1. Pardon the pun, but Depeche Mode just can’t seem to get enough of Las Vegas. For the second time this year, the groundbreaking synth-pop band graced the stage of T-Mobile Arena, packing a stamina-filled two and a half hour set with several decades' worth of hits, both old and new. Such feats warrant admiration. And trust me when I say, I’ve got plenty after watching these legends at work for the first time.
With tension building around Memento Mori's “Speak to Me,” founding members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore took the stage, assuming their roles as atmosphere-altering conductors. A large “M” lingered in the background, slowly filling with paper white paint as Gahan coolly transitioned into the synth-powered sadness of “Wagging Tongue.” It’s odd to say it, but sorrow becomes lead vocalist Gahan. His poignant drawl, juxtaposed with the band’s electric waltz of keys and drum machines, is an addictive combo I’ve yet to rid from my head.
2. Age ain’t nothin’ but a number. For a 61-year-old frontman, the spry and limber Gahan could run circles around music’s most youthful prospects today — and then some. “Come on, let’s hear it!” he demanded of the arena, holding out the microphone stand during a singalong of “Walking in My Shoes.” Gahan strutted the stage like a catwalk, parading around in a cloaked sort of confidence you can’t exactly try on. You either have it or you don’t. Coyly lifting a pant leg, the singer showed off his boots, twirled with his microphone and swiveled his hips like a worldly man set in his sensual, charismatic ways. Damn it, Gahan, call me.
3. Synth-pop has never sounded better live. Nobody does danceable doom and gloom quite like Depeche Mode, and I simply couldn’t get enough of this band’s seasoned approach to it. “My Favourite Stranger,” which Gore co-wrote alongside the Psychedelic Furs’ Richard Butler, is a pummeling cut with some serious horsepower in studio but hearing it live gave me a whole new appreciation for the song’s scathing distortion and Gahan’s dour baritone.
4. “Enjoy the Silence” belongs in a big room. T-Mobile’s 20,000-seat arena was anything but silent when Depeche Mode finally dusted off this dance-laden mega hit. Strangers were singing to each other down the aisles, rubbing elbows, shoulders and hips and showering down the chorus from the nosebleeds. The band matched that energy, even after more than two hours of playing non stop. Last runs of the chorus were sung entirely by the arena as the members of Depeche Mode reverently watched. What a moment to behold.
5. A legacy act like no other. Depeche Mode has proven it’s still got plenty of gas left in the tank. How much longer that will remain the case has yet to be seen, but to see these musicians in fighting shape, still doing what they love most after all these years, puts a smile on my face.
