LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, STADTHALLE, VIENNA, 4 FEBRUARY 2018

This review is by Thomas Wargocki from Vienna. Thomas runs the Austrian Depeche Mode fansite Depeche Mode AT  on Facebook, a site I'd highly recommend. Following his hometown show on 4 February, Thomas was struck down with the flu, a fate that has befallen a number of reviewers. I assure you that it's not a side effect of writing for this blog. Anyway, happily Thomas is now better and here is his excellent Vienna review. All pictures are from the Black Cat Net site. I've used some of Dani's pictures previously on this project. If you haven't checked out her work, do that once you've read Thomas' review - she's got some sensational pictures of this tour and many other artists' shows.

Four years after their last visit, the British synth pop kings Depeche Mode shone in a full to the brim Viennese town hall with a set stacked more than three decades of band history. Dave proved impressively at 55 that with his intense voice and impeccable stage presence, that he is one of the best front men in the world. 

In the indoor of their almost two-year long "Global Spirit Tour" , they finally visit  Vienna - almost to the day exactly four years after their last gig here. A return visit here by the British there is long overdue. Depeche Mode have always been good to Austria and thousands of Austrians are good to their favorite band. The organizers were able to hang the "sold out" sign out weeks before the concert at the Wiener Stadthalle. An unmistakable sign that Dave Gahan and Co. have lost none of their paralyzing fascination even after 38 years of  their career. 

Perfect Entertainment 

With their last studio album Spirit, released in March 2017, the band went on the offensive and articulated unexpectedly politically views. Precarious times require special measures - it's therefore a pity that hardly anything from the album can be seen on this tour. Only three songs of this strong work remain in the setlist this evening. The single Where's The Revolution clearly stands out due to the theatrical gestures by Dave. Resist and defend the beginnings. Do not like anything. Do not let yourself be crushed. The message arrives, but evaporates in the wake of enthusiasm. 

And how well Dave does this job! One may not think it possible that the constantly pirouetting dancer on the stage front is 55 years old, so light-footed and nonchalant  as he whirls from one corner to the other, without getting short of breath. Behind him, the Austrian export Christian Eigner drills precisely like clockwork on his drums. To the left of him,  Andy is sometimes a bit lost behind his keyboard. On his right, Martin Gore with urgent guitar melodies acting as the backdrop for the hedonistic Sunday Mass. Songs like Barrel Of A Gun, Everything Counts or World In My Eyes are the sound of a band unmistakably sticking to its best decades, yet the anthems from the early days create an atmosphere of pleasant timelessness. The examination of the past is intensified by an unusually powerful and compact sound, which unfortunately is far too rare to hear in Vienna's largest concert indoor location. 

Applying the brake

Even though the stage is no place for speeches, Dave thanks the audience again and again to the cheering delight of the fans. He conducts the crowd from the front of the stage and then again from in front of the gigantic video wall. He is quite the ringleader - much more so than he was 30 years ago. Before the big hits come, the band romp through the first half of the set with a colourful potpourri of their most diverse tracks. For example, there's the heavy Going Backwards for the opener, the intense and outstanding Precious and the industrially cool A Pain That I'm Used To. The only significant weakness in the evening is the unintentional destruction of the arc of suspense. Following the terrific Cover Me with Martin's acoustic Insight slows the show down too much.

The same thing happens towards the end of the set. With Stripped, Enjoy The Silence and Never Let Me Down Again, the boys fire three of their greatest hits one after the other into the hall and provide a euphoria. Even if, instead of the ultimate more than two hour concert, the band had ended the set here, it would have been a fitting finale. The acoustic Strangelove, sung by Martin, in as unnecessary dampener, starting off the encore slowly. Even with Walking In My Shoes, A Question Of Time and the final Personal Jesus following it, the sets fails to ignite once more into a rousing finish. However, no-one is dissatisfied or disgruntled tonight. A Depeche Mode gig is still high class entertainment on the verge of perfection and that can only be said of a very few bands in the Champions League of touring bands today.

Hopefully see you next time!!!!

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Thank you Thomas.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ARENA RIGA, RIGA, 20 FEBRUARY 2018

Alan Lines returns to reviewing duties following his Vancouver review from October. He's certainly managed to catch a good number of gigs on this tour. His latest one was Riga on 20 February and here is his review. As you'll see, the crowd in the seated part of the arena were subdued to say the least, but Alan made the most of it. Thank you very much for another great review Alan and thanks to Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group for letting me use pictures again.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Hello fellow Devotees! I’m writing this on our way by coach to Vilnius after another great night of modeness in the beautiful town of Riga. This is our ninth concert of the tour and my second review.

We arrived in town on Sunday and the build up was really good, lots of DM fans in town and we had a lot of fun in the DM bar too. There appeared to be a good showing from the UK, Germany and especially next door Lithuania. I have to say up front we were a little concerned after the 2014 concert here that the atmosphere would not be good but we had front row seats in a good sector. Our days of getting to the venue at 5 and queuing are long gone, we just love to get reasonably good seats and immerse ourselves in the whole night. So after a few beers in the DM bar we headed off to the venue arriving at 8.15 to find ourselves sat among some very sombre looking people. No matter my black nail varnish and feather man hat will liven them up. Water aid advert tension builds. Luckily none of my workmates will read this because by this time I always have goose bumps!!!

