LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, METROPOL ARENA, BORDEAUX, 24 JANUARY 2018

Today's review comes courtesy of Benjamin Ubu from Nantes, France who runs the superb blog weirdsound.net . As well as this review, you can also find another review on his site and, even though my French is rusty at best, it's a review worth reading if you can. This one is great too - it really captures the vibe of the show. I'd read a lot of positive reports on Home and elsewhere and Benjamin's review backs that up. Thanks very much for this Benjamin and thanks as ever to Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group for the pictures.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Hi everyone, I’m Benjamin, a French fan of Depeche Mode. It is the third time I’m seeing them this year, and I had a blast every time. Thank you very much to David, who gives me the opportunity to write here. It’s a great honor to me, so I’m going to try and tell the story of this wonderful music night the best I can. A big thank you also to Enguerrand Lavaud a friend and capable translator, who prepared this version of the article using his best English.

It’s 2 in the morning and I don’t feel like sleeping. I’m in Bordeaux France, I drove 400 kilometers in a day and it’s raining. As I am writing those words in the room of a cheap hotel that’s built on the edge of the highway, bothered by the noise of the truck’s engines and by my neighbors that I can hear through the paper-thin walls, It looks like I should have a nervous breakdown and stay in bed.

And yet, I feel like the king of the world or even and emperor! Tonight for the second time in 6 month I’ve crossed path with Depeche Mode. And in spite of the late hour I’d really like to talk to you about this encounter!

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

I’ve put my daily grind on hold, and I became once again a child, rediscovering the thrill of earing one of his favorite bands: Depeche Mode.

And it was a F-U-C-K-I-N-G pleasure! So now I  intend to share it all with you: so don’t refuse this present !

Everything started several months ago, when a certain Elodie, reached by yours truly, sends me two seats (well positioned I should add) for the 24th of January 2018 Depeche Mode concert at the Bordeaux Metropole Arena, a brand new shiny venue which had the privilege to be inaugurated by Dave, Martin and Andy.

Weeks are passing, and I’m trying, without success, to receive the green light for a picture with the band, or even better to meet them (I’m kind of an optimistic). The 24 January morning soon is here!

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

We drive for three hours to Bordeaux. Fun fact, we practically had to cancel our journey because we didn’t have the proper mean of payment at the highway toll. But Dave and Martin where looking upon us, so we were able to reach Bordeaux without any other trouble.

As we reach the new Arena, we are left breathless, it is an impressive venue. The inside of the venue is great, hope the locals will use it well! 

The wait is starting…the opening act is a young person with a pleasant voice, she delivers a solid performance although a little conventional to my taste. We are enjoying her phrasing that sounds a bit like Patti Smith, but the similarity goes no further. As she leaves the stage, my tiny sensitive heart his beating faster than ever, I now what’s going to happen in a minute.. 

Just as for their Paris concert in July, a short film promoting the charity the Spirit tour is supporting is shown, It must be meant to remind us that or presence is contributing to a good cause. Then a quick excerpt of the Beatles' Revolution is played as a prelude to Depeche Mode's arrival on stage.

The lights are turned down and in the dark, we are still able to see that the band has arrived, greeted by a general cheering of the crowd, the girls behind me are happily yelling for good measure. I have never had this effect on woman, I assure you it’s daunting! Depeche Mode Starts the gig by the tune Going Backwards, one of my favorite on the Spirit LP.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

To my surprise and for my greatest joy, to following tune is the wonderful It’s No Good! Masterfully delivered by a Dave Gahan obviously at the top of his game. The essential Barrel Of A Gun follows, always very powerful live. 

They keep on rockin with A Pain That I’m Used To (from the LP Playing The Angel), the talented guitarist and composer of most of Depeche Mode songs, Martin Gore, is taking the mic for the backing vocals. Then comes Useless (featured on the Ultra LP). The image on the screen freezes and Dave cracks a joke about the incident before he performs this beautiful song loaded with meaning.

Precious is next, with an unusual musical arrangement, very rock’n roll, that suits the song very well. Dave and Martin seem to be reading my mind since they proceed to a classic of Depeche Mode: World In My Eyes, which is simply gorgeous! Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful moments of the concert.

But stay tuned! They follow with , a great number featured on Spirit,  the enjoyment doubled by the video clip in which we can see Dave play a strange cosmonaut. The songs reveal all its emotional potential, definitely a terrific song.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Now let’s go straight to the song Home, where Martin Gore is offering us a beautiful rendition of this classic from Depeche Mode’s catalogue. I’m really enjoying the vocals of Martin on this last one. Dave then returning for In Your Room always very exciting.

