Depeche Mode Delta Machine Tour Reports

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Delta Machine Tour Reports (Delta Machine Tour Blog)

The first diary, for the Devotional/Exotic tour, was released through DM's Bong magazine. The Singles tour saw both a diary (by Jez Webb) for Bong magazine as well as a tour diary for Depechemode.com. The Exciter Tour and Tour Of The Universe also had tour diaries published on the official site. The Delta Machine tour saw eight tour reports posted in the news section. Dave Gahan's solo tour in 2003 also had its tour diary, written by its live band members. All other tours by Depeche Mode (or solo) did not have tour diaries.

Blog #1: Austin / SXSW
Blog #2: Vienna
Blog #3: The Troubadour
Blog #4: Nice
Blog #5: Athens
Blog #6: Serbia
Blog #7: London
Blog #8: Moscow
Blog #9: Copenhagen
Blog #10: Kiev
Blog #11: Rome
Blog #12: Detroit
Blog #13: Toronto
Blog #14: A Look Back At New York
Blog #15: The California Shows (Part 1)
Blog #16: The California Shows (Part 2)
Blog #17: The Vegas Show Blog (with a buffet of puns)
Blog #18: Abu Dhabi
Blog #19: London
Blog #20: A Look Back At The UK And Ireland Shows
Blog #21: Herning
Blog #22: Gothenburg
Blog #23: The Delta Machine Tour...So Far
Blog #24: Madrid
Blog #25: Lyon
Blog #27: Moscow

The following eight reports were not advertised as a tour blog or diary, but were rather incidental Delta Machine Tour reports for Depechemode.com's News section. There were also entries on the site which did not come with a (lenghty) report but were just concert photos with a brief description. We did not save those brief descriptions, we only saved the longer reports. The authors are HOME administrators Peter a.k.a. "PeterToo", Peter Harper a.k.a. "Big Pete", and Sean Salo. All reports, descriptions and photos were re-uploaded on Depeche Mode's Archives.

 

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Blog #1: Austin / SXSW
author: n/a
date posted: March 15th, 2013
The band played an intimate show at Brozos Hall during the recent SXSW festival (March 15th). Here are some pictures from the event.

 

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Blog #2: Vienna
Vienna
author: n/a
date posted: March 25th, 2013
Last night, the band performed a special showcase set in Vienna. Check out the pictures from the show above
photo credit: Markus Nass / Electronic Beats

 

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Blog #3 The Troubadour

The Troubadour
author: Daniel Barassi
date posted: April 26th, 2013
Depeche Mode played a special show on April 26th, 2013 at The Troubadour in Hollywood. The intimate (less than 400 person capacity) venue hosted a special 45 minute showcase set.

For those of you who were not able to attend, here is a photo gallery of the show.

The last thirteen images were "live tweeted" from the event.

All photos: Daniel Barassi

 

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Blog #3 (2)

 

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Blog #3 (3)

 

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Blog #4: Nice

Nice
author: Peter
date posted: May 4th, 2013
Today's the day Depeche Mode kick off The Delta Machine Tour. After months of rehearsals and preparations, including almost a week of full scale production rehearsals at Palais Nikaia in Nice, everyone's excited to finally get the venue packed with fans.

 

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Blog #4 (2)

 

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Blog #5: Athens

Athens
author: Alex
date posted: May 10th, 2013
Never Let Me Down Again from the video desk - Athens 10/5/13

 

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Blog #6: Serbia

Serbia
author: Alex
date posted: May 23rd, 2013

 

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Blog #7: London

London
author: Pete
date posted: May 31st, 2013

Blog 1: author: Peter Harper | posted: May 31st, 2013 | London

A tour as big as this, there's always a lot going on. Some days, some cities there's a lot more going on than usual. We've just had a couple of those days.

Three weeks into the tour and we're back in the UK for two back-to-back sold out shows at London's O2. For all sorts of reasons London is always special. Not least because there are so many familiar faces around. Suffice to say, I'm glad I'm not involved with allocating tickets and sorting the guest list. Backstage is crazy busy, and there's barely room to catch your breathe until the band actually takes to the stage.

I missed the support band first night, but did manage to see some of Trentemøller's set the second night. He (or they, as he's got a full band with him) will be with us for a few weeks, as we hit Germany. Definitely not to be missed!

