Depeche Mode Exciter Tour Diary

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Exciter Tour Diary

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.

The Exciter Tour Diaries were written by Nichelle Carlson whose job on the Exciter Tour was to handle all the press and promotion, organize all the interviews that need to take place as well as the photographers and TV crews that come to the shows. She also took care of the "meet and greets" that take place in each city. Nichelle's diaries are meant to be an insight into the "behind the scenes" aspect of the tour. They are not meant to be a song-by-song account of each show. On days that Nichelle was unable to record events, depechemode.com webmaster "BRAT" filled in as story writer. This tour diary can also be found on the official site.

Blog #1: Intro
Blog #2: Rehearsals
Blog #3: Quebec City
Blog #4: Ottawa
Blog #5: Montreal
Blog #6: Montreal and Toronto
Blog #7: St. Paul
Blog #8: Chicago
Blog #9: Day Off
Blog #10: Day Off / Letterman show
Blog #11: New York City
Blog #12: New York City
Blog #13: Day Off
Blog #14: Philadelphia
Blog #15: Boston
Blog #16: Jones Beach
Blog #17: New York
Blog #18: Washington DC
Blog #19: Ft. Lauderdale
Blog #20: Tampa
Blog #21: Atlanta
Blog #22: New Orleans
Blog #23: New Orleans
Blog #24: Houston
Blog #25: Los Angeles (day off)
Blog #26: Vancouver, B.C.
Blog #27: Seattle, WA
Blog #28: San Francisco (Day Off)
Blog #29: Mountain View
Blog #30: Santa Barbara
Blog #31: Burbank (The Tonight Show)
Blog #32: Las Vegas
Blog #33: Phoenix
Blog #34: San Diego
Blog #35: Los Angeles
Blog #36: Los Angeles
Blog #37: Anaheim
Blog #38: Anaheim
Blog #39: Tallinn, Estonia (day off)
Blog #40: Tallinn, Estonia
Blog #41: Tallinn, Estonia
Blog #42: Riga, Latvia
Blog #43: Hamburg, Germany
Blog #44: Vienna, Austria
Blog #45: Moscow, Russia
Blog #46: Moscow, Russia
Blog #47: Helsinki, Finland
Blog #48: Munich, Germany
Blog #49: Stuttgart, Germany
Blog #50: Oberhausen, Germany
Blog #51: Frankfurt, Germany
Blog #52: Madrid, Spain
Blog #53: London, UK
Blog #54: Manchester, UK
Blog #55: Birmingham, UK
Blog #56: Istanbul, Turkey
Blog #57: Istanbul, Turkey
Blog #58: Istanbul, Turkey
Blog #59: Mannhein, Germany
Blog #60: Frankfurt, Germany
Blog #61: Los Angeles, CA

 

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Blog #1: Intro

Intro
author: Nichelle
date posted: Thursday, June 7, 2001

"We got into Quebec City at about 11:30 PM and began rehearsals Friday at the venue - Colisee Pepsi. It is so amazing to see everything up and working after so much preparation. It is also so different hearing the guys perform in a large venue rather than the tiny studio they were previously practicing in up in Santa Barbara.
On Saturday, there were some interviews with Canadian press that went very well - a couple of daily papers along with some TVs. We also had 6 contest winners from 3 different radio stations come and meet the band, then stay for 30 minutes of the rehearsal. They all seemed to enjoy it and were able to take part in a very special event."

Images: There are no multimedia items for this blog entry.

 

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Blog #2 Rehearsals

Rehearsals
author: Nichelle
date posted: Sunday, June 10, 2001

"Tonight we had a dress rehearsal, which was fun because the guys wore what they are going to wear for the first show, and the set went along with no stops. They sounded amazing and the lights and projections looked great. We are all very excited for the first show on Monday."

Images: There are no multimedia items for this blog entry.

 

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Blog #3 Quebec City

Quebec City
author: Nichelle
date posted: Tuesday, June 12, 2001

"The show went very well last night, but there were a few mishaps with the projections. For It's No Good, the projection was not put up in time, so the audience was not able to see Anton's work. Jordan (backup singer) also had some problems hearing herself, but that is why we had these first few shows, to fix those problems and make everything perfect! Though the venue was not completely sold out, the crowd was amazing and very into it. During Never Let Me Down Again, they went crazy and sang along to every word.
Afterwards, some people came back to the "Pub" as we call it - the hang out room at the venue. Of course there is table football in there as well as a ping pong table. The guys were very happy with the show and it made them excited for more to come.
This afternoon we took our plane to Ottawa - our first time on the new plane that we are going to have for the US leg of the tour. Let me tell you, it is a pretty nice one and one that I think we all will be very comfortable on!
Tomorrow we have our show in Ottawa, so I need to start organizing some things for that. Will write more later. . ."

