LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, VELTINS ARENA, GELSENKIRCHEN, 4 JULY 2017

A huge indoor Depeche show in Germany is only ever going to be a good thing and the Veltins Arena is a place made for a gig on the Global Spirit Tour. Mark Henderson is today's guest reviewer and he's written a wonderful blog - make sure you go and tell him how much you loved in on Twitter where you'll find him hiding as @MNH1974 . It seems that Mark's trip was destined to be a good one the second he checked into a rather special hotel room. Thanks very much Mark.

Photo courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos and Videos Facebook group

The background 

By way of a very short introduction, I’ve been a DM fan since 1990, with my first show being the band’s final performance of World Violation on 27 Nov 1990 at Birmingham. I’ve seen on every tour since, but only on the Delta Machine Tour did I finally manage to a) see them in mainland Europe (at Stade de France), and b) see them more than once on a tour. That’s something I was determined to repeat on the current tour. 

The (bad) planning 

My wife isn’t a fan, so last October I asked my usual “gig partner” if he fancied a DM Euro trip. Despite him not being a DM fan, or even knowing many songs, he kindly agreed, and we settled on Paris as our destination (easy to get to, somewhere he hadn’t been before). Having booked tickets and flights, he then realised he couldn’t attend the show after all! However, he still wanted to go somewhere, so I booked tickets for Gelsenkirchen - the show after Paris. Lucky me, two shows instead of one - it would entail a rather busier few days than I’d planned, but so what, it’s Depeche Mode, right...? 

The build-up 

Having returned from Paris (amazing show) on the Sunday night, we flew out to Dusseldorf on Monday evening. Being given Room 101 at our hotel was certainly a positive start! 

After a moderately quiet evening, we then took the train to Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday lunchtime, arriving there early afternoon. Following a relaxing couple of beers in our hotel terrace garden, we set off to find a bar in town to sink a few more before show time. Gelsenkirchen has bars and restaurants, but (with the greatest of respect) it isn’t exactly in the league of Dusseldorf (aka “the longest bar in the world”). However, within 5 minutes, we noticed a small bar up a side street near the main train station...and much to my excitement, there were DM fans standing outside. We made straight for it. I think this bar is called “Rosi” and is situated on the corner of Weberstrasse; it’s quite small but cool, and they were playing DM songs continuously. We ordered beers and soaked up the atmosphere as more fans arrived. One or two had specially-made t-shirts (e.g. “Schalke04 101”) and the excitement was palpable. About an hour had passed when one fan told me “nice shirt”, in reference to my 1993 Devotional t-shirt; thankfully, he spoke excellent English and we had a nice chat. Tom (or Thom?) was originally from Gelsenkirchen and was justifiably pleased that DM were finally performing in his home town. 

Mark on right

Pre-concert 

After a few more drinks, we made our way to the stadium (which was easy - on the 302 service, and our hotel even gave us free transport passes). We arrived at the Veltins Arena at round 7pm. I was a little surprised that there weren’t many pop-up bars outside, and had to queue for quite some time to get drinks. However, the access through security etc. was very smooth, and we took our places in the general standing area at around 8pm. I liked this stadium – it’s big but had quite an intimate feel, and having a roof helped with the lightshow. I’ve also noticed that there seems to be more thought going into how well fans can see the stage – so there were certain seating sections not being used at the back (also the case in Paris). 

The floor area was filling up nicely (we were further back than in Paris, slight shame but no big deal). Algiers had already begun performing – maybe it was our distance from the stage but they didn’t seem to connect quite as well as in Paris. I liked them, though – very confident performers and the singer has a powerful voice. 

The stadium continued to fill up, and the Charity Water / Hublot video appeared; the cheers went up. I was then asked again about my t-shirt, by a nice lady who enquired what year it was from (I always thought Dave’s long hair gives a good clue..?) Then the techno songs helped to build up the crowd to fever pitch until round 8:50pm, when the Beatles Revolution kicked in (when I first heard this song was being used, I had misgivings, but I actually enjoyed it – if anything, it acts like a “last call” for any fans not yet in the arena). 