Depeche Mode were on great form both nights. Being back to back shows, they changed a substantial portion of the songs for the second show. I think 6 or 7 songs were performed for the first time since the tour started proper. They were clearly having a lot of fun with it. I'll stick up a few pictures along with this.

After the second show, and a quick load out, the crew took to the road... next stop (lemme check)... Munich!

See you out there

Pete

 

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Blog #8: Moscow

Moscow
author: Alex
date posted: June 21st, 2013

 

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Blog #9: Copenhagen

Copenhagen
author: Peter
date posted: June 15th 2013

Blog 2: author: PeterToo | posted: June 15th, 2013 | Copenhagen, June 13th

"So after a string of dates in Germany we've now made it to Denmark. For the trivia hungry folks out there, this is where most of "Violator" was recorded almost 25 years ago. How time flies!

Anyone who's more than glanced at the schedule for this tour will have noticed that there are very few back-to-back shows. This (at the face of it) more leisurely pace means that the crew does the load in and construction the day before the actual show.

So yesterday (June 12) was load in day (a longer than usual ordeal, as the venue wasn't quite ready for us when we arrived), and today is show day at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some 40-odd thousand people in a stadium, and it's raining like the end of days. Thank whatever deity you prefer for roofed stadiums!

The arena feel of the roofed stadium, combined with the huge capacity can some times help create a special atmosphere, and tonight's show was one of those times. Tonight was nothing short of fantastic. I'm sticking up some pictures along with this --the photos were taken by Pete Harper and Mikkel Damsgaard.

After a 2 hour 30 minute load out, it's on to Paris...

PP
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Additional trivia:
Tonight was the first time in 20 years "Judas", "Higher Love", "Walking In My Shoes" and "I Feel You" were played on the same night.

This was Depeche Mode's 18th show in Denmark, and they have just announced the 19th, which will be taking place in Herning on November 29th of this year (tickets go on sale early September)."

 

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Blog #10: Kiev

Kiev
author: Alex
date posted: June 29th, 2013

 

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Blog #11: Rome

Rome
author: Peter
date posted: July 24th, 2013

Blog 3: author: PeterToo | posted: July 20th, 2013 | Rome, July 20th

"As the first leg of the Delta Machine Tour, is heading into it's final week, we've made it to ancient city of Rome for the second stadium show in Italy. Two nights ago San Siro in Milan played host to an amazing audience, and tonight it was the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

One thing really stuck in my mind today: What an absolutely awesome bunch of fans Depeche Mode has. Defying the sweltering temperatures to queue up for hours before doors open, then stand in the sun in front of the stage for hours, and still have enough left in them to be full on throughout both support bands and the 2 hours and 20 minutes of Depeche Mode's set. I am simply in awe!

I caught Motel Connection's set today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A great mixture of live performance and DJ set (including everything from Donna Summer to The Prodigy no less) -- they really got the crowd going.

For the encore Martin and Peter performed "Somebody" for the second time this tour.

After the load out it's a 17 hour drive to Prague for a couple of days of, and then Martin will be celebrating his birthday with about 40k friends at SynotTip Stadium in Prague!

Peter"

 

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Blog #12: Detroit

Detroit
author: Alex
date posted: August 22nd, 2013

 

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Blog #13: Toronto

Toronto
author: Sean
date posted: September 3rd, 2013

Blog 3: author: Sean Salo | posted: September 3rd, 2013 | Toronto, September 1st

"The North American tour made true on its "North" title with its first stop in Canada Sunday night at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, a venue directly on the shore of Lake Ontario. This is one of the few stops on the tour where you could dock your yacht next to the venue. To add colour to the stop, the Canadian National Exhibition ("The Ex") was happening adjacent to the venue, with the requisite carnival rides lit up and doughnut burgers just outside the gates.

Outdoor amphitheaters are the go-to for summer tours in North America, and we were looking forward to seeing the 16,000 fans in the sold out venue. The lower part of the bowl is covered, which worked out well for fans there, as the skies opened up during the show, giving those with lawn tickets an unplanned shower. The sound is generally great in amphitheatres, and the Molson didn't disappoint.

