When I was at the Twickenham show last Summer, I was struck by how much of a celebration it was; the whole crowd was enjoying itself and within that crowd, me and my 6 friends were having a great time too. The gig experience was enhanced because of that. After all, sharing good times with your friends and a band you all love, one that you have all loved for more decades than you might care to admit, is a wonderful thing. Ahead of the two gigs last week in Glasgow and Dublin, I wanted to aim for the same experience and hopefully enjoy myself just as much. As it turned out, I had a better time than ever and enjoyed two of the best Depeche gigs I've seen.
Wednesday 31 January - Ovo Hydro, Glasgow
I live in Glasgow, so any Depeche Mode gig that doesn't involve trains or planes is no bad thing. I went to the concert as part of a gang of ten, two of whom (hello Heidi and Carolyn) were seeing Depeche Mode for the first time. As you might imagine, I'd sent them a Spotify playlist with explanatory notes just to make sure they knew what was in-store. It's one of the "perks" of knowing me.
Another perk is that you get a free t-shirt. I realise this increasingly sounds like I have to bribe people to be my friend, so let's move on.
Thanks to a ticket buying cock-up on my part, my wife and I ended up with VIP tickets. Basically, that means that we paid twice the price out friends did and ended up standing with them anyway albeit we at least had something they didn't - a Depeche Mode toilet bag featuring a candle (above) and an eye mask (that and toilet bag below). It also has a lanyard in it too with text on the back making it abundantly clear that wearing it entitles you to no perks at all.
Believe it or not, it's not the only Depeche Mode candle that I own. I think the one below might be a bit more in demand however.
Anyway, to the concert itself. Nadine Shah was superb. I must admit that I'd not heard much of her work before but I was converted immediately. She was a great fit as a support act and if you get the chance to see her on her remaining support slots on this tour, make sure you do.
The Hydro in Glasgow can sometimes sound a but crap but there we're no issues at all last Wednesday. Depeche sounded superb. It was great to see the lights and backdrops for the first few songs indoors too as, until last week, I'd only seen stadium gigs on the tour. The lighting for the opening two tracks My Cosmos Is Mine and Wagging Tongue works brilliantly with those songs. The first half of the set featured a couple of newish changes. It may be maligned by many people, but Policy Of Truth is a bloody marvellous song and it sounded huge in the Hydro. Before We Drown has rightly gone down well since its introduction to the set in London and it sounds fantastic live. It's great to see the band adding in a brand new track late in the tour.
Martin's two songs, Strangelove and Somebody, were wonderful but then I always love Martin's mini set. I also love the version of I Feel You they play on this tour. It's shorter than previous versions and that really helps the song retain its punch.
Behind The Wheel is a welcome addition to the setlist and it's great to see it played with the video on the screens however, I do find its addition at the expense of World In My Eyes a slightly odd one. At last summer's shows, and indeed every show until Behind The Wheel joined the set, World In My Eyes featured a special film that exclusively featured Fletch. It was his favourite song and it gave everyone the chance to pay tribute to him. Personally, I found it very moving each time I saw it and I don't know of any Depeche fans who didn't feel the same. Losing that from the Memento Mori setlist does take something away and that's a shame. Ultimately, the band have paid beautiful tribute to Andy since the album was announced and they may well feel they don't need to keep doing that which is of course entirely their right. Andy's loss was so vast however that it seems a pity that we no longer see that film. While he does of course feature in the Behind The Wheel video, everyone else does too. I don't know, it might be the emotion of both gigs still catching up with me and perhaps this is all just the ramblings of a man who spends too much time thinking about these things. We all still miss you a lot Fletch.
There was one more track I hadn't heard on this tour and it didn't disappoint - Black Celebration. For years, the band haven't quite nailed this but on this tour it is incredible. The new intro really builds the mood and the song is stunning. I went quite berserk when it came on and when they followed it with a thunderous Stripped, I lost my marbles. Two of the finest songs any band has ever written.
The ones that followed weren't bad either of course. Enjoy The Silence sent the entire arena crazy. My friends were jumping around, singing along and everyone around us was too, even the chap behind us who knew all the words but none of the tune. Never Let Me Down Again did what it always does and the closing Personal Jesus almost took the roof off the venue. Absolutely brilliant. Happily, my friends loved it too from the concert veterans such as the two Johns and Andrew, to the debutants. Sharing that gig in my home town with my closest friends was a glorious experience and, the band never play in Glasgow again, that was fine last visit to the city for them.
Saturday 3rd February, 3Arena, Dublin
My word, Dublin was good. The 3Arena really is a tremendous place to see a concert. The venue is big but still feels intimate and the sound, always good whenever I've been there before, was incredible this time. The day before the gig we had a rare old time enjoying a medically unwise amount of Guinness and meeting a few DM fans around the city. That carried outside the gig the next day with the t-shirts again attracting a few hellos. It really is a very odd but lovely experience to meet people who say they love the blog. What started as a way for me to post a few pictures of records really has taken a turn I didn't see coming. On that note, hello to Andy Ryan who we chatted to outside the arena.
The set was the same as Glasgow in the main and that was no problem at all as it was bloody marvellous. Every song sounded incredible and the band were on great form, seemingly more relaxed than normal.
The encore contained the one change from Glasgow and one change that I had not yet seen on the tour. Instead of Waiting For The Night we got Condemnation which I was particularly pleased with as my tuneless roaring along would attest to. Once again, the closing Personal Jesus threatened to take the roof off the place.
Tuesday 6th February, Glasgow
Back in the real world, I've been able to reflect not only on two incredible gigs but also on what made them feel so special. As ever, there is always the feeling that the last leg of any Depeche tour is the last leg they will ever play. They are getting older, as are we, and there is no way that they can do this indefinitely. With the band stripped down to just Martin and Dave now, they may not want to do this again, despite the clear fun they are having every night. No-one outside Dave and Martin know what they want to do of course but I couldn't help feeling that this might be the last big tour, if not the last tour full stop.
If it is to be the last time, then I got to enjoy two of the last Depeche gigs I will see with my friends having a wonderful time enjoying a band that has been a huge part of our lives. Having a great time with great friends soundtracked by the greatest music I have ever heard is no bad way to spend a few days.
That's what made Glasgow and Dublin so special. That's what makes Depeche Mode so special.
