Reach out, touch faith

So I got to fulfill a lifelong dream yesterday and finally see Depeche Mode live in concert. I got there early enough to catch both opening bands. First up was She Wants Revenge, who basically can be summed up like this, imagine if Peter Murphy and Robert Smith produced a scruffy son who fronted a band playing some of the edgier Depeche Mode tunes (think "I Feel You"), and you've pretty much got this band. They weren't bad at all, but nothing to write home about either.

Now Scissor Sisters, on the other hand, kicked total ass. I suspect this is a band that saw "Velvet Goldmine" and decided that they wanted to base their musical tastes and general style on it. They started with their better known tune, "Take Your Mama Out" which was recording studio perfect, they were so fun and upbeat the audience really got into them. But two moments during their performance convinced me that I should pick up their cd, the first was the lead female vocalist announcing "This is all my adolescent New Wave fantasies come true!". She was utterly adorable. The second was when they kicked into this dancey disco number and I catch the lyrics, "Hello...is there anybody in there?" I paused and said, "No way..." Sure enough they continued with, "Just nod if you can hear me, is there anyone home?" I burst into laughter, they'd actually turned "Comfortably Numb" into a peppy dance tune, and they'd totally won my heart.

But as much fun as they were, they knew what we were all there for, and they dedicated their last song, "Filthy/Gorgeous" to Martin Gore which made all the fans lose their shit. They left the stage and we finally got to see some of the goodies that DM had in store for us, including a giant root head! Hee. The robot head actually listed some of the lyrics to each upcoming song, which helped us to anticipate what was coming next, and the screens in the back showed us both close ups of the band and all kinds of wacky images as well (as one would expect).

When the band came on they started with "A Pain that I'm Used to" and did a set from the new cd, the crowd was on its feet from the first moment they came on through to the end of the encore. After getting through the obligatory new stuff they kicked into the older stuff that made the fans nutty. "Walking in my Shoes" and "Enjoy the Silence" really got the crowd bouncing. When Dave went offstage and Martin took the spotlight I wondered which song he was going to kick into, and when it was "Home" I just about lost it, it's a challenging song to do live and Martin was superb! After that I began my quiet mantra, "Please let them do Personal Jesus, please, please, please." And it was as if my prayers had been answered directly as they lit into "Personal Jesus" that kicked such ass the entire audience just went mental.

I'd been considering buying a recording of the concert before then, but afterwards, I knew it would be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.


I'd meant to write down the playlist but forgot that the evening was one with a new moon so the only light was coming from the stage and I wasn't nearly close enough for that to help too terribly much. So I looked it up, and thanks to the power of Google, I present you with:Playing the Angel playlists

This is quite possibly the best review I've read of the concert and it really does sum up a lot of my own reactions:

Dave Gahan was wearing his usual:

Tight black pants + suit jacket. This quickly became...
Tight black pants + leather vest, then finally...
Tight black pants + glistening six-pack + tattoos.

Fletch wore his usual glasses / Casual Dad look (not that there's anything wrong with that). All the better for his "hit keyboard key, then raise your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care" schtick. There was a live drummer. And then...there was Martin.

Oh, Martin Gore. Seventh Sartorial Wonder of the rock world. Who else can get away with wearing (among other outfits over the years) bondage gear, frilly dresses, rubber pants, black nailpolish and a curly bleached coif on stage? I submit to you last night's getup:3 Nov 2005 St. Petersburg FL, photo by Nick Mariano

Black boots covered in feathers, black leggings, a black pleated leather kilt, black top, black feathered wings, and...oh, I couldn't even make this up: a black chullo-style hat with a giant, fuzzy wool mohawk on top, akin to a Tibetan lama's headdress. Not bad for an ex-bank teller, eh?

[...]

Speaking of equipment, let's discuss ex-heroin-overdoser Dave Gahan's fine physique, shall we?

(My vocabulary has progressed beyond "omigod! like, totally!", but in many ways I remain a 14-year-old-girl when it comes to seeing a show like this).

He's 43, he's still pumping those mike stands in the air like Henry Rollins on a weightstack bender, and whatever else he's doing to train is clearly working. Perhaps it's his dance moves, unchanged since 1980-something? I can see the workout tape now: fight fat with Dave's Whirling Dervish Workout!


They forgot to mention Martin Gore's little black angel wings, of course, they were absolutely adorable :) Also, whoever was controlling the cameras, they knew what the audience wanted to see and we got incredibly loving close ups of Dave Gahan's crotch and ass. Me, the gay couple to my left, and surprisingly enough the straight guy to my right all reacted to that with delighted hoots. Whoever that camera person was, I'd like to thank them for a very enjoyable memory.

The concert also proved to me two things, one if I were to ever have a wild fling with a member of DM it'd definitely be Dave, but I'd dearly love to go shopping with Martin, I think we'd have a lovely time.

In short the concert was everything I'd hoped for and more, and if you get the chance to see them you really should, they're so worth it.