Mr Black Feather Hat and Black Nail Varnish Man aka Alan

8.45 prompt and the Beatles intro kicks us off.  (I’ve even got goose bumps writing this!). The first couple of tracks whizzed by and were well received by the standing audience. I’m no music critic but at this point I realised what a totally professional band DM are. Aside from the hardcore standing, they were getting nothing back from the rest of the arena and still Dave in particular worked his magic, encouraging the crowd at every opportunity. Barrel Of A Gun was a highlight -  I just love that ending. Fanzone started to get really good from that poiunt but from where we were just can’t say anything more than the band were spot on until things moved to the next level with Cover Me.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

"WILL YA?" -  YEEEEESSS. Dave looking good on the catwalk. Was it me or was Birthday boy Peter spending a little more time up front today? Felt like his sound was turned down a little today so less booming and I particularly enjoyed Christian’s drumming. Martin time, as my kids would say he was "totes amaze." I, however, would say mesmerising and very much appreciated by the crowd. A little go at a sing along and then a deafening roar from the crowd when Dave introduced the group one by one. In Your Room and I’m singing at the top of my voice (hang on said my, wife youve been doing that all night!) Martin's vocals during In Your Room.... oh those goose bumps again. Where's The Revolution wasn’t recognised by many at the start but Dave soon got everyone going.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Everything Counts -  sorry purists but who doesn’t love that new intro. Finally I explode and jump up and start dancing but am firmly put back down on my seat (as in 2014).  Martin now bouncing around a fair bit and good hands from Fletch as the concert powers on to the Never Let Me Down Again finale. Lots of hands and as the band walks off, the roof nearly comes off!

Encore, nice rendition of I Want You Now and then the classic Walking In My Shoes. I can now take no more and join a small group standing in the aisle for a maximum effort A Question Of Time from Dave and a rousing Personal Jesus from all the group. And then finally at last, a happy birthday sing a long for Peter and much waving to the crowd from the group, particularly from Andy as they leave the stage. 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

As always still on a high after the concert when we meet up for a post match beer with our good friends Marius and Vaiva who came over from Vilnius. Sorry everyone if this reads badly or seems over critical. I’m writing this on the coach relying on David’s spell checking and sitting at a DM concert in Riga really is a different experience.

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Thanks Alan

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, HARTWALL ARENA, HELSINKI, 18 FEBRUARY 2018

Today's review is an absolute cracker. Steav Hunt tells us all about reserved Finns, making Depeche logos in ice, eating elk and, oh yes, Depeche Mode. As you'll see, Steav is a long terms Depeche fan and I'm already jealous that he saw them back in 1982. I fully agree with Steav's views about travelling to see Depeche Mode. I'm so glad that I've done that on the last couple of tours as itr's been a great experience and it's also allowed me to hassle bemused fans with blog business cards. Anyway, thanks very much Steav for the great review and for the photos.

First of all, let me thank David for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Almost Predictable Almost blog. To have reviews of every DM gig on the Global Spirit Tour is quite an ambition and I’m honoured to a part of it.

Now, this is quite a coincidence. I was 19 years old when I first saw DM at a gig in Hanley, Stoke on Trent, UK on the See You tour. The date was 18th February 1982. Exactly 36 years later I’m off to Helsinki to see them on 18 February 2018!!!

I’m now married and luckily for me Marie is just as big a fan as myself. She doesn't pass up the opportunity to shout filth at Dave :-)

For us, this will be the eighth gig on the Global Spirit Tour, and the very first time we have visited a Scandinavian country. Marie has been looking at the weather forecast and decided to purchase various items of thermal clothing. In the UK we very rarely have temperatures below -5. Forecast for Helsinki is -10.

We have been rained on at London Stadium, and experienced a storm at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, so a bit of cold wont put us off.

I have to say that if any devotee from the UK hasn’t experienced a DM gig in another country, please please make the effort. Travelling in Europe is a lot easier and cheaper than the UK, and you get to meet some fantastic people.

We departed Manchester Airport on Saturday 17th Feb for a direct flight to Helsinki. Coming into land at the airport all I could see was a beautiful white landscape stretching out for miles and miles. Helsinki airport is a big modern affair, with ‘Retail Opportunities’ at every turn. Once through passport control we found our way to the railway station which is between terminal 1 and 2. Trains run every 20 mins or so directly into the city centre.

Our hotel was 5 mins walk from the rail station, so we went to check in before heading out for something to eat.

Helsinki is a beautiful city and I think well worth a visit even if DM aren’t playing. We will certainly be going back. There are excellent restaurants, and despite what we had read, it is possible to eat cheaply. Beer on the other hand……………. Is excellent but NOT cheap. 

Another plus (especially for British tourists) is that everyone speaks English, and I think, Swedish in addition to their native language. 

Saturday night we dined upon Reindeer and Elk. It had to be done :-)

Sunday morning (after some confusion as Finland is two hours in front of the UK) we set out and did loads of tourist stuff. Drank loads of coffee, walked across the frozen harbour, ate reindeer hot-dogs etc etc. We also left DM logo’s in the ice and snow at various points around the city, more for our own amusement than anything else.

