Now that the phone and internet situation has been corrected at home (I bumped into the AT&T guy on the way to work), I feel whole again. This is when I wonder, “What did we ever do before the internet?” But I digress…
I’ve been really thinking about what my favorite Depeche Mode shows have been. Most of my favorites were when they were still four members in the band, and the most recent have been the solo tours. All images of tour programmes are from depmod.com (see the “Listen to This” blogroll), one of the most comprehensive Depeche Mode discography/collectors sites I’ve ever come across. Ever since I’ve been on the internet, they are my source for everything Depeche Mode (other than the official site). If you are anywhere near a Depeche Mode fan, you must check out depmod.com. Your socks will be knocked off. Plus if you’re like me, you will truly realize there is a lot more that you don’t have in your collection. Also, all dates listed are for the concert date I attended in San Diego.
Note: I have the set lists from every concert I’ve seen up until the Devotional Tour because I would religiously write down every song during the concert. This is why I’ve included the set lists for the first three of my favorite concerts. I have since stopped doing that because I can no longer see that well in the dark, and I’m just plain lazy. It’s amazing what you have the tolerance for in your teens to your early 20’s. The only list I am unsure of the order (with the exception of the encore songs) is the Some Great Reward Tour.
Some Great Reward Tour – April 1, 1985
I have mentioned previously that this was the first concert I had seen by Depeche Mode, and have since discovered that it was their first appearance in San Diego. I truly feel blessed to have seen this concert knowing that information. A couple of funny notes about this show: my friend Eileen and I had not purchased any of their albums yet prior to this show, so we thought “See You” was “Sing You” and “Boys Say Go” was “DE-PECHE MODE!”. I’m pretty sure we sounded absolutely silly to all the die-hard fans around us, but hey, we were 15-years-old at the time. Needless to say we each got our parents to purchase all of their previously released albums so that we can catch up. I think Depeche Mode knew there were many of us out there who were in the same boat because the album “Catching Up With Depeche Mode” soon followed.
I am forever glad that we went to the SGR tour because we got to hear songs live that I never heard again in concert, as you can see by the set list.
Set list:
Master and Servant (instrumental intro)
Something to Do
Two Minute Warning
Puppets
If You Want
People Are People
Leave in Silence
New Life
Shame
Somebody
Ice Machine
Lie to Me
Blasphemous Rumours
Told You So
Master and Servant
Photographic
Everything Counts
See You
Boys Say Go
The Meaning of Love
Encores:
Shout!
Just Can’t Get Enough
Black Celebration Tour – July 11, 1986
This was the tour where we followed the tour bus from the Sports Arena to the…wait for it…Travelodge across the street. I’m sure they have upgraded their hotel stays since those days, but that’s where they were back in 1986. I have pictures of their tour bus, which was the closest I ever got to any member of Depeche Mode until I got to meet Alan Wilder last week. I also remember the first song and the lasting effect of the dropped curtain. It was “Black Celebration” and if you are familiar with the song, you know that the song starts off very slow. During this slow beginning, the curtains were still up, so we only saw shadows of the band behind it. When the lyrics “I look to you…” were sung with music in full force behind it, the curtain dropped and the band was revealed to a screaming crowd. I still feel the crescendo between the first note to the dropping of the curtain to this day.
I also really enjoyed seeing Book of Love live, who opened for Depeche Mode for the US leg of the tour (I am unsure if they opened up for any other shows). Their self-titled album was a staple in my CD player for months after seeing them live.
Set List:
Christmas Island
Black Celebration
A Question of Time
Fly on the Windscreen
Shake the Disease
Leave in Silence
It’s Called a Heart
Everything Counts
A Question of Lust
Blasphemous Rumors
New Dress
Stripped
Something to Do
Master and Servant
Photographic
People are People
Encores:
Boys Say Go
Just Can’t Get Enough
More Than a Party
World Violation Tour – July 28, 1990
Of the three dates they were here for this tour, I only went to the first show (a friend of mine went to two dates). Another bonus was that I won tickets to the show and sold the tickets that I bought before. I also recall someone saying that they went to the Fashion Valley Mall and saw Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher shopping one of the days they were here. Depeche Mode, shopping? In my city? Where was I when this was happening?
