Depeche Mode with Warpaint at Rogers Arena, 10/25/17
Depeche Mode, a legendary, romantic English synth pop outfit, supplied a meaty set of career-spanning music to the absolute delight of a packed Rogers Arena on Oct. 25. Depeche Mode, led by energetic frontman Dave Gahan and songwriting genius Martin Gore, is a well respected institution approaching three decades of sonic output. The band’s newest record, 2017’s Spirit, marks a departure from the band’s previous trio of albums by approaching a more earthy, warm direction that invokes and ponders the political and social anxieties of the contemporary age. Seeing as Depeche Mode have not visited western Canada since 2006’s Playing the Angel, the group’s performance was nothing sort of precious.
Warpaint, an all-female Los Angeles based group, supplied a gritty, densely textured, opening set accompanied by sharp, snappy and danceable drums. With inviting, rising vocal harmonies, Warpaint enthusiastically displayed musical likeness to Depeche Mode, who are almost just as capable at deep sounding, electro rock as they are at romantic pop songs.
The material from Spirit connected instantly and effortlessly with the Vancouver audience, in large part to the ultra effective yet relatively stark and simplistic stage design and art direction. Gahan and Gore wasted no time breaking into a hypnotic groove that would last the entirety of the concert. Opening with the album opener “Going Backwards,” one of a full handful of new compositions from the new record, immediately confirmed that Depeche Mode remain forward thinking. This displayed the band in top working form. “So Much Love,” an energetic, deeper cut from Spirit, bounced with an effortless magic that immediately triggered a good 10,000 fans to optimistically dance. The song’s lyrics, so effortlessly catchy, were solidly echoed by the excited audience.
With so much material, it is inevitable that Depeche Mode could only touch upon a sliver of their body of work. Although a few of the band’s more recent records like Delta Machine and Exciter were omitted in their entirety, Depeche Mode broke out pairs of strong cuts like “Barrel of a Gun” and “Home” from 1997’s Ultra and “Corrupt” and “Wrong” from 2009’s Sounds of the Universe. A rearranged version of “A Pain That I’m Used To” played more electro than industrial, representing the sole selection from the 2006 classic Playing the Angel. Although it is impossible to attend a Depeche Mode concert without hearing a couple of favourite tunes, every song performed consisted of a strong compositions and execution. As the band have continued to progress, older cuts have become less common. With the exception of a few numbers such as Martin Gore’s stripped down, solo performance of “A Question of Lust,” little new material made the setlist cut. That being said, the band’s take of “Everything Counts” ignited the dance moves and nostalgic memories of the Vancouver audience with Gahan strutting an extended catwalk, extending his microphone stand to the arena to encourage the audience to sing along 101 style. Extending to an extra closing verse, Gahan flipped his standing mic upside down and encouraged the exuberant crowd to stomp along to the rhythm. The arena of tandem voices on “Everything Counts” felt sublime.
If Depeche Mode deserve any criticism, it would be that some of the band’s enduring hits feel a bit tiresome to more devotional fans but that’s hardly of concern for first time concert goers more than enjoyed the hits “Waking in My Shoes,” “Never Let Me Down Again,” “Enjoy the Silence” and “Personal Jesus.” With almost three decades under their belt, Depeche Mode continue an exemplary level of romantic output that includes one of the most rewarding concerts experiences around. Depeche Mode remain on key.