The VIP Nation package buyers chilled at their pre-show reception and swag raffle, which included guitar strings that Martin had used to play "Enjoy the Silence" on at the Atlantic City show as a grand prize -- pretty happy winners there! The backstage area was relatively calm this night, as the band and crew relaxed along the water with the ducks swimming by.

From the opening notes of the intro and "Welcome to My World", the Toronto audience was rabid. Martin performed "The Child Inside" and fan favourite "But Not Tonight." The crowd ate it up, belting out every lyric so faithfully and so loudly, that Martin declared, "It's like a musical!" The audience was fully mesmerized by Anton's visuals, especially during numbers like current single, "Should Be Higher."

Not only were all 32,000 arms swaying wildly during the "Never Let Me Down Again" 'wheat wave', but we're pretty sure we caught a couple of security guards in the front waving too. That had to be sight for the people on the Ferris wheel across the way at "The Ex" to see.

Looking forward to another Canadian show in Montreal before swinging back south for the remaining shows in the U.S.

Sean"

 

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Blog #14: A Look Back At New York

A Look Back At New York
author: Sean
date posted: September 16th, 2013

Blog 4: author: Sean Salo | posted: September 16th, 2013 | New York City

"A Look Back At New York

The Delta Machine Tour made its way back into the US from the Canadian shows last week, starting with two stops in New York.

With New York City's musical and cultural center shifting across the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn, Depeche Mode were the kings of Kings County (Brooklyn) for a night. They were among the first musical acts to have played at the year-old Barclays Center. The experience at Barclays was unique in that there was a large outdoor area under a city-block wide oval LED sign looping above it. Unlike the under-renovation MSG that has hosted the boys in the past, the Barclays Center arena is the dominant presence in the neighborhood, towering over the busy intersection, and providing a spaceship-like plaza for the masses that gathered.

The band relished the opportunity to play the new venue, and the crowd in Brooklyn reciprocated, giving them a hero's welcome and raising the volume level to near-deafening at times. The sound was crisp, and the arena was the first on this leg of the tour to feature a catwalk extending from the stage where Dave and Martin extended the performance space out into the orchestra seats. Crowd stompers like "Enjoy the Silence" and "Never Let Me Down Again" saw Dave teasing the crowd out on it.

Given the show's location, it was perhaps no surprise that recent Brooklyn transplant Vince Clarke was in attendance for what was reportedly his first Depeche Mode gig since leaving the band.

After parties aren't a given at all cities on the tour, but the band's triumphant return to New York gave them a chance to reconnect with old friends and industry folks, and they did so in style in a private section of Barclays, hosting a couple hundred folks who came to celebrate and wish them well.

Nikon at Jones Beach Theater is one of the more unusual amphitheaters in the States, in that the stage is built atop the water of a bay, creating a dramatic view for the audience. It's been a repeated stop for the band since 1986's Black Celebration Tour and is a ritual for New York fans when the band tours. The venue was badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy last year, with much of the stage, backstage and the orchestra having been submerged and covered in seaweed. No signs of the damage remained as the band rocked the beach.

Unlike many other outdoor sheds, there's no roof covering any part of the venue, which gave fans on Sunday an opportunity to enjoy the late summer sunset as Bat For Lashes provided another night of support beautifully for the band, taking the stage at about 6:30pm.

Back during the Music For The Masses Tour, Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark famously supported DM, including a stop at Jones Beach in 1988. Twenty-five years later, OMD's Paul Humphries was among those who attended Sunday's Delta Machine Tour show here.

While the boys have crafted a killer setlist spanning their career for the Delta Machine Tour, they shook it up further on Sunday for the faithful who may have attended both shows in the New York area. The Jones Beach audience was treated to a number of surprises, including "Behind the Wheel," "World in My Eyes" and "John the Revelator." As if those didn't send the crowd into enough of a frenzy, Martin debuted an arrangement of "When the Body Speaks" with Peter, Fletch and Christian supporting him on keys and Mart himself on guitar. "Shake the Disease" and "Somebody" had 15,000 backup singers helping Mart out. Stunning.

The buses continue winding south before heading out west for the remaining shows on this leg. For those who have yet to see them, you're in for a treat.

Sean"

 

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