Depeche Mode (See the complete slideshow)
Ak-Chin Pavilion
October 8, 2013
Synth-Pop legends Depeche Mode paid a visit to Ak-Chin Pavilion last night to a sea of fans that ranged anywhere from early 20s fans to 40-year-olds who brought their children.
While most bands lose steam as they get older, Depeche Mode seems to age like a fine wine, and judging from last night they still give fans quite a bang for their buck.
The band wasted little time diving into newer material from 2012's Delta Machine with opening tracks "Welcome to My World" and "Angel," which were a bit drab to kick things off. Then band blasted through "Walking In My Shoes" as lead singer Dave Gahan pranced around the stage. Gahan is often overlooked outside of Mode fans in conversations of terrific singers and frontmen, but if anyone has the moves like Jagger it's definitely him.
"Black Celebration" got the die hards dancing in a frenzy, while "Policy of Truth" sounded just as relevant as it did in the 90's
The dark "Barrel of a Gun" was thick and heavily layered with keyboards and Martin Gore's inimitable guitar, and was the highlight of the evening. Gore handled "But Not Tonight" acoustically on his own.
Like Gahan, Gore deserves way more credit then he gets among . Other fan favorites included "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus" before the band left the stage before the encore.
Gore handled vocal duties during the first two songs of the encore on "Shake the Disease" and "Condemnation"--which probably should have been replaced with "Home," which was left off the setlist and had been played on other stops on the tour.
"Just Can't Get Enough" and "Never Let Me Down Again" capped off an impressive night by the iconic synth-pop pioneers.
Critic's Notebook: Last Night: Depeche Mode at Ak-Chin Pavilion The Crowd: All over the place in age, parents with kids all the way to 20 somethings. Overheard: Some guy outside the venue told my friend that he used to be in the goth scene back in the day, and said that he knew what I was doing and that I wasn't goth enough for him. What does that even mean? Personal Bias: I've been a fan of the Mode for years.
See more Depeche Mode photos (and shots of Depeche Mode fans) on Page 3.
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