Later that day we were going to meet up with our very good friend Norbert (Nobby) from Hamburg whom we had met at the ‘Puskas Ferenc’ Stadium, Budapest Gig on the Delta Machine Tour in 2013. We have stayed in contact ever since. Helsinki will be his 22nd gig on the Global Spirit Tour, and his 51st DM gig in total. Hows that for Devotion? He texted us to arrange a meet at the Hard Rock Cafe for 5pm.

Later I got another text from him asking if we could meet up with some Swedish people at 4pm in the Radisson Hotel. So off we trekked to what we hoped was the correct Radisson hotel as there are four in Helsinki. After some confusion at the check in desk at the hotel we established that this was indeed the correct hotel and spent the next couple of hours talking and making new friends with people from Finland, Sweden and the UK. Nobby, Marie and I left the hotel at about 18:30 for something to eat before getting the train to Pasila (nearest station to Hartwall Arena). The rest of the gang had organised a mini bus direct to the Arena.

Now at the Arena (a modest building with approx 15000 capacity) the excitement starts to build. Every is here for the same reason. We want to hear our favourite band play our favourite songs and feel the volume in our bodies. Are we mad?

Bearing in mind its very cold outside and we are all wearing coats, we were a little taken aback at that both cloakroom facilities they had run out of space and couldn't take any more items. We were in GA, so had to carry our stuff with us. Minor setback.

Now this is where I start to think that the evening might not have as much atmosphere as our previous gigs. Bearing in mind we had arrived after the support band had finished, and only 30 mins before DM are due on stage, we managed to walk all the way to the front and stood on the right side of the walkway which Dave uses. The only other time we were able to do this was Manchester where we had EE/FOS tickets. Strange!

Marie thought this was great as she may be able to make herself heard to Dave when she shouts obscenities :-)

20:30……….The Beatles – Revolution……….. You know the format.

They're here, we’re happy. The band are on form and really tight.

Acoustics not the best with some echoing, but this is primarily an Ice Hockey Stadium.

Strange that Dave really didn't really interact with audience until after World In My eyes

At this point we looked around the Arena to see most people in the seats still sitting down. What!!!! I looked up to the block to stage right and the only people standing/dancing were 2 girls (later discovered that they were Russian) and one of our new friends ‘Big’ Magnus. From that moment on we worried that the band weren't going down as well as we thought. ‘Come on people, you’re letting me down’

Anyway, firm favourites were played, Home always makes me cry, video to In Your Room is superb (in fact takes focus away from band), Stripped, Walking In My Shoes and we danced like crazy things during Everything Counts, waiting for the ‘Helsinki, you really are the best!’. 

We didn't care that this was basically the same set for the whole tour (One or two minor changes have taken place)

Then before you know what's happened, nearly two hours have passed and the band are taking their bows, and Dave says ‘See you next time’ We are happy, but also a little concerned about the lack of audience participation in the seats. FOS are always going to be on form, and they were! Even during Never Let Me Down Again there were areas in the Arena with no arm waving. 

Hmmmm, I am concerned. 

Did people not have a good time?

It was excellent to see the Russian DM fan club at walkway end having their photo taken. They are mental!!!!!

Anyway, I texted our new friend Peter, and there is space in his minibus to take an extra three back into town direct to the Lady Moon Club for the Club Anvil afterparty. On the minibus we have a discussion about audience participation, and everyone who had seated tickets said the same thing. Everyone around refused to get up and dance/clap/wave arms etc. It hadn't dampened our enthusiasm or enjoyment, but I am still concerned :-(

There followed much dancing and drinking (isn't Finnish Vodka good ;-)) and back to hotel for about 04:00am.

The following morning, it was still on my mind about the reserved audience, so whilst checking out of the hotel I asked the receptionist about Finnish people, and how reserved they seem to be. She stated that ‘Yes’ the Finnish people are famous for it, and that they will have have enjoyed the gig and would have shown their appreciation in other ways. Thank god for that! My mind is now at rest.

Back to the Hard Rock Cafe for a last meal and meeting with new friends before we head off to the airport going our separate ways :-( Always the saddest part.

Two other guys join us, both are from Sweden, and I have the discussion with one of them about Christian Eigner’s role in the band. Drum machine vs live drummer. This could go on for some time.

We also have the discussion about whether or not we are experiencing DM’s last BIG tour.

Lets face it, this is NOT a ‘Global Spirit’ tour, its a ‘Greatest Hits’ tour with three songs from the Spirit album thrown in. I still think that So Much Love should be put back into the set. And……….. they’re not getting any younger.

Steav, Marie and Nobby post gig

And so it ends. The sad goodbyes, exchanging of FB contact details and promises that we will all meet up in Berlin in July. 

I feel VERY jealous that Nobby and Peter are going onto Riga. But hey, lets all look forward to Berlin and meeting up again.

Thanks to my good very friend Nobby (No R-Bert), and new friends Peter, Josefin, Lorraine, Jenny, Kimmo, David, Therese, Susanne, ‘Big’ Magnus, Valerie, Jenny and Sara for making this trip so VERY special. Thanks to Helsinki and Finland for being so very beautiful.

And my last point, as I’ve said previously. If you’re in the UK and thinking about going abroad for a gig, ‘just do it’ to coin a phrase, Its easier that you would think. You wont regret it.

