As someone who finds himself on the tail-end of Generation X, I was about twelve the first time that I can distinctly remember hearing Depeche Mode.  It was the summer of 1985, and “People Are People” had been climbing steadily up the Billboard charts and was all the rage among my fellow middle schoolers.  Whether you were the kid in Vans with a skateboard and floppy hair, or the one with black-and-white striped leggings and dark lipstick, or the one in an Esprit dress carrying a woven straw bookbag, or the one in khaki pants and a Polo shirt, you knew the song, and soon thereafter, the band that sang it.

By the time of their landmark Rose Bowl concert, on June 18, 1988—the concert that became the culmination of Oscar-winning documentarian D.A. Pennebaker’s and Chris Hegedus’s documentary, Depeche Mode 101—Depeche Mode had, in the mere seven years since its debut, weathered the departure of a founding member, brought on a new member, released six studio albums and three compilation albums, and was cresting the wave of (no longer underground) success that is due any band who can bring together more than one million concertgoers in 91 cities across 16 countries, as the young men of Depeche Mode had during the nearly eight months of their 101-stop Music for the Masses Tour. 

And, to my mind, this marked the end of Depeche Mode’s first act, with its second act kicking off—during my junior year of high school—with the releases of “Personal Jesus” in August 1989 and “Enjoy the Silence” in February 1990, and the Violator album a month later (respectively, the band’s first two singles to be certified ‘gold’ by the RIAA, and its first million-selling album).

So, what the hell does any of this have to do with a hill of beans?  To be frank, I’ve heard from a lot of people who’d been at the concert, on Thursday night, that they wished they’d heard more of the “old stuff” (i.e., songs from the band’s first dozen or so years).  To take that a bit further, I’ll bet that a considerable swath of Thursday night’s audience (many of those over 35) would likely have preferred that the set list had been filled with songs recorded before 2000.  And that would have been pretty valid, with just about any other band.

Unlike a Las Vegas residency show, a touring concert that comes through Las Vegas (or any city, for that matter) will usually be in support of a recently released album; and while the set list will often include a number of that artist or band’s most popular singles, it is not what many would refer to as a “greatest hits” show.  And, unlike most bands that were popular in the ‘80s and ‘90s, however, Depeche Mode is not a heritage act.  They never had to orchestrate a “come back,” because they never went away.  Since they have continued to release original music, they’ve kept right on touring; which is why, in support of Memento Mori (their 15th studio album) they have embarked on their 19th tour.  Put another way, of the 43 years they’ve been a band, the members of Depeche Mode have spent more than 23 of those years touring.  And, you know what?  They’re pretty good at it.

And, not to put too fine a point on it, but is there really much difference, sonically, between a Depeche Mode song written 11 years ago and one written 11 months ago?  Is one or the other going to be more dark and twisty and electronic and industrial-sounding and orchestral and poignant and pathos-filled and beautiful and sexy and cinematic and borderline-creepy and relatable and everything else that comes to mind when thinking of the music of Depeche Mode?  No.  Not really.  Sure, the lyrics might change, but even with Dave Gahan and Martin Gore having become a duo (following the passing, last year, of Andy Fletcher)—they are joined on tour by Christian Eigner (drums, keyboards) and Peter Gordeno (keyboards, bass, backing vocals)—the more things change the more they stay (and sound) the same.  Plus ça change, and all that.

But you don’t have to take my word for it.  Even though the first leg of the Memento Mori Tour has wrapped its West Coast dates, you’ll have another chance to see them, live, this year; because the gentlemen from Depeche Mode will be back on the West Coast after Thanksgiving, with another stop in Las Vegas, at T-Mobile Arena, slated for Friday, December 01.  Look for me, there: I’ll be wearing black.

The setlist from the (first) Las Vegas stop of Depeche Mode’s Memento Mori Tour, at T-Mobile Arena (Thursday, March 30), was as follows:

Intro: Speak to Me (Outro)

1. My Cosmos is Mine
2. Wagging Tongue
3. It’s No Good
4. Walking in My Shoes
5. Sister of Night
6. In Your Room (Zephyr mix)
7. Everything Counts
8. Precious
9. Speak to Me
10. A Question of Lust
11. Soul with Me (Acoustic)
12. Ghosts Again
13. I Feel You
14. A Pain That I’m Used To (Jacques Lu Cont’s remix)
15. World in My Eyes
16. Wrong
17. Stripped
18. John the Revelator
19. Enjoy the Silence

Encore:

20. Waiting for the Night (Bare mix)
21. Happy Birthday to You (sung to Addie, a 13-year-old fan in the audience)
22. Just Can’t Get Enough
23. Never Let Me Down Again
24. Personal Jesus

Depeche Mode: Memento Mori Tour
T-Mobile Arena
Thursday, March 30 | Returning Friday, December 01
Click HERE for info and tickets

Get into it!
#DepecheMode