Mark and that t-shirt - left

The show 

I doubt I could ever truly do justice to what may have been the best concert I have ever been to. The show itself wasn’t necessarily any better than Paris, but the crowd here were like none I’ve ever experienced before. From the opening beats of the intro, it seemed like the whole crowd were on their feet – at some other gigs you might see the fans in seats dancing after, maybe, the halfway point, but here they were up from the start and just never sat down! There were even girls sitting on friends’ shoulders near us. My dream of experiencing a German crowd had come true and they definitely did not disappoint! 

Much has already been written about the setlist, songs, etc, so at the risk of repeating anything, here are some brief thoughts:- 

· Intro: the beats, then the bass kicks in....just perfect – simple but so effective. 

· Going Backwards: I love how Dave pops up on his balcony. Proper showmanship. This is such a good opener, their best in years I think. 

· So Much Love: good choice from the album, which keeps the momentum going. 

· Barrel Of A Gun: an example of how confident they are in what (I think) is a pretty great setlist – it ebbs and flows, with faster and slower songs. Same goes for Wrong and..... 

· ....Corrupt: such a curveball, in a way. Putting the final album track from 2 records ago into a new set? Hell, why not, it’s a great tune 

· In Your Room: at last, the best version, hurray! 

· World In My Eyes: love the new intro and the whole song sounds better, more “electronic” than on the last couple of tours. 

· Cover Me: love the album version, but takes on a whole new vibe in the live arena. One of those songs where, towards the climax, you feel something really magical is happening, like the whole crowd is “going” somewhere, if that makes sense.... 

· A Question Of Lust/Home: lovely versions, the crowd sang every word and the usual post-Home chant was tremendous. 

· Poison Heart: nice but also short enough to ensure there isn’t too much of “lull” at this stge. 

· Where’s the Revolution: I do like this song, but at this point in the show it didn’t seem to quite have the “oomph” to get it going. Maybe putting it earlier in the set might be better? 

· Everything Counts: brilliant. The new intro is wonderful. Crowd went NUTS for this. 

· Stripped/Enjoy The Silence/Never Let me Down Again: powerful crowd-pleasers. Incredible arm-waving and the t-shirt gun came out. 

"

· WIMS: catchy new intro is seemingly already a crowd favourite, being chanted by them after the song has finished....video quite mesmerising too. 

· "Heroes": a slow-burner but a lovely performance, with Dave blowing a kiss skywards at the end. 

· I Feel You: a good example (particularly for my rock-loving friend) of just how powerful a live act DM are. The bass and drums were absolutely off the scale and left the arena shaking. 

·Personal Jesus: awesome finish. 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos and Videos Facebook Group

After the bows and hugs, Dave left the stage with an amusing “call me on my mobile” gesture to the crowd. 

The stage videos were pretty good, and I didn’t find them off-putting or anything; but I’m happier just watching the band, really. 

The band is on terrific form. They seem to be playing with more purpose and intensity, for example by cutting out those previously over-long instrumental parts in certain songs. They’re clearly enjoying themselves a lot – Dave is absolutely flying, in fine voice and full of energy. 

My friend thought it was the best stadium show he’d been to. Result! 

Post-gig 

Back we went into Gelsenkirchen, and to (my new favourite bar) Rosi...quite a few fans came back for what was the local after-show party; they had a good dance while we sat outside and chilled out with a few more drinks. No idea when closing time was! 

On Wednesday we travelled back to Dusseldorf and kept the post-gig blues at bay by visiting some bars in the Altstadt that night (and into the next morning) – Dusseldorf is such a great city, whether you want cool and trendy or loud and silly... 

We flew back to Leeds on Thursday night - which rounded off a pretty intense week for me, but one which I would happily re-live again and again. 

So there you have it. This review is honest, but unashamedly positive – I’m thankful DM are still here, every gig feels special to me and I just hope there are more to come for me... 

Danke Gelsenkirchen, danke Dusseldorf, und danke Depeche Mode!

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Thanks very much Mark. Yet ANOTHER gig for me to add to my must do list next tour

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, COMMERZBANK ARENA, FRANKFURT, 20 JUNE 2017

Today's review is provided by Nikolay Sabev who attended his seventh Global Spirit Tour show last night in Frankfurt. When he's not following Depeche around, he dj's as DJ N:Mode and you can check out hos music here https://soundcloud.com/djnmode . Nikolay's written a superb review of the Frankfurt show and here it is for your enjoyment. Thanks Nikolay. All photos are Nikolay's unless credited otherwise

My concert day started with an early train from Zurich to Frankfurt (also known as Mainhattan) that took about four hours. The heat that I experienced around the Swiss stop of the Global Spirit Tour was following me all along the way to Germany where a few hours before the concert the temperature was 35C – not cool!

