Depeche Mode Tour Of The Universe Blog

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Blog #72 Helsinki - February 2nd

Helsinki - February 2nd
author: mm
date posted: February 8th, 2010

Depeche Mode played the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki to 12,000 fans who traveled all across the surrounding region - from Estonia to Sweden.

On this particular evening, we had a smaller but more intimate meet and greet with a few wonderful Finnish fans. Dressed in dark colors, the competition winners assembled in the hallways near to the dressing rooms. When the boys walked in to say hello and take a photo with the lucky group, they were given one of the most thoughtful gifts we had ever seen by one of the group members - hand-made gloves with a perfectly-placed DM logo in grey. Needless to say, the Mode made some use for them as they wrapped up their Scandinavian winter tour before heading out to icy Russia!

Check out the images and enjoy!

Additional images by Chris Bashall.

See you in St. Petersburg!
MM

 

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Blog #73 St. Petersburg - February 4th

St. Petersburg - February 4th
author: mm
date posted: February 10th, 2010

The journey to St. Petersburg was a long one. Being on tour we have to anticipate the occasional bumps in the road - technical difficulties, unexpected traffic delays, sound issues, hotel mix-ups, etc. But we never thought being grounded on a tarmac in Helsinki, getting ready to take off to St. Petersburg, would turn into a 2 1/2 hour window of worry. We were having some unforeseen mechanical problems with our plane. Luckily, we have a great team of professionals who were able to sort things out but even for them, the uncertainty was worrisome. Are we staying in Finland another night? Are we flying into St. Peterbsurg on show day, risking a delayed gig? On the Tour of the Universe, downtime like this, while stuck with every member of your band party, usually results in a neck-to-neck game of travel Scrabble (and it more often than not is between Martin and Pete, who take their Scrabble very, very seriously).

After a nervous couple of hours, we got the green light from our pilot and the plane took off to St. Petersburg! Arriving in St. Petersburg a little later than expected, we were in awe of the city's beauty at night. For some of us first-timers, coming to Russia was a particularly momentous visit.

What can I say about the Russian crowds, other than how AWESOME they are? It had been a while since we had seen such large crowds - 21,000 devotees packed the SKK arena and helped welcome the Mode and the entire crew to Russia in a very, very BIG way.

Enjoy the Flickr fan photos and see you in Moscow!
MM

Images:
Check out fan images for this show (and others) in our Flickr Fan Gallery. the link is not available

 

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Blog #74 Moscow - February 6th

Moscow - February 6th
author: mm
date posted: February 13th, 2010
I liken Moscow to NYC - bright lights and a city that also never sleeps. The concert at the Olympiski was a huge turnout; 21,000 people attended the show and brought with them a level of enthusiasm and excitement that only Depeche Mode fans can bring!

Prior to the gig, some of the band went on a tourist trip around the city, visiting museums and local monuments as well as partaking in a little Moscow shopping - no harm in that! The group was quite happy to be in such a historic city with such an interesting cultural offering. Needless to say, this trip is in the Mode's memory vaults as one of the most unique ones of the tour.

Check out some concert images and we will see you in Kiev!
MM

 

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Blog #75 Kiev - February 8th

Kiev - February 8th
author: mm
date posted: February 25th, 2010

February 8th marked the first time Depeche Mode played a concert in Kiev so the expectations, mixed with the excitement that comes with being in a new place, were high. And the fans in Ukraine certainly met those expectations - 10,000 adorned the Palace of Sports this week to give the Mode one of the best reactions to date.

Our boys are always happy to see new faces and places; their eagerness was quite obvious when we landed in Kiev and they greeted the fans who had been waiting outside of the airport for hours, just to catch a glimpse of them on their first official visit to the country. On the ride to the airport, Andy and Kerry were discussing the wonders of Chicken Kiev. Is it a traditional dish? We debated about it but they all agreed that it was delicious and had to be tried while there. Luckily, it was on the menu a couple of nights later in Poland and it was every bit as good as the boys said it would be. We also discovered that the dish did not originate in Kiev and while people are unsure as to its true origin, some historians say it was created in Moscow! Looks like Andy won that argument. What can I say? He's a history buff and he's usually right!

Check out some photos from another amazing night.
MM

 

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Blog #76 Lodz - February 10th

Lodz - February 10th
author: big_pete
date posted: February 13th, 2010

It's rather cold in Lodz, around -10 most of the time, so i didnt take in much of the city to be honest.

There is an incredible amount of snow around, and more on the way so they say.

The venue looks rather dull from the outside, but is very impressive inside. Everything went well for the crew and it was all set up on time.

Outside there were a few hundred fans suffering the freezing temperatures, i ventured out a few times and couldnt wait to get back in the warm so i could feel my ears again.

Inside the arena we had Nitzer Ebb praticising their football skills, and most of the depeche crew were now releshing in the thought of a nice lazy morning as their stuff was all set up for the "double nighter" - the poor guys have just had to endure a 20 hour drive in the snow so they more than deserve a little rest.

I spoke to a few of the crew and was told that the last few shows had been really great, amazing crowds, so i was hoping for a good one.

Once the doors opened it started "de-peche mode de-peche mode" relentlessly from the first 15 rows - they were a very vocal crowd.

