Delta Machine Tour reports

Notes

The following eight reports were not advertised as a tour blog or diary, but were rather incidental Delta Machine Tour reports for Depechemode.com's News section. There were also entries on the site which did not come with a (lenghty) report but were just concert photos with a brief description. We did not save those brief descriptions, we only saved the longer reports. The authors are HOME administrators Peter a.k.a. "PeterToo", Peter Harper a.k.a. "Big Pete", and Sean Salo. All reports, descriptions and photos were re-uploaded on Depeche Mode's Archives section here.

Tour blog

Blog 1: author: Peter Harper | posted: May 31st, 2013 | London

"A tour as big as this, there’s always a lot going on. Some days, some cities there’s a lot more going on than usual. We’ve just had a couple of those days.

Three weeks into the tour and we’re back in the UK for two back-to-back sold out shows at London’s O2. For all sorts of reasons London is always special. Not least because there are so many familiar faces around. Suffice to say, I’m glad I’m not involved with allocating tickets and sorting the guest list. Backstage is crazy busy, and there’s barely room to catch your breathe until the band actually takes to the stage.

I missed the support band first night, but did manage to see some of Trentemøller’s set the second night. He (or they, as he’s got a full band with him) will be with us for a few weeks, as we hit Germany. Definitely not to be missed!

Depeche Mode were on great form both nights. Being back to back shows, they changed a substantial portion of the songs for the second show. I think 6 or 7 songs were performed for the first time since the tour started proper. They were clearly having a lot of fun with it. I’ll stick up a few pictures along with this.

After the second show, and a quick load out, the crew took to the road… next stop (lemme check)… Munich!

See you out there

Pete"

Blog 2: author: PeterToo | posted: June 15th, 2013 | Copenhagen, June 13th

"So after a string of dates in Germany we’ve now made it to Denmark. For the trivia hungry folks out there, this is where most of “Violator” was recorded almost 25 years ago. How time flies!

Anyone who’s more than glanced at the schedule for this tour will have noticed that there are very few back-to-back shows. This (at the face of it) more leisurely pace means that the crew does the load in and construction the day before the actual show.

So yesterday (June 12) was load in day (a longer than usual ordeal, as the venue wasn’t quite ready for us when we arrived), and today is show day at Parken stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some 40-odd thousand people in a stadium, and it’s raining like the end of days. Thank whatever deity you prefer for roofed stadiums!

The arena feel of the roofed stadium, combined with the huge capacity can some times help create a special atmosphere, and tonight’s show was one of those times. Tonight was nothing short of fantastic. I’m sticking up some pictures along with this – the photos were taken by Pete Harper and Mikkel Damsgaard.

After a 2 hour 30 minute load out, it’s on to Paris…

PP

——–

Additional trivia: Tonight was the first time in 20 years “Judas”, “Higher Love”, “Walking In My Shoes” and “I Feel You” were played on the same night.

This was Depeche Mode’s 18th show in Denmark, and they have just announced the 19th, which will be taking place in Herning on November 29th of this year (tickets go on sale early September)."

Blog 3: author: PeterToo | posted: July 20th, 2013 | Rome, July 20th

"As the first leg of the Delta Machine Tour, is heading into it’s final week, we’ve made it to ancient city of Rome for the second stadium show in Italy. Two nights ago San Siro in Milan played host to an amazing audience, and tonight it was the Olympic Stadium in Rome.

One thing really stuck in my mind today: What an absolutely awesome bunch of fans Depeche Mode has. Defying the sweltering temperatures to queue up for hours before doors open, then stand in the sun in front of the stage for hours, and still have enough left in them to be full on throughout both support bands and the 2 hours and 20 minutes of Depeche Mode’s set. I am simply in awe!

I caught Motel Connection’s set today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A great mixture of live performance and DJ set (including everything from Donna Summer to The Prodigy no less) – they really got the crowd going.

For the encore Martin and Peter performed “Somebody” for the second time this tour.

After the load out it’s a 17 hour drive to Prague for a couple of days of, and then Martin will be celebrating his birthday with about 40k friends at SynotTip Stadium in Prague!

Peter"

Blog 3: author: Sean Salo | posted: September 3rd, 2013 | Toronto, September 1st

"The North American tour made true on its “North” title with its first stop in Canada Sunday night at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, a venue directly on the shore of Lake Ontario. This is one of the few stops on the tour where you could dock your yacht next to the venue. To add colour to the stop, the Canadian National Exhibition (“The Ex”) was happening adjacent to the venue, with the requisite carnival rides lit up and doughnut burgers just outside the gates.

Outdoor amphitheaters are the go-to for summer tours in North America, and we were looking forward to seeing the 16,000 fans in the sold out venue. The lower part of the bowl is covered, which worked out well for fans there, as the skies opened up during the show, giving those with lawn tickets an unplanned shower. The sound is generally great in amphitheatres, and the Molson didn’t disappoint.

The VIP Nation package buyers chilled at their pre-show reception and swag raffle, which included guitar strings that Martin had used to play “Enjoy the Silence” on at the Atlantic City show as a grand prize — pretty happy winners there! The backstage area was relatively calm this night, as the band and crew relaxed along the water with the ducks swimming by.

