Show Review: Depeche Mode, ‘Tour Of The Universe’ SLC
By Amy Spencer ~
Depeche Mode have had a rough year, but their energetic performance on Tuesday night at the E Center proved they will never let us down.
The show opened with the seductive synths of ‘In Chains’ off their latest album ‘Sounds Of The Universe’. The crowd roared as Andrew Fletcher, Martin Gore and an additional keyboardist and a drummer took stage. Once frontman David Gahan arrived in his black blazer and tight pants and did his signature hip move, the crowd — especially the ladies — went wild.
Behind the band stood a large wall of LCDs that varied between images of the bands performance and pre-recorded footage, all of it timed perfectly with each song.
After performing ‘Wrong’ and ‘Hole To Feed’ from their latest album, they jumped into a mid-’90s favorite, ‘Walking In My Shoes’. At this point, Gahan had a chance to rest his vocals (without canceling the show!) and invited the crowd to sing the chorus. He continued letting the audience do the singing on ‘It’s No Good’.
Finally going into a classic, ‘A Question Of Time’, we got to see Gahan’s other signature more — the mic-stand spin. Hot! (Yes, I’ve had a crush on him since I was 12!). Following the solid and gorgeous vocal showcases on ‘Precious’ and ‘Fly On The Windscreen’, Martin Gore took over as the frontman to sing ‘Jezebel’ and ‘A Question Of Lust’, with merely a piano to back his vocals.
Gahan returned to sing ‘Miles Away/ The Truth Is’ and ‘Policy Of Truth’. The mood set with Gahan’s sultry crooning of ‘In Your Room’ and a rockin’ rendition of ‘I Feel You’. Fans sang along with ‘Enjoy The Silence’ with a fun video of the band wearing spacesuits and ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ before the band left the stage.
The first encore brought Martin Gore back to the front to sing ‘Shake The Disease’ with just the piano. His vocals are such an important part of the song and I missed Gahan’s part, but I love Gore’s voice so much that it was a treat. The full band was back to perform ‘Stripped’ which led into a sexy version, thanks in part to the girl-on-girl LCD visuals, of ‘Strangelove’.
For the second encore, Gore began strumming the bluesy melody of ‘Personal Jesus’ on the guitar and the band followed with the keyboards and drums for one of the catchiest songs in the bands almost 30-year discography.
The last song may have been the biggest treat of the night. Gahan and Gore walked to the end of the catwalk between the chairs and harmonized ‘Waiting For The Night’, a beautiful song off the 1990 album ‘Violator’.
The sound at the E Center was a little muddy, especially compared to the crisp sound I remember from when Depeche Mode performed there ‘Touring the Angel’ in 2006. I can’t complain, anytime I get to see the first band that I ever deemed “my favorite,” they put a smile on my face.
Source: InThisWeek.com