The band came on shortly after 9pm, and it was great, but after 3 or 4 tracksit went up a gear, the crowd were the best i have seen, they started singing "Master and Servant" at the band, then martin challenged them to sing the verses they did a very good job - most impressive.

The "Home" jam was a good one, Dave said it sounded like "Nitzer Ebb" - Dave even sang "Left Right Left" from "Once You Say" at the end of it - which caused much amusement to the Ebb guys who were watching from the side of the stage.

Now - the Balloons for "Policy of Truth" - I mentioned that you guys should bring more balloons, it seemed that only Lodz understood this, because there must have been just short of 1000 balloons floating around - and it was an amazing site, and was a talking point later, so well done to all of you for that !!

Dave was screaming more than i have heard before, he interacted with the audience more than i have seen before and kept smiling and pointing at fans.

I dont know why the fans chose "Master and Servant" as their chant, but it kept happening, and martin even played a little of it on his keyboard before "stripped"

It really was a perfect gig, and i cant wait for tomorow.

 

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Blog #77 Lodz - February 11th

Lodz - February 11th
author: big_pete
date posted: February 17th, 2010

Woke up to find even more snow had arrived during the night - like there wasn't enough already !!

Got to the venue around 1pm, and because it's a "double nighter" there isn't a great deal for them to do today. The sound guys ran a quick line check, and parts of "Master and Servant" were played - that got me excited.

The doors opened at 5.30pm tonight, it was roughly -20 outside - and it seemed pointless keeping people waiting in the snow when everything was ready to go inside. The usual mad rush to the front was a spectacle, with people tripping over, screaming and yelling "de-peche mode" repeatedly.

Nitzer Ebb delivered a fantastic set, and are getting a great reaction from the crowd - and the guys can often be seen watching Depeche from the side of the stage.

The gig was again just perfect - the Polish crowd are the loudest I have heard, and so passionate for all things Depeche. I have seen some great shows on this tour, and the crowds have been fantastic - but seriously Lodz wins the Best Audience category for me, they blew me away/

Again for "Policy of Truth" we had around 1000 balloons appear like magic and disappear just as quickly , then there's the never ending chant of "de-peche mode" between each track, and if it's not the noise from the crowd it's the look on their faces - tears, laughter, amazement - everyone was loving the show, everyone was dancing, it felt like a huge party.

We didn't get "Master and Servant" tonight as had been hoped by last night's crowd, we got "Comeback" and "Judas", and we also got a fantastic performance from the band, the bands energy was feeding a crowd that were already at boiling point, the Lodz gigs were just fantastic.

The tour rolls on to Zagreb now - and I am heading home to the UK

Lodz - you were amazing.

 

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Blog #78 Royal Albert Hall, London - February 17th

Royal Albert Hall, London - February 17th
author: brat
date posted: February 19th, 2010

I am sitting here, trying to come up with something to say regarding the Royal Albert Hall show. Yes, it was a great show. Yes, it was a hometown show (if you stretch the boundaries of Basildon to include Kensington). Yes, it was for a great cause (Teenage Cancer Trust). In the end, though, there is only one word that can totally and completely sum up the night: Alan.

I arrived at the Royal Albert Hall around 10am on show day, to start taking some venue pictures. I caught up with Hels, who was placing the signs on the doors (production, dressing room, catering, et cetera). Seeing a sign saying "Alan Wilder" go on a door, 16 years after his departure from the band, was a sign that this show would be legendary...and it was.

I came back a little later, and saw the soundcheck. As the tour is about a half dozen shows away from ending, I was a little surprised to see a soundcheck scheduled that had the band involved. By this time in a tour, it is usually just the crew making sure all the levels are right on the instruments and microphones. After a few minutes, in walks Martin, Fletch, Peter and Christian...and a string section. Ooooh - a good sign. The string section worked out arrangements to One Caress, Home and Come Back (a nice surprise). While the string section was soundchecking, Mr Wilder began walking around the venue. I knew this was shaping up to be a historic night.

After a while, Alan took to the stage, and did one run through of Somebody, and then the band left the stage. It was a little after 6pm. In a few hours time, I would be hearing one of the loudest crowd screams of my life.

The show started with opening act The Horrors. Before Depeche Mode took to the stage, Roger Daltrey (of The Who) came out and sang (not literally, sadly) the praises of Depeche Mode, showed a short film about the Teenage Cancer Trust, and then introduced Depeche Mode with these words: "Every decade throws up their icons, and some of them stand the test of time better than others. This lot stand as tall today as they ever do. Please welcome Depeche Mode!"

The crowd was ready for a legendary show, and the band did not disappoint. The screams from the fans when the string section were setting up were near-deafening. The crowd (and band) participation at the end of Home (complete with band jam session) was great. They were nothing compared to the moment Alan hit the stage, though. It was a combination of shock, joy, and tears throughout the crowd. People were virtually speechless, and it was amazing. If that wasn't amazing enough, the band brought out Photographic soon after!

At the aftershow, it was literally a "Who's Who" of Depeche Mode history. Most of Mute Records was in the house, as well as Ben Hillier, Flood, the legendary JD Fanger, Anton Corbijn, and almost every family member of the band.

A great night. A great cause. A great moment in Depeche Mode history. To all of you who were there, thanks for coming out and supporting Teenage Cancer Trust. For those of you who could not make it, enjoy these pictures from the show.

 

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