The hit song from Spirit, Where’s the Revolution is finally here, the chorus is being sung as one person by the thousands of happy fans here tonight! At this stage, I owe it to the reader to confess that I am not neutral anymore! After an hour long of music I was already on another planet, but given Dave, Martin and Andy’s energy on stage, we were still getting our money’s worth…

With a really techno sounding intro, Everything Counts arrives without a warning! The crowd’s fervor is now going up a notch, and so does the heat in the arena. But be ready for the rest of the program:  Stripped-  this gorgeous tune that I listen to virtually everyday is being disclosed, and let me tell you,…it doesn’t get any better, I close my eyes and let myself be carried by the music, I hope I remember it until the day I die. As usual it brought me to tears!

You’ll agree with me when I say we already reached a musical orgasm won’t you? But behold, the party isn’t over yet!A n immortal number, dare I say it, the masterpiece of Depeche Mode, is now being launched: Enjoy The Silence! It's a splendid longer version. I feel like I’m about to have a heart attack, but you know what, I don’t care!

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

We are already knocked out plain and simple, Dave and Martin set up to finish the job by throwing at us Never Let Me Down Again… who could remain insensitive to this song ? But we are starting to feel the end of the concert is getting closer… Two hours have passed without us noticing. The band is now leaving the stage, but since we are a couple of smarty-pants, we wait for the encore.

Martin Gore is the first to come back, supported by one musician on the piano, he sings Strangelove. It’s simply beautiful, even the girls behind me have stopped yelling. The rest of the band is now coming back as well, and there they go with Walking In My Shoes, which rings-out…I'm in seventh heaven.

Depeche Mode finishes the concert with two very famous numbers, that have been standing-out in their catalogue for years, A Question Of Time and Personal Jesus! What more could we ask for!? It was a monumental concert!

We leave the venue, surrounded by fulfilled people, we pick up the setlist from the sound engineer, who were at their best tonight. Thanks to you gentlemen. I am a little sad thinking that it is already over, but we’ll have a chance to see them again in July at the Beauregard Festival in Normandy.

Simply happy, we are heading back to our hotel. Depeche Mode is way more than a simple band, in just about an evening they had me forget my daily worries. Once again this communion with them reminded me how important they were to me. Nonetheless, we were 11 000 in this arena tonight, and I think I can safely say that 11 000 people went to bed with a smile on their face tonight.

In any case, this is a nice token of Franco-British friendship, David we can do it again any time !

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Merci Banjamin!

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, MERCEDES-BENZ ARENA, BERLIN, 19 JANUARY 2018

When I saw that Michael Rose was going to the Berlin gig on 19 January I had to ask if he'd be up for reviewing it - thankfully he was. As well as having a Depeche Mode collection that inspires pangs of jealousy every time a new picture pops up on Instagram, Michael has also featured on the BBC's The People's History Of Pop showing off his DM room and he's one of the moderators of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group where I occasionally (ahem) take a picture or two from (thanks for the ones below by the way). Oh and he's hosted the Depeche Facebook Takeover this year too. In other words, he's as qualified to write as review as anyone could be and this is a great read. Thanks Michael and thanks for the photos too all of which are Michael's unless otherwise credited. 

I must begin this review by asking you to indulge me in an introduction of sorts.

You see, this gig was going to be a proper ‘bucket list’ event – Depeche Mode live in Berlin.

This was to be my eighth German gig, having seen them in six other German cities across five tours, the first being over 30 years ago, but never Berlin.

I also need to point out that my wife, Caroline, is a fan too, and this month marked our 10th Wedding Anniversary. For the first time, the dates worked out and we could make it to Berlin, a long standing ambition for both of us. The planets were aligning, this was really going to happen, and it was going to be one hell of a trip!

I landed in Berlin with a list of Depeche Mode related locations I wanted to visit while in the city, and on the day of the gig got off to a flying start by visiting the ‘Hand mit Uhr’ sculpture by Joachim Schmettau, as featured in the video for Everything Counts. Berlin had already made me a happy man!

As we arrived at the arena that evening, the normal pre-gig excitement was building, but with the added element of the unknown: a new city and new venue.

On getting to the bar, I was relieved to see that the ‘Global Spirit Tour’ cups were available: I was going to be able to complete my collection of all four designs! (I do realise that the nerd in me is becoming apparent to you now!). I was also lucky enough at this point to meet up for the first time with long time online acquaintance, and friend of the blog, Panos Sialakas, who had travelled all the way from Greece for the event.

We took our seats in plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere before the show started, and it was already clear that this was going to be something special. It felt different, the excitement in the room palpable, it was truly electric, the anticipation immense.

This only intensified when the ‘Charity Water’ film was shown. When the band appeared on the screen, the place erupted as if they’d really taken to the stage! We, plus the other 17,000 or so others in attendance, knew we didn’t have long to wait.