Shocking that I didn’t pick the Music for the Masses as one of my favorite tours, and it’s only because of the sad memories of not going to the Rose Bowl concert (still a very sore spot for me). Truly, I liked this concert because it is one of my all time favorite albums. I also really loved the images of the band dressed as cowboys and that some of those images were actually funny in nature. The highlight of the show was seeing “World in my Eyes” and “Halo” live.
I’ve always regarded Depeche Mode as “my band” because I didn’t follow the crowd when I discovered them (like Duran Duran). I felt for a long time like they were my little discovery, and would share them when I decided to. But after the Wherehouse store incident, there was no escaping that the boys were on the map, and three sold out shows in San Diego just proved to everyone that Depeche Mode were no longer some obscure band. They were on the charts and violating the world, in a city near you.
Set List:
World in My Eyes
Halo
Shake the Disease
Everything Counts
Master and Servant
Never Let Me Down Again
Waiting for the Night
I Want You Now
World Full of Nothing
Clean
Stripped
Policy of Truth
Enjoy the Silence
Strangelove
Personal Jesus
Encores:
Black Celebration
Question of Time
Behind the Wheel
Route 66
The Singles Tour – December 15, 1998
Because I did not go to the Exotic Tour or the Ultra Parties (neither came to San Diego, but I should have gone to the Irvine Meadows show), the first concert I went to where I saw the band as three was the Singles Tour. I went with my friend Angi, and we had a hard time in the beginning of the show with a few guys behind us who just kept chanting like it was a soccer game. They finally stopped a few songs in, which was such a relief.
I have to say I was quite apprehensive seeing the band live without Alan Wilder. For years he was my favorite, and after five concerts, you get used to looking forward to seeing him with the rest of the guys. But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself and was looking forward to more Depeche Mode albums and tours with the three left. Alan kept putting out Recoil music, so at least he was still around, even if he wasn’t with them. I really missed not seeing Depeche Mode live. It had been five years since the Devotional Tour, so this was a welcome sight.
Paper Monsters Tour, David Gahan – August 21, 2003
My sister and I went to this concert not knowing exactly what to expect. I think it’s because it was Depeche Mode’s front man, the voice of the band, on tour without anyone else that we recognize. How could Dave be up there withtout Martin or Fletch? No matter how we felt about a tour without his band mates, we would not miss this for the world.
I liked the single “Dirty Sticky Floors” and thought the rest of the album was pretty good. I knew that Dave would definitely infuse Depeche Mode songs in there, so we were not surprised when he closed with a song or two. I just remember my jaw dropping when he sang a bit from a song that I have always thought he would be great at because his voice is so similar to Ian McCulloch, which is “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo and the Bunnymen. When the words came out of Dave’s mouth, my sister and I looked at each other in disbelief. Easily the highlight of the show for me.
A Strange Hour, Recoil – October 23, 2010
Of course I would pick this as a favorite show, simply because it had been 17 years since I have seen Alan Wilder live with Depeche Mode, or live at all. If you’ve seen my “Strange Hours” post, you will know exactly how I felt about the concert and the whole experience of meeting him, so I won’t repeat it all here again (just click the link for my post on Anthology’s blog). Suffice it to say that sitting in a club with my sister watching Alan Wilder in a very intimate setting has made up for the fact that the Tour of the Universe concert date was canceled last year in San Diego. Hands down.
I hope you enjoyed this portion of “My Favorite Mode”. After this weekend, I will post my favorite B-Sides and rarities, then a list of my all time favorite Depeche Mode songs. I just haven’t decided how long the list will be yet!