I checked-in at my hotel near the Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) at about 13:00, went to see some friends for lunch and headed towards the stadium around 18:00. Frankfurt was my seventh concert on the Global Spirit Tour. I had decided to take a seat for a change, however, I managed to exchange it last minute for a FOS2 one with a girl in front of Commerzbank Arena who had a spare – the view (and energy) was much better so  it was a good decision on my end.

It is difficult to describe a show that was more or less identical with the previous ones I had seen during 2017 (excluding Glasgow as that was a one-off very intimate and unique event). When I say identical, I mean exactly the same setlist each and every night. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in Hannover for Strangelove but I hope Martin will sing it again at some point … maybe during the winter gigs depending on  how the routine is going.

Anyhow … it must be said that the Frankfurt crowd really made the concert a special one. After witnessing a very passive and quiet audience two days ago in Zurich, the one at Commerzbank Arena was on their feet from the beginning – I even looked around during Corrupt and majority of the seated fans were up and dancing – beat that!

Algiers were interesting but not my cup of tea – it seems that my favourite support band so far on the Global Spirit Tour are The Raveonettes. The Atlanta-based guys kicked off playing at 19:30 sharp and played for 30 minutes. The Beatles intro came on at 20:41 and here they were – Depeche Mode making an appearance at a city where they have a very solid following. It was obvious that the crowd would be on top form even before the guys hit the stage as everyone was evidently enjoying the punchy techno selection by Martin. 

As usual (on this tour), the show was flawless. Dave was in a great mood (as always) and the rest were feeling the energy at the venue from start to finish. Fletch requested a fan after the end of So Much Love while Dave was using the towel every few minutes. It is worth mentioning that in my opinion Going Backwards is one of the strongest tour openers they’ve had maybe since Higher Love in 1993 – I really feel this song. So Much Love is also a killer one – it sounds very solid live as well. Barrel Of A Gun sounds better on this tour than the previous one but to be honest, playing BOAG and A Pain That I'm Used To with the same arrangement two tours in a row is a little disappointing (at least to me). Corrupt works surprisingly well live and unlike many other places on this tour, in Frankfurt people were singing along with Dave on this one. 

The new (old) arrangement of In Your Room is providing this classic track with some vital new life that was much needed as since the last few tours people were getting a little tired of it. Next up was World In My Eyes and that is one my highlights on this tour – it just sounds so good live with the new intro and its overall arrangement. I also love the fact that it is just the band + lights with no video projection – very stripped-down performance. As usual, Cover Me ended with a crowd “clap” participation which Dave seemed to really enjoy – maybe because he is on the songwriting credits, who knows.

Martin performed A Question Of Lust and Home (as usual) which both sound great and I kind of understand his decision to keep them on a regular basis. They are two of his most popular solo tracks and Home especially really engages the large crowds / masses they are playing to. However, I would always welcome some new additions to this slot (i.e. Higher Love last tour was incredible).

Poison Heart and Where's The Revolution are not my cup of tea, especially the former – just don’t feel this song at all – I hope they will replace it with something else for the Winter Leg. WTR - I don’t mind too much but it doesn’t seem to work that well live – not sure why. 

Everything Counts and Stripped have been discussed a lot. The new intro of EC is a killer one and the Frankfurt crowd once again exploded once they heard the first notes of the original arrangement. The singalong went well this time (unlike Zurich) and Dave was quite happy (and proud) of it! Stripped is a legendary one – I just love this intro and it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it – I am very happy they play this one as it is one of my all-time favourites. Last tour, I got lucky to attend the second night in Madrid where they played Stripped for the first (and only) time on the DeMa Tour. 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos and Videos Facebook Group

Enjoy The Silence and Never Let Me Down Again worked perfectly fine as usual - all audience members clapping and traditionally waving hands during the latter. The video projection for ETS is a weird one but I don’t mind it too much – just trying not to focus on it for longer than few seconds as it doesn’t really develop into something. 