Right on schedule at 20:45 the lights went down, and the whole venue leapt to its feet, making a deafening roar in the process. I remember turning to look at Caroline to confirm this was actually happening, and letting out my excitement as something audible, but not necessarily coherent.

What follows, in terms of set list, you’re of course all well familiar with by now. The first segment of the set goes as expected, although it highlights that no two Depeche Mode gigs are the same, but you know that already, of course! The band seem to be performing with something added, the songs delivered with such power and passion that the audience are feeding off the energy. Or are the band responding to the audience, feeding off us?

Cover Me has become a clear stand out on this tour, many have it said it before me, but there was something deeply emotional about it tonight as it leads us into Martin’s set. I felt genuinely moved, but hey, maybe that was just the beer?

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

This was night two though, so we have the set list changes to surprise us, surely? I know where the changes are likely to be, and even what those changes could possibly be. So, as Martin takes centre stage, we’re waiting for the first note: what’s he going to sing? Tonight, we get Sister of Night as our first change.

Once Dave has finished conducting the audience for the post Home singalong, he tells the Berlin audience “so much better than last night” (meaning Wednesday, of course), “you’ve been practicing”. Is he right? I’m not to know, but the crowd are eating out of Dave’s hand, and they take it regardless.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

In Your Room follows, and with it, goose bumps. This is my wife’s favourite song, and the version on this tour returns it to its former greatness. When Dave hits the ‘your favourite slave’ line, I turn and put my arm around her, giving a knowing squeeze, words unnecessary. At the same time, a woman behind me screams, overwhelmed, emotional. It’s like she’s in on the moment, and you remember you’re sharing this intimacy with thousands who feel the same, a collective worship.

The biggest shock for me follows, unexpectedly, and for the first time, Where’s The Revolution is dropped from the set as a change, and replaced by Policy Of Truth. I saw just one lonely balloon rise from the crowd, in a sad and futile attempt to recreate the former glory of the ‘Tour of the Universe’ performances.

We go with it, but it’s not the set list change I was hoping for!

Everything Counts goes some way in defining what’s different about this crowd and performance tonight, the place descends into absolute delirium as that brilliant new introduction kicks in. They’re loud, they’re lively, they’re united, and I doubt there’s an unmoved soul in the arena. After a lengthy singalong at the song’s end, Dave even comments that we’re still going, and naturally tells us “Berlin, you really are the best!”. For the first time on this tour, I think I believe him!

Stripped is greeted like an old friend when the intro starts, the momentum continuing with a clear fan favourite. As Dave gives it his all during a monumental Enjoy The Silence, we’re counted in with an ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier’, which goes down well with the native speakers, before heading into the dramatic main set finale of Never Let Me Down Again. I naturally take a moment to survey the whole arena of waving arms, and what a beautiful sight it is, as always!

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Martin returns with another set list change, treating us to Judas. This is followed by yet another crowd rousing performance of Walking In My Shoes. Then, unexpectedly, the audience continues with a previously unheard singalong of the distinctive intro, with even Peter Gordeno joining in and playing a few notes here and there to accompany the audience. ‘Da, da da, da da. Da, da da, da da’!

The fourth, and final set list change for the fact fans is I Feel You in place of A Question of Time, and I have to admit, another change I wasn’t fond of. But that’s not going to spoil anything tonight, and before you know it, we’re drawing this magnificent concert to a close with Personal Jesus, and we’re reaching out and touching faith for all our worth.

We’re spent and deliriously happy, but our night is not over yet. Earlier on in the day, I found out we were lucky enough to have been put on the guest list for the band’s after show party. So, like salmon swimming upstream against a surge of black, we have to make our way through the exiting crowd, in the opposite direction to the lounge where the after show is to take place.

I know we’re in a privileged position, and I’m content to be here having my post gig drink in quite a unique setting, just enjoying the moment.

Fletch arrives first, followed by Christian, Peter and Jez. I leave them to mingle, not wanting to intrude. Martin then makes an appearance, as does Daniel Miller.

I naturally let them catch up with friends and family, and when the time is right, take the opportunity to say hello to Martin. We manage to spend some time with him, and thank him for a great night. We have a few laughs, and of course make sure he’s aware we’ve travelled from Essex! He’s gracious and friendly, and actually confirms that tonight was much better than Wednesday, and that the crowd were incredible, the best night. The band really do feel the difference, it’s definitely a two way relationship.

L-R Caroline, some bloke, Michael

As the night draws to a close, and we leave the venue, we bump into Daniel and get the chance to say hello to him too. A perfect end to what had already been a pretty spectacular night.

Berlin, you really are the best!

Thanks to David for asking me to do this, I’m happy to be involved in such a great project.

