Shuroki Online

 Just caught the Depeche Mode concert last night at the Patriot Center and loved it. This was the first time I’ve seen them perform live and I wasn’t disappointed.. well mostly.

The opening act was The Bravery, which was a welcome surprise. I hadn’t hardly heard any of their music so it was a cool introduction to them.

For Openers

As I said, the opening band was The Bravery. I don’t know anything about them, and hadn’t even heard their “hit” before but I knew the name.

Their sound was a little low and hollow at the beginning, but came up after a few songs. My wife found the lights very distracting, but I didn’t hardly notice them. Overall I was very impressed with their performance. I’ve been really enjoying the mini 80s revival that’s been happening ala The Killers and Franz Ferdinand and I’m sure they all hate being lumped together, but hey – its not my fault they’re 20 years late and sound alike.
The singer sounded like a mix between Robert Smith of The Cure and Bono from U2. The music definitely showed those bands influence, as well as Depeche Mode.

I’m definitely going to buy their album and give it a closer listen. I am afraid that the songs may all sound alike, but I likes what I heard, so that may not be the worst thing. Hey – I love Bad Religon and they’ve only got three basic songs that they play over and over.. The Main Event

The Bravery shuffled off stage after a short 30 minute set and the crew quickly completed alterating things for the main act. The stage setup was pretty minimal with weird UFO looking wraps around three keyboards, a drumset, and giant grey Christamas ornament looking thing to stage right.

The stage was one of my only gripes of the show. The UFO things were OK. The Christmas ornament would light up with “”Sex”", “”Love”", “”Angel”", or “”Vice”" along with random words appropriate to each song in little windows and it was OK. There were some really cool screens along the back that showed live footage as the concert hapenned in a very stylistic/music video sort of way. All of this was fine, but there were some bright ass lights facing out from the stage that were at just the right angle to blind me in parts of the show.Lighting aside, the sound was amazing. Dave’s voice was pitch perfect, and so strong and deep you could feel it in your chest. All of the instruments – including the unamed live drummer – were spot on. It was a distinct pleasure to have the melodies and harmonies wafting all around me. Which brings me to my second gripe – the set list.
I’m 99% sure they played set #2 which was very heavy on their newest music. Well, it seems all of their sets are, which was disappointing. I listened to Depeche Mode from the early 80s up to Music For The Masses of 1987. I’m not sure if it was just snobby purist indignation (how dare they add guitar!) but that album really turned me off. It could also have been less them and more my musical tastes as around that time I started playing in a hardcore band. Listening now, I do like most of the songs on Masses.

For me, their best stuff is from A Broken Frame, Construction Time Again, Some Great Reward, and Black Celebration. I only heard stuff from their newer albums on the radio, until 2001s Exciter (which I actually loved), and the current Playing The Angel.
So – I was very disappointed that from my favorite Depeche Mode era they only played FOUR songs.. and one was one of the Martin-solo slow songs that I can’t stand (Somebody). They played almost the entire new album, as well as quite a few Violator and Songs of Faith And Devotion tracks – which all sounded great – but just weren’t my favs.

Overall it was a tremendous experience that I’ll never forget. I was so happy to finally get to see one of my all time favorite bands – and to see them with my beautiful wife (who is possibly a bigger Depeche fan than I am) – was just icing on the cake.
The moon
Was shining in the sky

Reminding me
Of so many other nights
But they weren’t like last night!