 

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Blog #3 (photo 2)

 

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Blog #3 (photo 3)

 

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Blog #4 Ottawa

Ottawa
author: Nichelle
date posted: Thursday, June 14, 2001

"Ottawa show went well, though not overwhelmingly crowded. We are all excited for Montreal and Toronto as those shows have sold amazingly well. And today we have a day off - yeah!"

Images: There are no multimedia items for this blog entry.

 

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Blog #5 Montreal

Montreal
author: Nichelle
date posted: Friday, June 15, 2001

Today is the Montreal show - looking forward to it. I think we sold about 12,500 tickets, yeah! Our first decent size show thus far. I am so excited and have realized that the crowd makes such a difference.
We also have a photographer from MAGIC here - a magazine in France. He is going to take pictures all throughout the night, before, during and after. The photographer and one other (JC from Virgin) flew in that morning from Paris, are going to hang out for the show, then fly back in the morning. They seem a bit tired - I wonder why!

Images: There are no multimedia items for this blog entry.

 

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Blog #6 Montreal and Toronto

Montreal and Toronto
author: Nichelle
date posted: Sunday, June 17, 2001

"So the last two days have been pretty amazing. The Montreal show was fantastic - the guys kept saying afterwards that they could barely hear themselves because the crowd was so loud. Others also said the same thing - the loudest crowd they have ever heard. And when you are in a venue that is completely full, there is just so much energy.
We were also graced with the presence of our two agents - Carole Kinzel (US agent) and Andrew Zweck (European agent). It was great to have both of them there, and to listen to Andrew's jokes! Carole also had fun with us in the bar afterwards, let me tell you! We only got Carole for one day, but Andrew came with us on the plane onto Toronto.
Toronto was absolutely amazing. Though everyone else did not think it was as beautiful as me - well they did, but I was so surprised by the venue and everyone else had seen it before. It was right on the water and by a harbor, so every window you looked out had a beautiful view. And to make things better, it was a beautiful sunny day. It just made everything great - those surroundings.
During the meet and greet, the guys were presented with a "star" from the House of Blues. I guess everyone who sells it out gets one. It was a pretty picture though that they received, a painted picture of the venue.
Another great thing about that venue - Molson Amphitheatre - was the catering. We had not had the best catering at the previous venues, but this was exceptionally good as far as catering goes.
Today was our day off in Toronto and boy did I go a bit crazy. I had not shopped in so long, so it felt so good. I also got to see a bit of the town which was nice. All in all, it was a great time."

Images: There are no multimedia items for this blog entry.

 

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Blog #7 St. Paul

St. Paul
author: Nichelle
date posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2001

I am writing this right now as we take off from Minneapolis to Milwaukee. Okay, here we go!
Okay, we are high off into the sky. The show last night was okay but the crowd was not the best. They were not as loud and into it as the last two Canadian dates. The town was also not the greatest - no offense to those who live there, but not much to do. How many times can you walk around a 3 block area, ya know? I heard that the better parts were about 20 minutes away, but we never made it out there. I think they also have the second largest mall in America - is that right?
Tonight we play Milwaukee, then leave right after the show to travel to Chicago overnight. It is a quick flight though and we should get in around 1:30 AM. Then day off - YES! I have never been to Chicago and looking forward to it. Shopping one again! I am so sick of the clothes that I have brought on this trip already, so new ones I must get!
Our security boys getting excited for the Detroit show since they are all from there. It is so nice when you are able to go back to a familiar area and see those that you recognize. I am very excited for New York (I use to live there) and to see all my friends and my sister. We are stationed there for several days as well, so that is nice.
Okay, enough rambling. I will fill you guys in a bit - probably after the Chicago show. Be good!

Images: There are no multimedia items for this blog entry.