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Thanks Michael!

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, LANXESS ARENA, COLOGNE, 15 JANUARY 2018

I knew this project would be an odd experience and it certainly is, but one great consequence of it is making new friends in the Depeche world. One of them is Claudia Schulzi who I've met at a few gigs which is cool and, even though she's contributed so much to this blog already, she volunteered to review the Cologne gig last week. I was delighted as her reviews here and on her superb My Daily Mode Blog site are always a great read. The day of the Cologne gig was also Claudia's birthday and as you'll see, she got a rather nice present from Mr Gahan. Thank you so much for this and the pictures Claudia.

Happiest girl – Depeche Mode, Lanxess Arena, Cologne, 15 January 2018

Good evening everybody, my name is Claudia, I wrote the Manchester review and was a part of the Hamburg review.

I'm so happy to write the review about Cologne, because it was my 52nd birthday and Cologne is my hometown. Can you imagine a better birthday party?

I'm the owner of my own small Depeche Mode Tour blog, David is a part of it now:

http://mydailymodeblog.blogspot.de

We came back on Sunday from Amsterdam and we met many friends in a great vegan restaurant "Bunte Burger". I'm vegan, but the most of my friends are not, but we had a wonderful evening, devotees from different cities, even different continents. Two friends from Tampa arrived to see Depeche Mode in Germany. I'm not sure if there is another band which such good devoted fans.

We had the little hope that Martin Gore will come for dinner to this restaurant, but he didn't.

Later I heard the band stayed in Dusseldorf for the two days, not in Cologne.

Dusseldorf is the neighbourhood city, not far away, smaller, but luxurious.

Next evening we met us all a few hours before the concert in the restaurant in front of the Lanxess arena. Another friend of mine, André has birthday, too, so we celebrated it together with many friends.

Andre and Claudia - Happy Birthday!

And so we went into the arena with such a large group of friends, an amazing warm and embraced feeling.

My expectations were not very high, concerts in the Lanxess Arena are often not very good, bad sound and the audience .... well, the people of Cologne have too many parties.

It often comes differently than you think and luckily it was the same here in Cologne.

From the first minute everybody was standing and the Cologne people greeted Depeche Mode with a huge applause.

I felt so good, everybody brought me drinks, everybody wanted to embrace me, wanted to take pictures with me, can't describe how I felt. Happy, happier, the happiest....happiest girl!

Mr. Gahan was in such an unbelievable mood. A friend said: "something has changed in his mind and yes, that's so true. Never saw him so relaxed like on this tour....touching hands, smiling....

The tempo was really fast in Cologne, it was an amazing feeling to see how my friends enjoyed Depeche Mode. Many of my friends came just for me, not because they are fans. Everyone knows and loves Depeche Mode, but a real fan, no.

They were all conquered by the Mr Gahan.

The magician who cast a spell on everyone!

The strong devotees and the fans, just for one day. To unite everyone, that's true art.

The whole concert was a party, but yes, there was one best moment.

I got many wonderful gifts from my friends this evening but the best present gave my friend Micheal to me.

He took me on his shoulders at Cover Me. You all know the moment when Dave is dancing to the end of the catwalk.

He shook hands, let himself be touched, formed a heart for the fans with his hands and made his "Man in Space" dance.

He must have seen me all the time, because I was at his height, but he ignored me, but then suddenly he turned to me, looked at me, threw me a kiss, I threw one back and then he knocked several times on his heart and then stayed for a while in this pose while he smiled at me.

A birthday gift from Dave Gahan

It was difficult not to fall off Michael's shoulders. When Dave left the catwalk, I climbed off Michael's shoulders and everybody hugged me, it was amazing.

I needed a small pause and went out to the restrooms. Many people spoke to me and said, wow, happy you.

Yes.... happiest girl I ever was!

The concert went on in this unbelievable mood. Sometimes I didn't like it when the people go crazy to the hits, but the Cologne people celebrated all songs and they went really crazy to the hits like  Home,  Everything Counts ( Dave thanked with "Dankeschön), Enjoy The Silence and Never Let Me Down. I spent another two times on the shoulders of Michael and Thomas. Thank you guys for this unforgettable moments.

To fast the concert came to the encore.

I gave really all I had at Personal Jesus. I love my life, I'm a really happy women, but if life had ended in that moment, it would have been fine. Surrounded with your dearest friends, your family, your "Personal Jesus", singing and dancing to your favorite music? Perfect.

Together with Rome the best concert of the whole tour. And I thank you all my friends and family, Depeche Mode and Mr. Gahan for this unforgettable birthday.

