back in 2008, but my husband and I were unable to attend because we were in London at that time. Our 25th year also marked the 50th year anniversary of our school, Samuel F.B. Morse High School, “Home of The Tigers”! It was fantastic to see old friends and classmates again. Someone mentioned that although we didn’t get together that much in person, we can remain somewhat up to date with each other’s lives because of social media, especially Facebook. I’m also glad to see that the reunion spirits didn’t stop that weekend, as many of my Tiger buddies are getting together and hanging out again. These are just a few of the many pictures taken that weekend, and if you are a class of 1988 Tiger reading this or know someone who is, we have a Facebook page where you can catch up with other fellow Tigers, and see additional pictures. Hope you had a great weekend!
Treasures from our time capsule. I’d like to take credit for adding the Depeche Mode cassette tapes, but that’s not my writing. But that is me in the yearbook picture above. I was the layout editor. I guess things haven’t changed that much!
Our class president, Nancy Cawley (formerly Rabelas), introducing the committee.
The reunion committee. Lots of hard work was put in by my fellow Tigers!
Lots-o-photos of the night!
Tigers who couldn’t make it due to distance or other obligations could join in the fun via our live stream (that’s Romeo Cruz, who chatted with some of our classmates). We had it aimed at the dance floor. Oh how I love technology!
Music for the evening was provided by 3-Style Attraction DJ’s. They played Depeche Mode and New Order, as requested. Thanks James and Ray!
If you watch professional football, you will know this fellow Morse 1988 alumni. If you don’t, this is Lincoln Kennedy, formerly of the Atlantic Falcons and more notably of the Oakland Raiders. He was on the Raiders team that played the Superbowl here in San Diego against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This is Roger Bradley, my prom date back in 1988. We thought it would be fun to pose together again. We matched much better back in 1988!
My prom date for life. This picture was taken by Angie Benedicto.
Pictures from the picnic the following day. We brought my niece Mei-Lin to join in on the fun with Dominic.
The kids had lots of fun activities like a scavenger hunt, water guns, and tattoo art!
My hubby said, “I want to play golf over there…” And so he did!
Black Celebration Tour 1986
The Delta Machine Tour 2013