 

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Blog #8 Chicago

Chicago
author: Nichelle
date posted: Friday, June 22, 2001

I am writing this as the band is on stage - seen the show a few times already! Anyways, we are in Chicago and leaving tomorrow for Detroit. Chicago is a very beautiful city with so many things to do. We had a dinner last night hosted by Jeff McClusky (independent radio guru) that was really nice. There were about 40 or so people there and everyone seemed to have a good time. Then afterwards we went to a club down the street - I think everyone had a little TOO much fun. We all seem to be a bit more slow paced today than normal, a little more quiet and out of it!
The show seems to be going well - the band has been on stage for about an hour now and the venue is really pretty and outside. At the meet and greet tonight, the guys were greeted with a round of applause - first time that has happened so far. I think they were pleasantly surprised and it got them excited for the show.
A familiar guest is here tonight - Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, an old friend and fan of the guys.
Okay, that is it for now. Not too sure what our plans are tonight, but it is our last night in Chicago, so we must enjoy!

 

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Blog #9 Day Off

Day Off
author: Nichelle
date posted: Monday, June 25, 2001

We got into New York City late last night and today is a day off - thank goodness! Last night as we got into the airport, a few of us who were taking a bit too long to get organized were stuck in a van with the worst driver HUMANELY possible. Not only was he rude and unfriendly, but we almost got into several accidents. At least 2 times he swerved into the other lane - people kept honking at us. It was very frightening to say the least, and everyone in the car was very thankful to make it to the hotel alive.

We are going to be based in New York for the next 10 days which will be so nice. We are going to Philly on Saturday and staying overnight there, but we will keep our rooms in NY as well. Then going to Boston from Philly on Sunday, but then straight back to NY Sunday night. It is just nice to be able to actually unpack for a bit and stay in ONE place for longer than a day or two.

Tonight I am going to meet with the wonderful and amazing Allison McGregor of CAA to organize the tickets for the upcoming shows. Since our guestlist is rather over the top, I have needed immense help, and because Alli is so great and incredible, she has offered her time to us to make my life easier. Tonight we are going to begin organizing as many tickets as we can so people can come by the hotel and pick them up before the show. That makes people happier - it is nice to go to the venue with tickets in hand, and it also makes it easier for me - that way I do not have to be at the venue arranging all of them that night. So now I am off to Alli's room to begin a night of work - yeah!

 

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Blog #10 Day Off Letterman show

Day Off / Letterman show
author: Nichelle
date posted: Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Alli McGregor and I worked until about 2:00 AM last night organizing the tickets to hand out at the hotel from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM today. I will only stay until 3:00 because tonight the guys are on David Letterman. I LOVE Letterman, so I am very excited to attend.
We also have a MTV / VH1 cocktail party to attend. It is basically for these companies to schmooze the guys a bit and to make it easier to get them to do things for them in the future. I will let you all know how it went tomorrow.

 

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Blog #11 New York City

New York City
author: Nichelle
date posted: Wednesday, June 27, 2001
Well, Letterman was a huge success, hopefully you all saw it (WEBMASTER NOTE: If you didn't see it, it's available for viewing in the Video / Television area). I was not able to be in the studio during the show, but I was able to see the setup when the guys rehearsed. And I am not sure if you all know this, but everyone always jokes about how cold the Letterman studio is, and I always laughed about it and said oh, it is probably not THAT cold. Let me tell you - it is FREEZING! I guess the reason is because David Letterman never wants to sweat on camera, so the studio is about 20 below - funny, huh?
Anyways, the show went well and the guys seemed happy with it. I thought it was funny how Letterman had them all sit by his desk after they performed. That rarely happens on that show - usually the band performs and then the show is over. So I thought that was a bit cool.
The MTV / VH1 cocktail party was interesting, though not too exciting. All the guys hung out for a bit, so that was nice.
I am now at the venue - Madison Square Garden and the craziness has began. I will let you know how it went tomorrow.

 

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Blog #12 New York City

New York City
author: Nichelle
date posted: Thursday, June 28, 2001

I had SO much fun at last night's show. Since so many of the tickets were taken care of at the hotel, I did not have to deal with too many tickets at the venue. That is a huge burden off my shoulders since I have other press and meet and greets to deal with then, and the guest list has become the biggest pain in my butt! So I decided once the band went on stage and all the problems that concerned me were solved, that I would pack up my office and enjoy the show with my sister and friends, and that is exactly what I did. It is so much more fun to watch the show with your friends and those that you can have fun with than by yourself, as I do at many of the other venues. I had the best time dancing and singing to all the songs, and I thought that last night's show was by far the best one yet. And the families were there as well, with the wives and children, so that made it even better. The audience was incredible and just gave the guys more and more energy than they already had.
After the show, we had an after party at the venue which was fun, lots of friends and schmoozing. A friend of mine, David Peris, is a big fan of Anton Corbijn's, wanted me to ask Anton to take a picture of us. So of course Anton willingly obliged, and David was very excited. The pictures came out quite funny actually, with no one really posing and just kind of laughing!
Once we left the venue, our band party went back to our hotel for some drinks at the bar and had a nice time chatting and socializing. It was a very long yet successful day and everyone seemed really happy with the show.