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Thanks Claudia.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, MERCEDES-BENZ ARENA, BERLIN, 17 JANUARY 2018

Berlin is one of those cities that most if not all Depeche fans want to see the band play live in. The band's link to the city, the German crowd, the fact that Berlin is a wonderful place - all these add up to make a DM Berlin gig a must see. Luisa Carones (@tanisluis) was one of the lucky gig goers on Wednesday night and this is her review. A lifelong Depeche fan, Luisa only saw the band live for the first time on this tour and she's made the most of it. It's a great read and one you'll really enjoy. Thank you to Luisa and thank you too to Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group for use of the pictures.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

So guys, here I am trying to put into intelligible words for you what I felt – and what I normally feel, for that matter – at a DM gig.

Ever since I – purely on a whim at the back of a VERY black day - answered David’s call over the net for reviewing some uncovered winter leg dates, I have been thinking about what I could possibly write which might be of any interest and which hasn’t been written about this tour yet. Pretty much a hard task, considering that, unlike many of the reviewers here, I’m not such a music expert. I see myself as an average DM fan (well, maybe not that average, as you’ll find out), by now every devotee on the planet knows everything there is to know about every gig and, on top of that, English is not even my language. So, I’ve just decided to have a go and try to convey what goes through my mind and soul at a gig and in preparation for it. Hope you enjoy.

But first things first, I must confess that I have a – VERY – soft spot for Mr Gahan – yeah, who would have thought it, right? – so I apologise in advance if I get a bit carried away on that subject.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

The Global Spirit Tour

My first memory of a DM song is Master And Servant, which in 1984 won me over for its melody, industrial sound, the outstanding warm deep voice of a young baby-faced lad and, yes, its lyrics – I was a naughty girl, wasn’t I?.... Thus, as you can imagine, I’m a pretty old fan. I even remember seeing the boys by chance at Milan Linate airport in (I guess) 1986, with no one else taking notice of them....but, because life is strange and takes you to diverse directions, for many different reasons I have never been able to see the band live until this tour. So you can imagine my anticipation for something I had been waiting to do for 30 odd years. For this tour I was determined to resume my teenage years habit of going to multiple gigs and of doing it alone.

Going Solo

I know it may sound strange to many of you, but going to concerts on my own is my favourite way of enjoying such a special event. I simply love being part of a crowd only united by the same enormous amount of love for what is going on on the stage: I do not want anyone to comment, to talk to me during the concert or to even try to understand and put into words what is happening. I just take in every second of the pure energy flowing from the stage to the audience and back. I do not even take photos, such is my level of involvement in the music and the performance. After all, as “someone” said, we are kind of odd, we just do not fit in with “normal” people, right? So, alone I went, and now that I’m old enough I can choose the best venues I want to attend without asking for anyone’s permission.

As we all know, Berlin is a special place for DM and, having been to Paris, London, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Madrid and Amsterdam (and, of course, most Italian cities), Berlin was still missing to my list, so I set out for this 5-day jaunt to the German capital.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

The Queue

I knew it was going to be tough because of the weather and the German fans: yep, I’m the kind of fan with EE tickets who starts queuing up very early, and in January it can get f**ing cold...and it just happened that on Wednesday it was positively freezing: a cold breeze and hours of snow could discourage less devoted fans. But, oh no, not the German Black Swarm! At gigs in Germany there's always the same group of loyal people who defy any weather condition and start queuing up at the EE gate the NIGHT BEFORE the concert. They are probably hardened by the hell of a weather they normally get, while I'm used to more forgiving climate or, simply, I'm well past the age of spending nights out in the cold like that, so, when I got to the Mercedez-Benz Arena at 7 a.m. (7 in-the-bloody-morning!) I was number 34, which is not bad, though no chance of making it to the front row.

Then the long wait starts, but, as many of you know, that is all part of the fun of going to DM gigs. In the queue you get to meet up with many people you saw at previous gigs – actually we are more or less always the same crazy bunch – you chat with people from all over the world and we share our experiences and emotions. DM fans are just great!

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Doors Opening

During the day the queue is generally quiet and relaxed, but, as the time of doors opening approaches, you can really sense the anticipation and the thrill going through the crowd. Up to that moment we are normal, civilised adults, almost making friends with one another. When security checks start and the doors are about to open however, everyone starts looking at their neighbours as impostors and competitors for the best spot in the pit: no more friends. I would say sharks ready to fight.... I am really glad that security reasons nowadays do not allow running and pushing that much.