Addendum – When back at home I Googled ‘Finnish people reserved’ and found this:-

An example of a Finnish joke: “An introverted Finn looks at his shoes when talking to you; an extroverted Finn looks at your shoes”. 

My mind is at rest :-)

P.S. Almost forgot. Looking forward to meeting the owner of this Blog, David McElroy, in Berlin in July :-)

Steav Hunt

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Thanks Steav!

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, MINSK ARENA, MINSK, 13 FEBRUARY 2018

Happily for the majority of Depeche fans, there have only been two cancellations on this tour - Tampa on September 13 and Minsk on July 17, both 2017. For those attending those gigs though, the cancellations were bad, bad news. Nastia Enavigo was one such fan. She was all set to go to the Minsk show last July and was ready to review it afterwards for this blog. It wasn't to be sadly, but, proving that all good things come to those who wait, Minsk was rescheduled and Nastia was able to attend. Happily for me, she was also able to review it and here it is. I think we can all agree with her views on overuse of cameras at these shows. Anyway, thank you very much Nastia, and thank you Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group for the pictures. 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Foreword

I would like to start this review with thanking David for coming up with this ambitious idea of reviewing every single performance of the tour and having enough persistence and passion to bring it about. I came across his request on Facebook to review the Minsk show quite by chance, it sounded bold and at that moment didn’t fully realize what I was saying yes to. 

When I started reading your reviews, guys, I was blown away with all the adoration and devotion they are filled with. So personal and touching that I couldn’t hold back my tears. It felt like I was there with you living through every song and every chant and every emotion. So, thank you! 

Exposition 

My history as a DM fan is very short. I heard their greatest hits like Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence since childhood, I liked them a lot, but never cared enough to search further than what was already on the radio. My own admiration of their music began only a few years ago when I heard a mesmerizing melody on a soundtrack to some movie that stopped my aimless channel surfing. Then came Dave’s voice (it couldn’t be mistaken for anybody else’s) deep and strong and tantalizing…. I was hooked. As I found out later the song was The Love Thieves. 

And after 2 years of anticipation…. and then after 7 more months of anticipation…. a few days ago my dream came true and I could hear and see them in Minsk.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Rising action 

Minsk, July 17. I arrived to the venue when the sun was still high but my number in the line was only 125. I thought that I almost had no chance to get I good place near the stage or even by the cat walk, but tried to stay positive. It’s a Depeche Mode show after all!! There’s almost nothing that can spoil it! 

4 or 5 hours that I was waiting there passed really fast. I was very excited to hear them again and it was cool to talk to people around about the concerts they’d been to, favourite songs and most memorable moments. At some point I overheard somebody talking about returning the tickets…. “What?? Are they crazy? Are they SO tired of waiting that they can’t wait for another two hours??”… but the topic persisted in the crowd and it occurred to me that something might be wrong. 

A few moments later a harsh loud-speaker grated on our ears with an official announcement. My heart sank. 

Climax 

Minsk, February 13. I had the bad luck of catching a cold only two days before the show. I took care of taking all the possible medicines to feel better by Tuesday, but the stars were not on my side. I was devastated but determined to attend the show. I couldn’t miss it. Not again. 

So, boosted with pills and sprays, armed with extra layers of clothes off I set. There was no pretension to arrive early of course, I made my peace with standing anywhere in the fan zone and arrived shortly before the band appeared. 

A nice but monotonous piece of electronic music was on. People were all excited and impatient. Anybody who appeared on stage at that time was greeted with applause and whistling – they were working to make the show start, of course they deserved the applause!) 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Depeche Mode’s performance in Minsk left nothing wanting. The guys are true professionals, extremely talented musicians, very inspired performers who love what they are doing and it shows in every song. 

After so many reviews you have probably learned by heart both the set list and what happens on stage, so I’ll only dwell on the things that impressed me. 

I really loved the beginning of the show: lights off, the intro and the marching boots growing to immense size just like your itch to see the Fantastic Five walking on stage and to hear the first cords of one of the best songs on the album. I totally agree with people who say that Going Backwards is a great opener, decisive and groovy guitar line sets you in the mood immediately. 

It’s No Good and Useless being among my favourites were a pleasant surprise for me. Although I was sorry to see (at least from my position) that they weren’t that well received by the crowd.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Cover Me was listened to with flash lights on and in almost total silence but you couldn’t lament it. The song is absolutely marvelous and Dave performs it in the most meaningful and intimate way as if he’s really talking to you. All you want to do is to give in to the sound and dissolve into it. 

The most impressive discovery that night was Insight performed by Martin Gore. I heard the song before but it didn’t attract my attention and I never really listened to it. This time Pete’s melancholic piano solo and Martin’s honey-like voice and the lyrics resonated with my own feelings, which almost made me cry. The famous “You've got to give love” repeated a million times together with the audience almost felt like a mantra…. probably not the worst one for us to repeat every once in a while in this merciless and selfish world. 

Martin is the BEST! Period. 

The new intros to several old songs spiced up the performance. They were only giving you a hint of the songs they introduced, tickled your memory and you almost felt your brain rack when frenetically picking out the melodies and the first lines from the catalogue in your head…. “The handshake seals the contract”… Hurray! 

