June 18, 2001
Excitement's back for Depeche Mode

TORONTO -- "Can you feel a little love?" Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan sang out at the Molson Amphitheatre on Saturday night to more than 15,000 adoring fans.

The words from the chorus of the veteran British synth-pop act's latest single, Dream On, were an understatement, judging from the appreciative audience that flooded into the lower aisles of the amphitheatre early in the band's hour-and-50 minute show.

Depeche Mode, who last toured in 1998 in support of a singles collection, certainly seemed in much better shape than when they last visited SkyDome.

Then, Gahan and core members guitarist-keyboardist-songwriter Martin Gore and keyboardist Andy Fletcher appeared to be phoning in their flat, emotionless performances.

On Saturday night, Gahan in particular was full of energy for the second date of their tour, which officially launched Friday night in Montreal. He was bursting with high kicks, jumping jacks and '80s dance moves when he wasn't twirling around the stage holding his mic stand.

Perhaps it was the infusion of new material from the band's month-old new album, Exciter, that jazzed the singer, who has survived both a heroin-cocaine overdose and a suicide attempt in recent years.

Unfortunately, Depeche Mode opened the evening with two of the worst songs from the new record, The Dead Of Night, and The Sweetest Condition, before getting to such good stuff as the older gem, Walking In My Shoes, or the aforementioned Dream On, and the similarly sweet sounding new songs, When The Body Speaks and Free Love.

With a set list heavy on Exciter songs and post-'80s material, much of how you reacted to Saturday night's show depended upon how you felt about the new album. Weaker new tunes like Breathe, sung by Gore, and I Feel Loved didn't help move things along.

The audience responded most enthusiastically to such Depeche Mode classics as Enjoy The Silence, I Feel You, and Personal Jesus -- which prompted big singalongs.

The sound and lighting were, as usual with this band, topnotch and the various black and white and colour imagery projected onto a large white screen behind them was striking.

Particularly tension-building were the goldfish and shark sharing a tank during In Your Room and the small film about the flirtation between Gahan and a coffee-shop waitress that accompanied It's No Good.

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5 Gore, meanwhile, scored the biggest points for his unusual white-and-silver attire, which included an angel's wing on one of his shoulders and the word "exciter" stencilled on the front of his pants. (More on Depeche Mode)