As I hinted at above, I have my own preference concerning the band, unfortunately that preference happens to be shared with another hundred women of all ages in the queue, and that’s where the real cat fight begins! Anyway, I think you all guessed which is MY perfect spot in the pit....yeah, that’s right!!! I’ve been incredibly lucky – and strong-willed, and resilient – in the winter leg. I have been standing up front centre stage at many venues, sometimes even first row, generally second or third. I have however always succeeded in standing right opposite Dave’s mic stand, and the ladies here know too well what that means. This time I got to second row, slightly to Dave's left. Luckily I’m quite tall – many on this blog have underlined that tall people seem to concentrate in unusual high percentages at DM gigs, dammit! – and most of the time I can manage to get a great view of the proceedings.

My 2+ Hours Of Bliss

OK, I might be overreacting a bit here, but, actually, every time for me the concert itself is like suspending reality, just let everything go and have a blast. This time around I entered the venue with mixed feelings: in Frankfurt the German audience had felt a bit flat – at least to my Italian sensibility – but I also hoped that Berlin would deliver a different atmosphere. And it did.

As I said, I’m not a music critic so I won’t take you through each song – besides you know the setlist by heart. I just would like you to feel the atmosphere and the emotions of the night.

As soon as the usual charity video was over, the crowd got into a frenzy: the floor audience started to launch into Mexican waves while everyone in the seats was clapping to the rhythm of the DJ set music. This even before the Beatles introduction had started and with the arena still lit. When the lights went off and the familiar boots appeared on the screen, the roar from the audience was stadium like, only to grow even louder when the band walked on stage, turning into thunder when Dave, unexpectedly, stopped for a brief moment at the left of the stage, his back to the audience, his right hand up in the victory gesture, before getting up to the elevated catwalk. That fleeting moment told me that Mr Gahan was in for a serious performance. I know he always delivers, I know he has such a great charisma that no one in the audience can take their eyes off of him for a second, but, maybe because of the special meaning of Berlin, last night his vocal performance was extraordinary. He was extremely focused throughout: in the verses of Useless he hit some amazingly deep baritone - almost bass-like - notes I had never heard him hit before: my soul is still vibrating with that sound. He harmonized the “engine’s humming” lines of Where's The Revolution in a different key, once more his awesome deep silky baritone, which made my ears dancing with joy. I had never witnessed a more consistent and high quality vocal performance, especially in the first half of the set, which, sometimes, just flows by as an intro to the hits part of the gig.

Picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Another vocal highlight for me was In Your Room. That song builds and builds live in a way that the studio version does not, and it also gives Dave the chance to delight us ladies with his mic stand pole dance, which is always received with enthusiastic screams by the female part of the audience. The same must be said of course for World In My Eyes with his repeated suggestive hand gestures and hips movements we lust after (err...ok, I am getting carried away here...). Ahem... getting back to the general atmosphere of the gig, besides the usual crowd pleasers of the second half of the set, the audience, and your reviewer, went nuts for A Pain That I'm Used To and A Question of Time, during which the whole first four or five rows jumped up and down like mad: simply cathartic!

The usual closing to Personal Jesus left everybody exhausted but happy and wanting more.

So, that’s it. As always, the experience is so overwhelmingly magical that I forget the hundreds of times in the queue I said this would be the last time I’m doing such things, that I’m too old for queuing up at night outside concert venues, that I’m too tired and too cold, etc. etc. and I’m ready and eagerly waiting for my next fix (by the way, that will be tomorrow, hoping for the usual slight changes of the setlist on second shows in the same city). I’m almost appalled at the idea that this tour is coming to an end because I know I will sorely miss feeling “my senses to overflow” like this... 

On reading back, I realise that I will probably come across sligthly fangirlish and completely addicted. Yeah, I know, but DM do this, you see.

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Thank you Luisa!

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ZIGGO DOME, AMSTERDAM, 13 JANUARY 2018

Another year, another Depeche Mode gig. I ended 2017's gigs in Paris at an exceptional Depeche concert and, last Saturday, found myself in Amsterdam for my first gig of 2018. Surprisingly enough, once again, it was Depeche Mode.

My Paris review answered the "Why do you go and see Depeche Mode" question as best as I could. To many people, seeing multiple gigs on a tour seems crazy, but yet again, the current Depeche Mode live experience proved to be one well worth travelling to see and one well worth seeing numerous times. I was there with my friends John and Andrew and we concentrated on having a good time, having several beers and singing every single word. It was superb.

Me, John and Andrew - note how both are covering the blog logo. Shoddy.

The Ziggo Dome is one of the best venues I've been to. The sound in the place was incredible and the whole venue was well organised. It puts apparently purpose built venues like Glasgow's Hyrdo to shame really. Every gig I've seen abroad on this tour (Stockholm, Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam) has been a much more enjoyable experience than attending any in Britain. Perhaps it's just that those venues, Dublin aside, are new to me meaning I'm being too harsh on venues at home but the overall I've much preferred these shows to the usual British arena gigs. Even the machines where you bought tokens for the bar were fine in the Ziggo Dome once you worked out what was going on. 