I don’t want to sound judgmental and I mean it in the best way possible, but I would wish the crowd were more active, lost their cameras and took more part in signing along and dancing. Up till Precious and World In My Eyes it seemed that all the fans were in the back rows and front of stage was occupied with paparazzi. I even felt silly at one point yelling my sore throat out to A Pain That I’m Used To with the audience being so quiet. 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Martin’s Home changed the atmosphere. People livened up with this beloved piece and Martin easily engaged them into the classic singalong which was afterwards artistically conducted by Dave. Everything Counts and each song that came after was met with much more enthusiasm and appreciation. Never Let Me Down Again has long been unimaginable without thousands of people waving hands – we were more than happy to hold to the tradition. 

By the encore time the warmed up crowd was cheering and asking for more. That was probably the most energetic part of the night: I Want You Now, Walking in My Shoes, A Question Of Time ended in a blink on an eye and you found yourself in the middle of Personal Jesus feeling sad and helpless as this was actually the last minutes of bliss. 

Dénouement 

I didn’t think it was possible but somehow these guys make their songs so much enjoyable when played live. I loved to watch them interact on stage: winking and nodding and pointing and ear-whispering gives you the impression something else is going on out there. Dave’s energy throughout the show was stunning -  where he gets the drive to keep going at that pace for 2 hours every other day is a mystery for me. With all his smiling and talking to the crowd and dancing in every possible part of the stage he makes the show very special. 

That was a great night and it kept me frozen in that after-show God-it-was-gorgeous and can’t-believe-it’s-over state for several days. The only thing I regret is that it took me so long to find my way into their music and that I missed so many gigs I could have attended. But at least this one will stay life-time experience. Hopefully it will not be the last! 

With all my love, thank you for making that night so magical!

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Thank you Nastia.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ERGO ARENA, GDANSK, 11 FEBRUARY 2018

A really cool thing about this project has been linking up with blogs in other countries and having the people that run those guest on here. Martini who runs Mode2Joy , 101dM and who is also known on Twitter as MODEontheROAD is one such blogger and I'm delighted that he agreed to review the Gdansk gig for me. I would highly recommend checking out all Martini's Depeche Mode sites as there is more than enough there to keep you busy until the next tour. Thanks so much for this Martini and for the superb pictures and videos too.

This tour was exceptionally generous for Depeche Mode fans in my country. There have been five gigs in total and that has never happened before. Also there were so many coincidences, referring back to previous tours, that happened during this tour. That even starting with the summer concert which fell near as the 4th anniversary of  the concert from 2013.

Three Polish concerts, or as we called it Polish Spirit Tour, happened at the end of the carnival season. I saw all three concerts and I have the honour to write the in-depth review of the final gig in Poland which was in Gdańsk.

The concert in Gdańsk was scheduled on Feb 11th, which was the 8th anniversary of the band's second concert in Łódź in 2010. If you remember there was a  flood of balloons and we trolled the band by singing Master & Servant (which was our revenge on the band for dropping this classic from the set at that time).  I witnessed all of that 8 years ago.

On 11 February, Depeche Mode played for the first time in Gdańsk, but to be honest it wasn't  their first visit in this city... sort of... Again back to Delta Machine Tour, the band had finished their gig in Moscow, and during their return to the UK they did a stopover in Gdańsk to refill the plane.

All of these throwbacks, flashbacks and other memories were discussed in the queue as we waited for the concert. People had been camping since the day before - their bodies were frozen but souls were hot, supported from time to time tea with rum :-D

You could almost feel the excitement in the cold, winter air, mixed with the scent of hot tea with rum. It’s always amazing to see how people are connecting and bonding during their waiting in the line! The atmosphere was high, even though the temperature was low. We were all ready for what was about to happen!

We also discussed our memories from the two previous Polish concerts concerts about work of security, concerts tricks and tips, and a lot of flashbacks from those concerts in Kraków and Łódź. Hardcore fans had been queueing since 3 a.m. waiting in front of prepared tent-gates. Nevertheless, the spirit was high, new friendships established immediately. 2 hours before the start of Entry Entrance security shifted us between the gates which caused a lot of mess, destroying all agreements between fans and fans and security. They then let us into the hall....

Some fans ran, some walked to the GA1 zone and sooner or later we have met again each other near the FOS on the random sites. The atmosphere was superb. Fans started clapping and forcing other to start the Mexican Wave. Technicians even helped us more playing louder and louder upbeat warm-up music.

In  the meantime, Blackline appeared on stage. Douglas McCarthy and his new band. They played a set of decent length, shortening the wait for the main star of the night. In 2010 for me, the Depeche Mode and Nitzer Ebb concerts were equal levels. We had the pleasure of witnessing two star bands for the price of one. The day after those two concerts where Nitzer Ebb were support, I had the pleasure of seeing the trio playing a full set in Warsaw. This time Blackline proved that they are better live than what they show on studio productions. Nice two final songs and at least acceptable songs from the rest of the set.

The atmosphere was hotter and hotter. Rumours said that Dave wanted to have +24*C on stage, plus heat from the fans caused some fans to faint because of lack of fresh air.

DEPECHE MODE

It's hard to write song by song when so many good and less good things were written on this blog during the whole tour. Needless to say that people were waiting for I Want You Now and Cover Me. We got both and a lot more... I think it's better to highlight the highlights of the concert.

