On Stage: DEPECHE MODE

Vor 150 Tagen …
So war der Abend mit DEPECHE MODE
29.06.2023, Frankfurt am Main, Deutsche-Bank-Park

After the sudden death of keyboardist Andrew Fletcher in May 2022, Depeche Mode’s loyal fan base was unsure whether they would ever see their favorite band live again. The relief was all the greater when the remaining band members Martin Gore and Dave Gahan announced that there would be an extensive world tour to accompany the album “Memento Mori”, which will be released in March 2023. We attended the first of two concerts in Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park on 29.06.2023. On entering the huge stadium, the simple stage with an oversized illuminated “M” as the central element immediately caught the eye. There were large video walls both behind the stage and on the sides. At the front, a long catwalk led far into the audience area.

New and classic
The band started punctually at 8:45 pm with the intro “Speak to Me” and Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and the tour musicians Peter Gordeno (keyboards and bass) and Christian Eigner (drums) entered the stage to thunderous applause. The concert opened with the rather minimalist “My Cosmos Is Mine” from the current album “Memento Mori”. Live, the song seemed even darker and more threatening than in the studio version. During the following “Wagging Tongue”, also from the new album, things got a lot livelier on stage and in the audience. Dave, now without his jacket, danced across the stage in his familiar style, swinging his hips and writhing around the microphone stand. The first classic of the evening followed with “Walking in My Shoes” and the audience didn’t have to be encouraged to sing along. You could immediately feel the energy from the band spilling over to the fans. While Martin coaxed the right notes out of his guitar, Dave pranced across the stage or twirled the microphone stand over his head. They definitely had a lot of fun on and in front of the stage at this concert. The following “It`s No Good” was accompanied by video recordings of the well-known donkey-on-the-beach scenes by regular photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn, while Dave Gahan impressed with expressive facial expressions and convincing vocal power. Things continued on a more emotional and calmer note with “Sister of Night”. The set picked up speed again with “In Your Room”, the classic “Everything Counts” and “Precious”. The presence that Dave and Martin radiate from the stage and captivate the audience is hard to describe.

In memory of…
Another track from the “Memento Mori” album followed with “Speak to Me”, before Dave took a short break and left the microphone to Martin alone. During the soulful rendition of “A Question of Lust”, Martin went to the end of the catwalk, conducted the singing audience from there and visibly enjoyed bathing in the crowd. A stripped-down version of “Soul with Me” was even more emotional and gave the stadium goosebumps. Now Dave returned to the stage and things got more danceable and dynamic again with “Ghost Again”, “I Feel You” and “A Pain That I’m Used to”. The emotional climax of the evening was reached with the following “World in My Eyes”. This song was dedicated entirely to the late co-founder of the band Andrew Fletcher. Since it was his favorite song in the band, Dave and Martin chose it for their tribute to him. Photos of Andy could be seen on the video screens throughout the song, while the musicians themselves remained discreetly in the background. Dave Gahan walked to the front of the catwalk just once to form his hands into the spectacle gesture of the single cover, providing the next goosebump moment of the evening as the entire audience commemorated Andrew Fletcher with this gesture.

Don’t get enough
“Wrong” then slowly brought everyone out of this emotional moment, before the whole stadium went wild again with “Stripped”. “John the Revelator” brought the regular set to a rocking close. It ended with a particularly long version of “Enjoy the Silence”, during which the audience didn’t want to stop singing. For minutes the fans had to call for an encore, then Depeche Mode came back on stage for four more songs. Dave and Martin sang “Waiting for the Night” as a duet at the end of the catwalk, in the middle of the audience, so to speak. At the end of the song, they both hugged each other warmly and received ten thousand cheers. They continued with the poppy “Just Can’t Get Enough” from the band’s early phase and the choruses didn’t want to fall silent here either. “Never Let Me Down Again” was an indescribable sight as the whole arena waved their arms. A fantastic concert evening came to an end with the acclaimed “Personal Jesus”.

Text & Photos: Stefan Otto

Setlist:
“Intro: Speak to Me (Outro)” – “My Cosmos Is Mine” – “Wagging Tongue” – “Walking in My Shoes” – “It’s No Good” – “Sister of Night” – “In Your Room (Zephyr Mix)” – “Everything Counts” – “Precious” – “Speak to Me” – “A Question of Lust” – “Soul with Me” – “Ghosts Again” – “I Feel You” – “A Pain That I’m Used to (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)” – “World in My Eyes” – “Wrong” – “Stripped” – “John the Revelator” – “Enjoy the Silence” — “Waiting for the Night” – “Just Can’t Get Enough” – “Never Let Me Down Again” – “Personal Jesus”

Fancy Depeche Mode live? Here are the dates:
22.01.2024 London, The O2, Great Britain
24.01.2024 Birmingham, Utilita Arena, Great Britain
29.01.2024 Manchester, AO Arena, Great Britain
31.01.2024 Glasgow, OVO Hydro, United Kingdom
03.02.2024 Dublin, 3Arena, Ireland
06.02.2024 Antwerp, Sportpaleis, Belgium
08.02.2024 Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
10.02.2024 Copenhagen, Royal Arena, Denmark
13.02.2024 Berlin, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany
15.02.2024 Berlin, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany
17.02.2024 Hamburg, Barclays Arena, Germany
22.02.2024 Prague, O2 Arena, Czech Republic
24.02.2024 Prague, O2 Arena, Czech Republic
27.02.2024 Lodz, Atlas Arena, Poland
29.02.2024 Lodz, Atlas Arena, Poland
03.03.2024 Paris, Accor-Arena, France
05.03.2024 Paris, Accor-Arena, France
07.03.2024 Munich, Olympiahalle, Germany
12.03.2024 Madrid, WiZink Center, Spain
14.03.2024 Madrid, WiZink-Center Spain
16.03.2024 Barcelona, Palau Sant Jordi, Spain
19.03.2024 Lisbon, Altice Arena, Portugal
21.03.2024 Bilbao, BEC Exhibition Center, Spain
23.03.2024 Turin, Pala Alpitour, Italy
26.03.2024 Budapest, MVM Dome, Hungary
28.03.2024 Milan, Mediolanum Forum, Italy
30.03.2024 Milan, Mediolanum Forum, Italy
03.04.2024 Cologne, Lanxess Arena, Germany
05.04.2024 Cologne, Lanxess Arena, Germany

For the last time: the “Dark Mystery” calendar 2024

Listen to Depeche Mode in our “Current Issue” playlist on Spotify:

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