The crowd was on great form on Saturday. The early entry DM fans and those who then got as close to the catwalk as they could were gave support band Pumarosa a good reception too. I quite enjoyed them despite the sound issues they had. As soon as they exited the stage, the Black Swarm descended, the arena going from fairly empty to completely full in a matter of minutes. We took that opportunity to hand out the blog's cards to many baffled people. You only realise how Scottish you sound when you speak to non Scots. God knows what people must have thought but most folk took a card or two which was cool even if it was just out of politeness/fear/anything else.

Depeche were on great form throughout the gig. The setlist was the same as in Paris which was no real surprise. I'd at least like to see Martin change his solo songs (Where's the setlist evolution?) but his solo Strangelove meant that my mate Scott got to hear that song for the first time so fair enough. The highlights were the usual highlights - Going Backwards (a strong, brooding opener, their best since Higher Love in 1993), It's No Good, World In My Eyes, Everything Counts and Never Let Me Down Again. Those songs alone make this tour worth seeing.

Cover Me is a song that really feels at home in a Depeche set. Despite its brilliance, you can't imagine that Going Backwards would feature on any future tour and Where's The Revolution already sounds as if it's had enough, but Cover Me should surely remain in any setlists if the band tour again. It has a feel of a classic Depeche song and is as adventurous a track as they've recorded in years with its lengthy instrumental second half. That it's written by Dave is also a plus as he's matched anything Martin's written on Spirit and that's saying something when you think of some of the tracks on the album. 

If there are any negatives to be taken from the current live shows, it's definitely the absence of Spirit material. I think dropping So Much Love is a mistake, despite It's No Good being a superb choice for track 2 of the setlist. I don't think anyone misses Poison Heart, especially bar staff at venues who were overwhelmed with customers when it came on, but I really wish the band had been braver and picked, say,  Scum for inclusion. Perhaps Martin could have had a go at Fail? Fewer Spirit songs means more Ultra songs though so that's not too bad a compromise.

Pickiness aside, Saturday's show was yet more evidence that Depeche Mode are in their best form in years. The show bursts with energy, the set is nicely balanced and the run of songs from Everything Counts onwards is sensational. I don't think many fans expected this good a tour and it's a pleasure to have seen so many gigs.

That's it for me until Berlin on July 25th. I didn't get to meet as many people as I wanted at the weekend, so I hope there will be a chance to catch up in Berlin. I have a feeling that will be quite a gig and, well, more than a party.

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, BARCLAYCARD ARENA, HAMBURG, 11 JANUARY 2018

This whole project relies entirely on people being kind enough to help me out by taking time out of their otherwise busy lives to write reviews and it's something that I'm beyond grateful for. The original reviewer for this gig Natalie Gladkaya was sadly unwell and couldn't make the Hamburg show - hope you feel better soon Natalie. I had to find a replacement and it wasn't until the gig had basically started that I got not one but three: Claudia Schulzi, Thomas Ostermann and Michael Pinzon. Thomas messaged me on Facebook and said the three of them could cover the gig and that was superb news. Happily I got to meet them in Amsterdam at the weekend to say thanks. The review is a wonderful read. Thanks so much to Claudia, Thomas and Michael for stepping in at the last minute, for the review and for the pictures too.

The world we live in and live Hamburg - review by Thomas Ostermann, Michael Pinzon and Claudia Schulzi

The tour started again two days ago in Copenhagen and we all are happy to meet up again in Hamburg. Ohst and me we met the first time in 2001 and we met Michael the first time on the Delta Machine tour.

Sometimes the chemistry works and we three are like the Stooges.

We were almost in the arena, as we read, that David didn't have a reviewer for the Hamburg concert and we decided  to takeover David's blog for Hamburg.

So here we are in the train to Amsterdam with the first wine of the day and start to write this blog.

Hamburg was always a good Depeche Mode location. They recorded the genius video there, "The World We Live In And Live In Hamburg" on December 14, 1984.

Schulzi was there, she saw Depeche Mode including this concert 9 times, Thomas 5 concerts, Michael 3.

Now is time to answer some questions. We are only allowed one sentence answers.

Depeche Mode:

Thomas: What can I say?

Michael: Oh Shit!

Schulzi: Can't live without them

Dave Gahan:

Thomas: strongest man of the universe

Michael: best ramp pig of the world, in German we say Rampensau

Schulzi: love of my life

Martin Lee Gore:

Thomas: „Spielführer“

Michael: Martin, my genius

Schulzi: he wrote the soundtrack of my life but I have a split relationship to him, a kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Fletch:

Thomas: my personal highlight of this tour

Michael: my secret hero

Schulzi: the one and only

Peter Gordeno:

Thomas: are you kidding me?