I was looking at the empty stage and I knew that I’m about to witness something incredible! And so it was…from the very first moment when the band came on stage. You could feel incredible connection between the band and fans. The energy was so intense - on stage and under it – that you just had to go with it all the way! You could see fans crying during Insight, people were holding each others hands, singing, clapping and giving our band what they came here for – the best time!

Everywhere during the Polish Spirit Tour, fans tired to praise Andy, chanting his name. Why? I don't know but this story started back in the Touring The Angel era. Check bootlegs or Live Here Now from Warsaw 2006.06.09.

The crew of the band highlighted the Depeche Mode fan club 3City (3City we call agglomeration of Gdynia + Sopot + Gdańsk which border each other).

Dave was really connected with the crowd even more than normal. So many times interacted with us on the main stage or on the catwalk.

But I need to highlight Martin's part. Before 3rd Martins song Martin said:

"I think this might be an old Polish folk song... Maybe not."

This was a straight reference to the folk version of Enjoy The Silence which ran through the net as a viral piece several months ago and was one of the highlights during Takeovers, on press and tv.

A highlight of this concert was the long outros sang by fans, extending sometimes beyond the length of the songs in the setlist. In the last few concerts, the band started have started trolling the audience by extending the final notes of Walking In My Shoes. I think I liked more what we fans started few months ago in summer chanting the intro/outro of the song. But hey this is the game between us and them - it underlines how we made this gig unique from others on this tour.

This concert was the fantastic mixture of spirit... not 100% sober fans, music, atmosphere, and something unique which is hard to describe by words.

The crowd was floating in Dave’s arms during Cover Me, that moment took us so high that even now I’m getting shivers, just thinking about it! When Everything Counts started – it just blew my mind how the whole crowd sang it. I loved the way Dave thanked us for giving appreciation to Martin and Andy, you could feel that guys were having fun with us and that they can feel our energy too. I was touched with how long they were saying goodbye to us.

Other highlights you can see on my montage clip where I chose the best moments from the gig in Gdańsk.

At the end of my review, I'd like to thank all the fans who I met outside the Arena and inside too. It was a pleasure to sing with you party with you and share all the moments which made this night and two before so unique.

The whole show was extremely energetic, full of emotions, highlights and unforgettable moments. It’s amazing that every single show – no matter if it's your 50th or is it your first one – makes you really feel and understand what Depeche Mode is truly all about. What does it mean to me? Well, we can always talk about it when we meet somewhere in another queue!

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Thanks Martini. 

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ATLAS ARENA, LODZ, FEBRUARY 9 2018

To review the second of Depeche Mode's three February Polish dates, we welcome Katarzyna Kaluza from Lodz in Poland. It seems that Depeche very generously agreed to tour Poland to celebrate Katarzyna's birthday which was nice of them. As we'll see, Katarzyna went to all three Polish shows and had what can only be described as a wonderful time. Thank you for the great review Katarzyna and for the superb photos too.

I had the pleasure of celebrating my 36th birthday at the three DM concerts in Poland. First in the south in Krakow, then in my hometown Lodz and finally in Gdansk by the sea, in northern Poland. It was another return of the boys from Basildon, to the heart of my country and Europe, that is my native Lodz. They always come back, even though Lodz is not a very attractive city, and the maximum number of concerts can reach only 14,000 people (the arena is too small). However, something attracts them here. 

My prayers were answered and the anticipated moment came. Krakow said good bye to the band and the Spirit plane flew to Lodz Lublinek. 8 February in Poland is Fat Thursday. We eat donuts and other greasy sweets to fall, and later fast to Easter. At the airport, the group was greeted with donuts. Satisfied, they took a snack with them and went to the hotel. I resigned from standing outside the hotel because I do not collect anything special. I love concerts and live music, I've been waiting for that. I saw them all privately and even touched in Krakow (Martin is amazing ...). I will give the autographed cd with the signature of Peter to someone. I have enough memories and for me the most important is that I can pack my DM bag and move into their world at any moment.

9th February. The "hour zero"! The frost outside is not able to stop the fans on the way to the concert. Because I'm short, I had to put on 10cm heels and stay in them for a few hours. Black total look, -8°C and skirt. I thought i'll die...

Polish black souls went to the next arena for a black mass. Again, I had a great view, a little taller, I was standing directly opposite the place occupied by Martin. The church of the followers of the weird religion slowly filled up. Either you love this band from the beginning and you accept everything they offer or you do not understand this subculture and avoid a wide arc. In Poland, Depeche Mode is a subculture, the only one in the world, the big family of "Blacks". Depeche Mode is our unofficial religion.

The lights went out and Douglas McCarthy from BlackLine entered the stage. The earlier Nitzer Ebb project, as well as the current one, are not well known in Europe. The concert in Lodz made me like it. Douglas attracts attention, especially his "cat movements." Depeche Mode definitely has a huge impact on other artists, two guiding characteristic music motifs of DM to hear in what presented The Black Line. A moment of break, stage preparation and the most desirable work. Everyone would like to at least wash the floor that Dave walks on and watch them live for free every two days.

After Hublot's " message" about the revolution in charity, the moment of reflection and resounding Intro from The Beatles. A few thousand sore throats are caused by Depeche Mode! The boys turn up on the stage: God of the written word Martin, Andy, Peter and Christian. The howling of the crowd and enthusiasm reach the roof! The hottest 55 year old in the world appears. Guy in a blue blazer and silver shoes. Ladies and gentlemen, the only and unique King Dave Gahan!