The encore was standard setlist-wise. The crowd loved Somebody and along the traditional LED mobile flash lights, you could see some old-school fans with lighters – loved it! Walking In My Shoes always works well live in my opinion, I’m happy to see it at the encore on this one – it really brings back the energy into the set. I find the video projection interesting – maybe because I lived in Berlin for four years and some of the filmed locations resonate with me. 

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos and Videos Facebook Group

After it was dropped in Hannover 2, "Heroes" was brought back both in Zurich and Frankfurt which means it will remain in the main set (at least for a while). I really appreciate that Dave loves Bowie and he really enjoys performing this masterpiece but for me it is still weird to accept that they perform a cover track live. I guess the last time they did that was with Route 66 … long time ago.

The last two songs – I Feel You and Personal Jesus - did their job and every single fan got what they paid for – top class entertainment!

To sum the concert up, it was another flawless show from the band – they seem to be feeling comfortable in their comfort zone and  are definitely not planning to leave it. Well, it seems that (so far) it works perfectly so  there's no room for criticism!

Next stop : Berlin!

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Thanks very much Nikolay - a great review.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, OSTRAGEHEGE, DRESDEN, 7 JUNE 2017

Today's review is the second review by Daniel Cassus (@dcassus), following up his excellent Leipzig review from 27 May (http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/live-review-depeche-mode-festwiese.html). Once again, thanks very much to Daniel for a hugely enjoyable review and the wonderful pictures. Remember kids, don't use them anywhere without asking first.

Welcome to another review by me, Daniel. This time I’ll tell you a little about the show in Dresden. I’ll try to focus on what’s different from my other review.

The Ostragehende is also a big open air field like the Leipzig Festwiese, but the stage faces north, and with the sun setting at 21:16h directly to your right, it’s quite annoying to have to deal with the sun in your face until the first few songs of the main set.

This time I got really early (14h) to the venue, so my waiting agony was double the length it was before. Happily, I got to meet fellow homie (www.depeche-mode.com) Kimmie and her friends which helped pass the time and also helped me learn how the early birds organize themselves in line. We even faced a hail shower in what was to be a perfect sunny sky. At least we got treated to a little bit of the soundcheck of Walking In My Shoes.

Daniel on the left with Troy

I also got to meet my friend Troy who took a challenge to get the same haircut as the guy from the In Your Room video. I took the challenge of buying a €20 fanny/bum pack (below) with the DM “Bratwurst” logo. Hey, it’s still hip to wear one in Germany (check the name ;). Although I gotta say the quality is really cheap for the price.

The Horrors came on stage 17 minutes earlier than expected, to my pleasure, which meant 20:40h was already “Revolution” time!

Something funny happened with the screen right from the intro all the way into Barrel Of A Gn. There was a glitch and some blocks were out of place. Even a part of the Going Bacwards video stayed there throughout So Much Love and part of Barrel of A Gun.

Dave was wearing grey suit with silver boots this time. Fletch seemed to be wearing neon pink runners. Did I see that right? For a main band member, Fletch has been blending with the background a lot.

This time Corrupt didn’t have all that delay effect from Leipzig, but A Question Of Lust had it. These are the small tweaks you get to notice from watching multiple gigs. Or maybe just a different impression from watching the show from the FOS1 this time.

On the other hand, there was a lot of reverb and delay on In Your Room. Dave also messed up a few lines and just offered the mic to the crowd, in his “something went wrong” style. By the way, why won’t Peter play the bass on In Your Room? It’s definitely a very bass-y song and could benefit from his show of hands.

My impression about Cover Me being slowed down in Leipzig was just that, an impression. The first verse was precisely the same as the studio version. And Martin’s guitar was sharper than before. My favorite rendition of the song so far.

From my Leipzig review you can tell I'm becoming less resistant to Peter’s interventions. He is pretty much doing all the backing vocals on Barrel Of A Gun, more than Martin. He’s also singing on "Heroes". And he's finally got to write for the album. If I had the chance, I'd have all six of them autograph my Spirit vinyl: Dave, Martin, Andy, Christian, Peter, Kurt and James Ford. Anton can sign my tour book with a white marker, of course.

I noticed the rain-protected side lasers were missing this time. Here’s a picture of the stage without them:

Other things I finally noticed from up close:

 -  Martin has red Spirit flags sewed onto his blaze

 - It’s Dave’s silhouette you see “drawn” on the waves of the Wrong projection video.