Michael: unfortunately he is in

Claudia: who?

Christian Eigner:

Thomas: Trommelkasper

Michael: I like him

Schulzi: Mr. Fletcher shook out hands in Torino in the band hotel, Mr. Eigner didn't want to do a picture with us there, that's all I have to say about him

Hamburg:

Thomas: The fishmarket, "Schlagermove", friends and very good concerts of Depeche Mode

Michael: Elphi, Manja, miniature wonderland

Schulzi: lived there a year, not my mentality, but always good concerts of Depeche Mode

Barclaycard Arena:

Thomas: best organisation of the whole tour

Michael: best organisation ever

Schulzi: well organized arena, such a good FOS area, good sound

Audience in Hamburg:

Thomas: not like the Hesse, but quite good

Michael: very good

Schulzi: I'm a bit surprised, we could walk to row 5 after the first five songs

Best Song Of The Evening:

Thomas: Everything Counts

Michael: Cover Me

Schulzi: Personal Jesus

Worst Song Of The Evening:

Thomas: Precious

Michael: Barrel Of A Gun

Schulzi: Precious

Going Backwards:

Thomas: great opener

Michael: I love it

Schulzi: Mr. Gahan comes on the stage, best moment

Cover Me:

Thomas: highlight

Michael: my secret highlight

Schulzi: what a performance, show all what Mr. Gahan can do. Best frontman of the world for ever and ever.

Home:

Thomas: thank you for bringing me here

Michael: for showing me home

Schulzi: for singing these tears

Everything Counts:

Thomas: I love this song from the first moment I heard it. 1983 my brother played a self recorded tape, altough he hates Depeche Mode

Michael: I was surprised that they play this song again, my highlight

Schulzi: my hymn

Special moments of the evening:

Dave greeted the fans twice, after Barrel Of A Gun the first time and again after World In My Eyes. Very funny moment as he said it again: Good evening Hambuuuurg!

World In My Eyes : the screening was longer than normal.

Dave was in an unbelievable mood, he smiled the whole evening.

As they left the stage Dave clapped Andy's ass. The mood was very good on stage.

In total conclusion a very very good concert, a great comeback.

After the concert we were on the Aftershow Party in the Markthalle with DJ Niggels.

We all are happy to be on tour again and looking forward to this wonderful year with Depeche Mode.

Only one hour ago from Amsterdam we looking forward to meet you, David.... almost predictable.

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Thanks very, very much Claudia, Thomas and Michael

LIVE REVIEW: DEPECHE MODE, ROYAL ARENA, COPENHAGEN, 9 JANUARY 2018

For the first gig of 2018, it's great to welcome Martin Sernestrand back to reviewing duties. Martin covered the first Copengahen gig of the tour back in May and I was delighted when he said he'd be travelling from Gothenburg to Copenhagen once again in January and asked if he could review this gig. Many of you will know Martin from his stunning Depeche Mode collection and others will know him from his book Deepche Mode In Sweden - see http://www.depechemodeisverige.se. Go and check out the book as it's well worth a read. Thanks very much to Martin for this review and for the superb pictures too. 

It does not take many minutes for the synthpop icons Depeche Mode to prove their greatness. Going Backwards launches the evening and the year's first concert on the Global Spirit Tour. Led by the sympathetic front figure of Dave Gahan, the group immediately show all of us, who have been wise enough to travel to the Danish capital this Tuesday, that they are hungry for more. To get the singer's smiley look smiling at me already in the first track is amazing. I'm getting both glad and a little bit embarrassed.

The setlist looks the same as last time I saw them in December, but that is nothing that worries me remarkably nor is it anything that interferes with the overall experience. The nostalgia bomb towards the end is absolutely wonderful. 

Everything Counts begins some magic minutes, as after that Stripped, Enjoy The Silence and Never Let Me Down Again are played at a furious pace before Dave Gahan, with a happy facial expression leads the group to the end, ploughing through the usual set.

Cheerfully, of course, when Martin Gore climbs on stage alone with Peter Gordeno, he sings an acoustic version of Strangelove before Walking in My Shoes, A Question of Time and Personal Jesus ends the encore. 

However, I can not let go of the idea that they could have become even more elaborate in the selection of songs - especially in the first half of the set. To a great extent, David Gahan, Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher continue to make a fresh alternative to other old 80's bands. But one question remains: when Depeche Mode's song material is so strong, why does the band strive to repeat the same old songs as they have done over the last 15 years. 

Somewhat unexpectedly, however, the band is not playing I Feel You. What is even more surprising is that they do not replace it with any other old track. Anyway that is not important - what is important is that Depeche Mode rarely gets better than this.

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Thank you Martin!