 |
 |
TORONTO - Depeche Mode has been reborn as a band. And lead singer Dave Gahan has never been better live.
Those two things popped into my head last night as the veteran British electro-pop band pulled into the Air Canada Centre to showcase Playing The Angel, their latest album widely considered to be a return to form.
Touring for the first time in four years, Depeche Mode treated a sold-out crowd of 15,000 cheering fans to many songs off their acclaimed new disc, plus hits from their vast '80s and '90s catalogue for two hours.
Gahan, 43, guitarist-keyboardist Martin Gore, 44, and keyboardist Andrew Fletcher, 44, along with a touring drummer and keyboardist, certainly seemed jazzed about their recent rebirth as they spared no expense on their current road show marking 25 years together.
A silver globe to the left of the gleaming stage lit up like a spaceship with red-and-blue lights to herald Depeche Mode's arrival before the siren-like wail of the first new song, A Pain That I'm Used To, kicked off the hi-tech proceedings.
The globe would later flash words like Angel, Pain, Sex, Enjoy, Love, while slick-looking lights and moving video screens sprang to life.
|
An animated Gahan looked slim and sexy in a black suit and black pointy shoes, as he prowled the stage, showing off some mighty dance moves, or wildly twirling his microphone stand.
And whenever he made use of a mini catwalk to get closer to the audience, the crowd went bananas.
Eventually, Gahan revealed he was shirtless as he stripped down to a black vest that showed off his numerous tattoos. Later, the vest came off too.
By comparison, the bespectacled Fletcher looked like a librarian standing behind his silver keyboard console.
Gore, meanwhile, was dressed strangely like a black-chicken-angel-type-thing with a black feathered headdress, black feathered wings on his back, black feathered boots and elaborate silver makeup on his face.
Unfortunately, the theatrical outfit did little to help Gore's melodramatic delivery whenever he took over on lead vocals on three songs including the new tune, Damaged People.
While the first half of the show was largely made up of Playing The Angel material, it took Depeche Mode little time to dip into the past with crowd-pleasers like A Question Of Time, Policy Of Truth and Walking In My Shoes -- the latter which saw Gahan with his arms outstretched to welcome the audience's love with a big smile on his face.
And as well received as the new songs were, including John The Revelator, Precious, Suffer Well, I Want It All, and The Sinner In Me, it was hard to beat the hysterical reception for such anthemic classics as I Feel You, Personal Jesus, Enjoy The Silence, Just Can't Enough, Everything Counts and Never Let Me Down Again.
Opening last night at the ACC were stylish Denmark garage rockers The Raveonettes, whose harmony-heavy, lush, loud guitar sound features the vocals of guitar players Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo.
While the ACC wasn't the most hospitable venue for the quartet, the high-profile slot -- Toronto was their last stop on this tour -- at least gave them a chance to expose their music to the masses.
They began their half-hour set with a cover of Buddy Holly's Everyday, and welcomed a guest turn from Gore, who later joined them for one song.
SET LIST
A Pain That I'm Used To
John The Revelator
A Question Of Time
Policy Of Truth
Precious
Walking In My Shoes
Suffer Well
Damaged People
Home
I Want It All
The Sinner In Me
I Feel You
Behind The Wheel
World In My Eyes
Personal Jesus
Enjoy The Silence
FIRST ENCORE
Somebody
Just Can't Get Enough
Everything Counts
SECOND ENCORE
Never Let Me Down Again
Goodnight Lovers