 - The panning effect during the Everything Counts intro and the engine start from Stripped are mind blowing from so close

Christian spiced the intro of Enjoy The Silence a little bit this time. I know this is a stab in the heart of the purist fans. But it gets them going. Christian has said it before he always changes something here and there between each performance. The problem with ETS for me is Martin’s solo which must be the worst he’s ever done.

However, Martin did seem to have fun making a Chuck Berry duck walk during the intro of Never Let Me Down Again. Homage? Fun? Rock n’ roll spirit? We’ll never know for sure. Martin was in a special mood. Before Somebody, he greeted "Dreeeeesdeeeennn" in a very deep funny voice, and finished with a “danke” and his typical laughter.

Leaving the show was much easier because they started to remove the barriers between the sectors during “Heroes”. I know this because I started to move towards the exit around this time. Sorry, I was too kaputt to endure the final 15 minutes (and this encore really isn’t my favorite). However, the main exit was still blocked when the show ended. It’s where their vans were waiting for them. Since they’re not party animals anymore, it’s only a matter of seconds between the final bow on stage and their french exit from the venue. Vans are gone, the way is clear and leaving the Ostragehege wasn’t the chaos it was to leave the Leipzig Festwiese.

All in all, a more comfortable show than Leipzig, and a lot less crowded. Band in great mood. I hope you enjoyed my review as much as I enjoyed being there.

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We certainly did enjoy it Daniel - thanks very much!

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, OLYMPIC STADIUM, MUNICH, 9 JUNE 2017

I was incredibly jealous of Robbie Sargent (@korsikoff) when he told me he was off to Munich for the Olympic Stadium gig ads I had an amazing time there in 2014 on the Delta Machine tour. A great stadium, a great crowd and a fantastic city. As you'll read in this excellent review, Robbie seemed to enjoy last week's gig as much as I did. Thanks very much Robbie for the review and the photos.

Munich 2017. The Global Spirit Tour. One of the great Depeche Mode weekends. Great city, great weather, great fans, great show and meeting great new friends. Everything a Depeche experience should be. And more. Here's a bit about my personal experience.

I've been fortunate enough to have seen Depeche play a number of shows spanning almost 30 years. In the UK - from the Music For The Masses tour (about 3,500 fans in Bournemouth) right through to the epic London Stadium show last weekend. Highlights to date have been the Royal Albert Hall show in 2010 and the Crystal Palace gig back in 1993 (I still have the t-shirt for that one). 

My first foreign show was the Stade de France gig on the Tour Of The Universe tour, going back here again for the Delta Machine tour. The less said abut the post F1 show in Abu Dhabi the better. 

Anyway, I've always wanted to see them in Germany, with many a Twitter friend opining on how great shows are in this wonderful country - the frenzied fan base and the band feeding off them being the main reasons. Thankfully, my time came on the Spirit tour, where my experience in London and the comments of others throughout the tour has demonstrated the boys from Basildon are on top, top form. 

Munich really is a fabulous city - even more so on a Depeche Mode day. My wife and I spent the morning of the show in the English Garden, enjoying the sunshine (but not the naked men!), before moving to the city centre where we had some lunch in the Hofbrauhaus. We then headed to the stadium with Chris and Sharon at around 4pm. This is partly what is great about Depeche. Chris and I 'met' on Twitter because of the band and we arranged the same hotel for this weekend. We then spent lots of time together over the course of the weekend and my wife and I have been invited to stay with them ahead of the Manchester show later this year. The Black Swarm are one big happy family. 

The arrival at the Olympic Park started with a beer and then our first mission of the afternoon - get some Depeche Mode beakers. These were not on sale in London, but we knew that the European shows were selling them. Sharon really did get quite concerned we weren't going to find any and almost resorted to paying extortionate money to get one via a ridiculously priced cocktail. Anyway, Chris saw sense and advised her to wait until we got into the stadium itself. After a chaotic queue (more like a scrum) we got through security and ticket checks and found a bar selling beer and DM beakers! We ordered four beers and the lady at the bar couldn't understand why we wanted different design beakers - they cost 2 euros and you'd get your money back if you returned them. Sorry, but that's not the point. We need merch!!!! With Sharon satisfied we had a quick look over the stadium and then headed down to the pitch. 