 

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Blog #13 Day Off

Day Off
author: Nichelle
date posted: Friday, June 29, 2001

Last night's show went just as well, though I seem to think Wednesdays was a bit better as far as the crowd goes. Fletch did an interview with WPLJ before the meet and greet which went smoothly. Sometimes those radio ones are a little cheesy and superficial to say the least, but this one Fletch was very happy with.

After the show, we again had a little after party at the venue, but this time we had planned a party at the W Hotel's Underbar. It turned out okay, but was a bit hectic when we all arrived at the same time and the guys had trouble getting into their own bash. It was also a bit crowded inside, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and take advantage of the free alcohol, if you know what I mean.

Overall, I think the MSG shows went very well. Though I had a great time and was so excited for them, I am SO very happy they are over. I had been working on those darn tickets for so long that, to think I do not have to take anymore requests for that show is an amazing feeling.

 

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Blog #14 Philadelphia

Philadelphia
author: Nichelle
date posted: Saturday, June 30, 2001

We are now in Philly and flew straight to the venue from the airport. MTV is here to film the guys for their 20th Anniversary special as well as get an interview for MTV News. They are also going to film Personal Jesus and Dave is going to bring the camera out on stage and say a little greeting to MTV - should be interesting.

Need to go and organize the interviews now, will write more tomorrow.

 

[demoderus]

Blog #15 Boston

Boston
author: Nichelle
date posted: Sunday, July 1, 2001

Last nights show went fairly well, though not too comparable to Madison Square Garden. Donna Vergier and Kate Whitby graced us with their presence for the Philly show which was nice. We all spent a great deal of time with Kate and Donna doing press in London last March, so we all enjoy their company greatly. Kate took care of me when I was there in London and realizing that the tour had not even started yet and I was already so exhausted! She is a great friend and I LOVE it when she comes to visit.

The MTV interviews went well, and David did indeed pull the camera out on stage and tell everyone to wish MTV a happy birthday. That is exactly what they wanted, so I think they were overjoyed.

I am now in Boston and we had a crazy time flying over here. There was a severe storm that we had to fly around, so the last 20 minutes of the flight were a bit scary. We kept dropping down, then popping back up - UGH! And Georgia, our backup singer was up in the cockpit at the time, so we all blamed her for the turbulence. Tonight, as we fly back into NYC, I reserved the seat in the cockpit as we land into New York. I heard it is amazing to land into a large city like that, so hopefully I can tell you all how it was tomorrow.

Poe just finished her set, so I need to go out and make sure the photographers are in place. Not too sure if many people are here since a friend of mine phoned me who was on her way, yet turned back because the storm was so bad. Oh no, I hope our flight is not too rough on our way back!

I also wanted to say thank you to a woman who came up to me at the Philly show and complemented me on my entries, I did not get her name. It was so nice to hear that and made me feel as if people do actually read them and enjoy them rather than criticize what I write about. Hopefully you all enjoy them and realize that our life out here is pretty repetitive. I will try to make them as interesting as possible, but bare with me!

I also forgot to say thank you to Dan in Detroit for bringing me a Michigan sweatshirt - so nice of him, thank you!

 

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Blog #15 (2)

 

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Blog #16 Jones Beach

Jones Beach
author: Nichelle
date posted: Tuesday, July 3, 2001

So we are now back in New York and on our way to Jones Beach in Wantaugh. I have heard a lot about this venue but have never been to a show there. It is surrounded by water and tonight it is supposed to be beautiful.
On the last flight from Boston back to New York, I was able to sit in the cockpit as we landed. Let me tell you, it was pretty amazing. I had never done anything like that before, and it was something that I will never forget. To see the city from that far up was crazy, and to be able to see how everything is done is quite amazing. I think there are a few of is on board who have yet to be up there for take off or landing, but I am sure that by the end of tour, we will have all had a chance.