DEPECHE MODE and STABBING WESTWARD, at the Delta Center, Dec. 1; one performance only.
David Gahan is alive and well! That says something because a couple of years ago, Gahan died for two minutes. The fast living and stress of being in the music business got to him.Thank heavens for modern medicine. Without it, Depeche Mode wouldn't have been able to make its return to Salt Lake City. And the nearly sold-out audience wouldn't have had such a great time dancing in their seats to tunes that spanned nearly 12 years.
This is the first Depeche Mode tour in nearly five years.
Singer Gahan, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Martin Gore and keyboardist Andy Fletcher were joined by drummer Christian Eigner, keyboardist Peter Gordeno and background singers Janet Cooke and Jordan Bailey throughout the concert.
And thanks to the heavy acoustic curtains hung in the upper bowl, the intricacies of the band's sound were crisp and clear.
Gahan enticed the audience with his swiveling hips and throaty baritone as the others played well and hard.
Audience favorites such as "It's No Good," "Policy of Truth" and "Walking In My Shoes" were offered to the bouncing audience. Gore also took lead vocals on "A Question of Lust" and the heartfelt lyrical single, "Home."
As for the stage show, there was a three-section video screen that separated the giant, lighted "D" and "M." The backdrop was a simple red curtain, and the stage's footlights lit up for effect.
Four manned stage spotlights zeroed in on the band members.
And Gahan, obviously enjoying himself, had the audience enjoying his charisma -- which was shaded with bits and pieces of rock-star ego.
However, he gave the people what they wanted and even turned the microphone to a few in the front row during "Stripped."
Gahan shimmied and twisted, unleashing a wave of screams from the audience.
Other tunes included "Useless," "Enjoy the Silence," "Only When I Lose Myself," "Personal Jesus" and the brooding "Barrel of a Gun," among many others.
The first encore opened with Gordeno and Gore doing the piano ballad "Somebody." The band then re-emerged for "Stripped" and "I Feel You." The second (one-song) encore got everyone bouncing to "Just Can't Get Enough," which Gahan dedicated to the audience.
The band left out "People Are People," "To Have and To Hold," "Shame" and "Master and Servant" but did "Condemnation," "World In My Eyes" and the set opener, "A Question of Time."
Stabbing Westward opened the concert with its dark, industrial crank.
"Haunting Me," "Save Yourself" and "What Do I Have to Do" were a few of the audience favorites.