We were standing in the Front of Stage 2, so not right at the front, but certainly close enough to Gahan et al to get a good view as they wandered onto the stage. The set opener, Going Backwards feeling more potent and delivering more expectation of what is to come than any other opener since Higher Love. Closely followed by So Much Love, these two songs evidence the strength of Spirit - songs that can stand up and be counted with the behemoths that are to follow. 

Then comes my least favourite live performance of the night - Barrel Of A Gun. Now, I'll happily sing along to BOAG at home or in the car, and I won't push fast forward when it lands on my iPod, but I just don't like it live. I just think Dave struggles with it a bit (it is a tough song to sing live), but hey ho, if that's all I've got to cry about the all is well with the world!! We then get the marvellous Jacques Lu Cont remix of A Pain That I'm Used To (with added bonus for the women in the audience of Gordeno taking centre stage!) and a superb Corrupt - a song that delivers oodles of dirt and full on Depeche raunchiness. We can forgive Anton's visuals for the glorious In Your Room (and Dave missing the first few lines and being helped back on track by Martin) and then we get one of my all time favourite Depeche songs - the quite brilliant World In My Eyes. Thankfully, Dave stayed on his feet on this occasion, unlike in London. 

And so we have one of the finest openings to a Depeche Mode show for many a year. 

It doesn't stop there. We're well into the standard setlist (maybe it will be changed for the second night in Hannover?) and so we get the marvellous Cover Me. Dave takes his break and Mr Martin L. Gore takes front of stage with a tender version of A Question Of Lust and a full band Home (funnily enough, for all my praise of the German fanbase, I didn't think the obligatory singalong after was as good as London, six days previously). Dave returns for the 'growing on me' track of the tour, Poison Heart. The summer's political anthem, Where's The Revolution (maybe it just happened with a huge upswing in support for the left of centre Labour Party in the U.K. Election the previous day?) was performed with gusto, although my wife was disappointed that the live version didn't have the same syncopation in the chorus as the single release. Nope, I don't know what she's talking about either. 

Wrong keeps the tempo up, fitting in well with the setlist and then, just like London, the splendid opening to Everything Counts is the signal the rain to start falling. But no matter, the darkness has enveloped the stadium and the crowd takes it up a notch, revelling in an all time Mode classic. Another classic follows, Stripped played out to 80,000 phone lights in the night sky. Stunning, just stunning. 

They keep coming now -  Enjoy the Silence creates a huge wave of emotion and the biggest singalong of the night. As I turned to my wife halfway through what I consider to be the greatest pop song ever written and said 'this just makes me smile', I realised why I love this band so much and will travel miles and spend fortunes on seeing them. I've got goosebumps just writing this sat in Munich airport right now!!

The monster that is Never Let Me Down Again eclipses ETS on this night, in this stadium, with these fans. It's an astonishing 6 minutes of huge stadium rock where the crowd is taken away to another place, arms waving and women on their partners' shoulders trying to get a glimpse of the world's greatest front man belting out lyrics that have stood the test of time. O.M.G. (as my 9 year old daughter would say). O.M.F.G. (as I said). 

Depeche at the end of the rainbow

We know they are coming back for an encore. Martin returns to sing a beautiful version of Somebody and then we get a belting Walking In My Shoes. I'm really not sure about the visuals for this one. The screens (both in landscape mode tonight, contrary to London) just seem to distract from the performance rather than complement it. 

Then comes "Heroes". This splits opinion among us fans, but I think it's really well done. You can tell it means something to Dave hence he gives such a fantastic vocal performance to the point where I feel genuinely touched by it. A wonderful decision to have this on the setlist in my view. 

We end with two classics. To be honest, I'm a bit tired of I Feel You in a live set and would happily drop it for something else, maybe it would be better outside of the encore? And then Personal Jesus. Not much I can add to what has already been said about one of the all time greats. What a way to end the show. And what a show. And then, Dave shouted 'see you next time', much to my relief with more gusto than in London. 

If you haven't seen them in Germany, I urge you do so - everything was up a level from London the week before. And I mean everything. The UK may well be Depeche Mode's home. But it's pretty clear to me that Germany is their spiritual home.

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Thanks very much Robbie. See you in Manchester in November!