Going Backwards and coluors. I love video projections for every song. "Jackson Pollock" interacts with Depeche Mode. For some, Corbijn's visions may be nonsense, for me they are fantastic. The crowd is crazy from the first note! We sing every song with Gahan and Martin. It's No Good one of my beloved songs. Ecstasy! Ultra drills ears and vibrates in the body. Gahan moves like a snake. Satisfied with the audience says: Good evening Lodz!

Barrel of A Gun flies and Gangsta Gahan raps. He is beautiful in these shows, he loves to be adored by fans. If you want to see several thousand Dave clones, come to a concert in Poland. You will not be disappointed. We have handsome Depeschians stylized perfectly. Skins, chains, we like it. A Pain That I'm Used To and i'm dying .... Genius pieces one by one. Peter joins Martin and gives a show on the guitars. I love rock music. Martin brilliantly riffs. Oh my...how I love such a pain in my ears. All my Useless advice, all my hanging around ... It's getting sad and nostalgic, we're playing with the angel in Precious now. Dave, relaxed and smiling, just pretty this evening, shows us "The world in »his« eyes". A cult piece, a palm gesture that is the hallmark of Depechians in the world and the perverse Dave teasing a woman. Of course, everyone screams - Yes !!! - hearing Will Ya? !!! Wonderful Cover Me. Gahan deserves a musical Oscar for this gem. A song that is special to me, whenever I hear it, I think about only one person who has been in an important place in my life for a year now. I did not even imagine that a man I accidentally met would become so close to me I know, I know, I'm overly dramatic and a Drama Queen, but Dave also behaves sometimes like Diva, so it matches together. Every idol got his own twin fan!

The scene is empty and a wonderful child, Martin Lee also called God, appears. Gorgeous, modest, talented .... The face of  a Cherub, golden curls and a voice like a bell. Insight and Home. The crowd does not want to let Martin off the stage. A long audience applause, Dave dances and introduces friends. Martin jumps up and the smile does not come off his face. This is a soul dance ... and fire still burns, you've got to give love, give love ... we love Martin with all our hearts!

Dave asks in Polish: - Jak tam Łódź? ( How is Łódź?)

- Ingeniously !!!! sounds the answer. 

Depeche Mode plays on our feelings. In Your Room where time stands still...in your room where souls disappear....it plays like a movie of my life, before my eyes. I am strongly associated with this song, it has always been with me and will remain so. My favourite.

Dave is dancing his solo. I love to look at him when he moves. It is a balm for the soul and honey for the eyes. The DM army begins Where's The Revolution. Clenched fists up, and finally a sign of peace and Polish Solidarity (Solidarność). Poles know perfectly well what revolution means. Clash of extremes, from revolution and rebellion, we jump in  talking about "Tons of money", cause Everything Counts in large amounts. What is happening in the arena is difficult to describe. Conductor Dave directs the crowd and all this madness. Everyone wants to see him Stripped down to the boooooneee! But he, our travelling King, letting us Enjoy The Silence. He takes us on a ride with a friend. 

Next - this is the moment! The part of the program we are always waiting for. A few thousand throats shouting: " Never let me down again"! several thousand hands up under Major Gahan's dictation and full departure. Exhausted and wonderfully sweaty, Dave disappears, and the heated crowd soothes Martin. Surprise! I Want You Now, and it gets very romantic. We want him all now, cause we got a love ... Enchanted we try to "Walking in »their« shoes". But it's only A Question of Time for Personal Jesus to unleash the madness and musical orgy in the arena again.

With a few thousand voices and sweaty bodies, I do not want to say goodbye. They squeezed all the juices and all the energy out of us. On the knees, but we want a spank from Gahan again and again. Unfortunately, only Fletch gets a slap in the butt. 

Our happy band say goodbye to us. They played a fantastic concert, from the first to the last minute, 100% from DM for fans and vice versa. Polish fans are faithful and love Depeche Mode. We have our Code of Depeschians and we live according to rules.

Dave hugs Martin. See you next time ....

I have no strength, I'm reaching home and I'm falling on the bed. I lie and the tears of joy are in my eyes. A morning mobilization and  I move to Gdansk for the next meeting with DM. How do I live later, after all of this? 

Thank you Robert R. you inspire me to gain new experiences, this review is dedicated to you.

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Thanks you Katarzyna.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, MEDIOLANUM FORUM, MILAN, 29 JANUARY 2018

As we've already learned on this tour, Italian Depeche gigs are the ones we all need to go to if there is another tour in the future. Both Milan nights in January were epic gigs. Luisa Carones previously covered night 1 and I'm delighted that for night 2, Claudia Smith from the wonderful Depeche Mode Italia agreed to write this review. Depeche Mode Italia have been a huge supporter of the blog  - thank you. Claudia has also been suffering from the flu recently. Get well soon Claudia and thank you for this great review and the photos. Enjoy the story of Claudia's day on 29 January....

