Depeche Mode
101

June 18, 1988

The Mode inaugurate their 101st official concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with over one hundred thousand attendees eagerly awaiting the start of what will become not just a concert but the concert. The group takes the stage, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder, and Andrew Fletcher take their places behind the three keyboards as David Gaham heads for the microphone.

The live begins with "Pimpf," an instrumental piece lasting one minute, during which the Mode seem to be testing their instruments, while the crowd starts to warm up. At the 58th second, the group blasts us with "Behind the wheel" with its accompanying electronic beats, the audience's shouts, and Mr. Gaham's warm voice: "My little girl/ drive anywhere/ do what you want/ I don't care/ tonight… " It is already clear that the group feels at ease, and David Gaham launches his customary liberating screams, moving on to "Strangelove," one of the group's signature pieces, with Wilder displaying his technical prowess accompanied by his adventure companions: "There'll be times/ when my crimes/ will seem almost unforgivable/ I give in to sin… " foreseeing the group's vastness, while the crowd becomes electric. Immediately after, the band strikes the first notes of "Sacred" (a song from Music for the Masses) with Gore accompanying the first verses alongside the frontman, with the chorus intoning: "Trying to sell a story/ about the eternal glory of love… " At this point, you begin to realize this concert is not like the others, and just as we understand what's about to happen, the 100 BPM of "Something to do" kick in, with Gaham singing the first verses in high tones: "My little girl/ won't you come with me/ and tell me/ is there something to do" and Gore accompanying him for the entire song singing "Is there something to do."

The show continues with "Blasphemous rumors" (a piece from 'Some Great Reward') characterized by the electronic effects present at the start and the lyrics: " A 16-year-old girl/ life ahead of her/ she cut her veins/ bored with life… " Reading the song's lyrics is like plunging into the most hidden and disturbing depths of life. Immediately following is the panting engine of "Stripped" and the Rose Bowl seems on the verge of exploding, Gaham intones: "Come with me/ into the trees/ we'll lay on the grass/ and let the hours pass… " his companions follow along to the rhythm of samples, giving the sensation that the musical world revolves entirely around them. The first CD closes with "Somebody" and "Things you said", calm pieces sung by Martin Gore, allowing everyone to catch their breath.

CD 2 opens with "Black celebration" one of the most famous songs (despite not being released as a single) with the frontman intoning: "Let's have a black celebration/ black celebration/ tonight… " and Wilder accompanying Gaham during the chorus, continuing with "Snake the Disease" (an unreleased track from the collection '81-85'), "Nothing" and "Pleasure Little Treasure" to later reach the international hit "People are People" accompanied by the "industrial" sounds typical of the piece and the direct, immediate lyrics: "People are people so why should it be/ you and I should get along so awfully/ yes, we're not of the same color/ or the same religion… " This piece essentially opened the doors of the American market to the group. The set continues with "A Question of Time" a track from 'Black Celebration', preceded by the drum setting the pace (a 2/4 at 110 BPM), but it is only with "Never Let Me Down Again" that the concert reaches its peak, the audience is now untamable, and at the words "I'm taking a ride/ with my best friend/ I hope he never lets me down again/ he knows where he's taking me… " the arena literally explodes followed by the implosions dictated by the song's rhythm, and Gaham doesn't stop…

We now move on to the calmer "A Question of Lust" (sung by Gore) and "Master and Servant" (a song that encourages a S&M relationship) "There's a new game/ that we like to play/ a game with added reality/ you treat me like a dog/ you make me kneel/ we call it master and servant… " the closure is entrusted to "Just Can't Get Enough" (the only song taken from 'Speak and Spell') and "Everything Counts": "The grabbing hands/ grab all they can/ all for themselves/ after all".

The live closes here amidst 5 minutes of uninterrupted applause, giving an idea of what the Mode represented between 1986 and 1993.

If there was a centesimal scale the score would naturally be 100… +1