5.30 am. Walking down the road to the underground station, I can feel the tingle of excitement sting my cheeks. Or is it the icy fog – both, probably. It’s going to be a very long day, today. Half-asleep, coffee-starving, dressed in heavy layers, I’m heading to the unimpressive commercial district of Assago, a small town outside Milan. Despite listening to Depeche Mode since the mid-Eighties, concert-wise it all started for me in 1998 with the Singles Tour. Same venue, now called Mediolanum Forum; same place, my home town Milan. Shoulder to shoulder with my mother, a real hardcore fan and a Martin Gore admirer. Lots of fond memories that I’m going to refresh in a few hours: I’m going to celebrate my fortieth concert with my besties tonight, and I know it’s going to be epic. Depeche Mode has often praised our devoted audience as one of the warmest in the world: fingers crossed we’re going to revive our reputation and set the venue on fire with the passion of 12,000 enthusiasts.

7.00 am. Here I am by the Forum, perfectly in time for the checking of names, and numbers they have written on the back of our hand and printed on nice fan-made cardboard tags that we are proudly displaying around our neck. The Italian organisation of the queue is impressive and very welcomed, especially in a case like this, when madness ends up prevailing. The fans have been gathering under a pedestrian bridge by the venue since yesterday morning, something that I have never witnessed before. My Early Entry queue number is 50, which means that I won’t make it to the first row, but a fantastic second row spot right in front of Martin is still accessible. This is going to be my goal for the night: Martin’s mic stand. Come on, I can do it!

9.00 am. Eggs and bacon, American coffee, smoked salmon, butter, and massive slices of bread: that doesn’t sound like the typical Italian breakfast, I know! I’m even giving Marmite spread a go: I’m definitely going to need heavy fuel to reach my target. I won’t go into too much detail, but these days meeting friends and spending quality time (and food and drinks) with them is a huge part of the whole Depeche Mode experience. I truly believe that I’ve been blessed with the best of mates, and to them goes all my love and gratitude for helping me make this day unforgettable. Roberta, Valentina: thank you girls, you really are the best and I truly mean it! Giorgia, Sabrina, Paul and Conny, and all of the fabulous people I’m having the pleasure to spend some time with today: hopefully some great reward is waiting for us all.

12.00 / 6.00 pm. After hours spent waiting in the cold, damp weather, a good energising meal, and a great number of smiles and hugs shared with people from all over the world, we’re finally allowed inside the old venue. The fog has dissolved together with the fatigue, the excitement is tangible: we’re feeling like race horses anxious for the starting gates to open. The security guys have checked our bags and tickets a couple of times, then organised us into small groups: I’m going to enter the Forum, have a quick look at the standing area – the end of the catwalk is already packed – and then rush to the stage, as close to Martin as I can get.

9.00 pm. By the time Gore’s favourite opening act EMA has left the stage, the venue has filled up nicely. It’s another sold-out show in Milan, the eighth Italian concert of the Global Spirit Tour: quite impressive if you ask me, even though I was certain my city wouldn’t disappoint me. Martin’s setlist is now pumping through the amps, giving us new energy, making everybody clap their hands, cheer and dance. It’s a joyful warm up to what’s coming up in a few minutes: the long-awaited Revolution by The Beatles and then, lights off, the white boot animation will be coming to life on the massive two-stair led screen, and Depeche Mode will be finally joining us on stage! I’m inspecting the right side of the venue to catch the moment when Dave will climb the stairs with a slow, stealthy step. Here he is: his black silhouette is moving sensually while the drips of paint are filling the universe with vivid colours. We’re going backwards in life, some might agree: but tonight the majestic opening track is resounding more powerfully than ever, anticipating an unforgettable show, possibly the best one out of the three Milan gigs. My judgement might be slightly biased though: I’m all eyes for Martin, and he’s standing right in front of me… understand me! I’m probably going to be the only one in the whole arena to watch Martin during Cover Me, while Dave will be elegantly drawing circles in the air on the catwalk, his pensive astronaut alter-ego floating in the sky right behind him. 

The songs are coming in quick succession without a break, time seems to run faster than usual. The band is having a great time: they’re looking very pleased and inspired by the audience response. Fletcher is acting very cool, totally absorbed in his role. There are three very special moments that will stay in my heart forever: the first one is undoubtedly related to In Your Room. This is the Stendhal Syndrome moment for me, when I’m totally and hopelessly mesmerised by the absolute genius of Anton Corbijn. The new video for the amazing album version of the song compliments the music so well that it almost brings me to tears every time I watch it. The disarming beauty of the dancers fills the screen with passion and translates every note and lyric into pure art. Another long-awaited moment happens after A Pain That I’m Used To, a real Italian crowd pleaser that makes the whole standing area jump and sing. It’s the time when the audience can surrender to the obscure splendour of Useless, and Gahan’s velvet voice is singing of perdition and despair. The moment of glory, though, takes place after the end of the main set, when we start demanding I Want You Now, our chant getting infectious, louder and louder. What a joy to discover that Martin had actually planned to perform it! His interpretation is deeply heartfelt and moves the audience to the point that at the end of the song a long and liberating singalong rises from the standing area, leading Martin to return our cheers with one of his adorable child-like smiles. 

11.15 pm. It’s a wrap ladies and gentlemen. The band has just said bye bye to the audience and I’m proudly holding the setlist sheet Jez Webb had taped on the stage floor before the concert started. Heading back home, feeling grateful and content: time to get my strength back before I start making plans for the next shows. See you all there! 

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Thank you Claudia!