From the opening notes of the intro and “Welcome to My World”, the Toronto audience was rabid. Martin performed “The Child Inside” and fan favourite “But Not Tonight.” The crowd ate it up, belting out every lyric so faithfully and so loudly, that Martin declared, “It’s like a musical!” The audience was fully mesmerized by Anton’s visuals, especially during numbers like current single, “Should Be Higher.”

Not only were all 32,000 arms swaying wildly during the “Never Let Me Down Again” ‘wheat wave’, but we’re pretty sure we caught a couple of security guards in the front waving too. That had to be sight for the people on the Ferris wheel across the way at “The Ex” to see.

Looking forward to another Canadian show in Montreal before swinging back south for the remaining shows in the U.S.

Sean"

Blog 4: author: Sean Salo | posted: September 16th, 2013 | New York City

"A Look Back At New York

The Delta Machine Tour made its way back into the US from the Canadian shows last week, starting with two stops in New York.

With New York City’s musical and cultural center shifting across the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn, Depeche Mode were the kings of Kings County (Brooklyn) for a night. They were among the first musical acts to have played at the year-old Barclays Center. The experience at Barclays was unique in that there was a large outdoor area under a city-block wide oval LED sign looping above it. Unlike the under-renovation MSG that has hosted the boys in the past, the Barclays Center arena is the dominant presence in the neighborhood, towering over the busy intersection, and providing a spaceship-like plaza for the masses that gathered.

The band relished the opportunity to play the new venue, and the crowd in Brooklyn reciprocated, giving them a hero’s welcome and raising the volume level to near-deafening at times. The sound was crisp, and the arena was the first on this leg of the tour to feature a catwalk extending from the stage where Dave and Martin extended the performance space out into the orchestra seats. Crowd stompers like “Enjoy the Silence” and “Never Let Me Down Again” saw Dave teasing the crowd out on it.

Given the show’s location, it was perhaps no surprise that recent Brooklyn transplant Vince Clarke was in attendance for what was reportedly his first Depeche Mode gig since leaving the band.

After parties aren’t a given at all cities on the tour, but the band’s triumphant return to New York gave them a chance to reconnect with old friends and industry folks, and they did so in style in a private section of Barclays, hosting a couple hundred folks who came to celebrate and wish them well.

Nikon at Jones Beach Theater is one of the more unusual amphitheaters in the States, in that the stage is built atop the water of a bay, creating a dramatic view for the audience. It’s been a repeated stop for the band since 1986′s Black Celebration Tour and is a ritual for New York fans when the band tours. The venue was badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy last year, with much of the stage, backstage and the orchestra having been submerged and covered in seaweed. No signs of the damage remained as the band rocked the beach.

Unlike many other outdoor sheds, there’s no roof covering any part of the venue, which gave fans on Sunday an opportunity to enjoy the late summer sunset as Bat For Lashes provided another night of support beautifully for the band, taking the stage at about 6:30pm.

Back during the Music for the Masses Tour, Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark famously supported DM, including a stop at Jones Beach in 1988. Twenty-five years later, OMD’s Paul Humphries was among those who attended Sunday’s Delta Machine Tour show here.

While the boys have crafted a killer setlist spanning their career for the Delta Machine Tour, they shook it up further on Sunday for the faithful who may have attended both shows in the New York area. The Jones Beach audience was treated to a number of surprises, including “Behind the Wheel,” “World in My Eyes” and “John the Revelator.” As if those didn’t send the crowd into enough of a frenzy, Martin debuted an arrangement of “When the Body Speaks” with Peter, Fletch and Christian supporting him on keys and Mart himself on guitar. “Shake the Disease” and “Somebody” had 15,000 backup singers helping Mart out. Stunning.

The buses continue winding south before heading out west for the remaining shows on this leg. For those who have yet to see them, you’re in for a treat.

Sean"

Blog 6: author: Sean Salo | posted: October 8th, 2013 | Las Vegas

"The Vegas Show Blog (with a buffet of puns)

Depeche Mode has hit dozens of amphitheaters, arenas and even festivals on the North American leg of the Delta Machine Tour thus far, but none on this leg has been as intimate as Sunday’s show. Las Vegas is an entertainment and tourist mecca, and for the roughly 2,500 fans who made the pilgrimage to the Pearl Concert Theater, this was a chance to see DM in an intimate theater while meeting and/or reconnecting with other devotees from around the world.

Unsurprisingly for a destination show, the audience was made up of Canadians, Germans, Panamanians, Poles, Dominicans, Brits, Mexicans, French, Aussies…and a few Americans for good measure. ;) With one of this leg’s few GA options on the floor of the venue and seating semi-circling the smaller-scale stage, the performance was as big as if it were at a stadium. The boys seem incapable of disappointing.

What the crowd lacked in sheer numbers, it made up for in ferocity! The audience responded to the stellar sound in the venue with some of the most faithful and loud sing-alongs on this leg of the Delta Machine Tour. As the band winds down its conquering of this continent, it’s clear those fans who trekked to Vegas came to win, as well.

Martin’s “But Not Tonight” rendition, with Peter backing on keys, had the crowd at a fever pitch. “Home” saw Martin holding the note on “from my first breeeeath” for what seemed like a blissful eternity, echoing throughout the room. The crowd responded in kind and faithfully serenaded him as the song ended. Martin paced stage right-to-stage left and back again, playfully conducting us with a smile the size of the Vegas Strip.

Dave looked like he’d hit a jackpot just before taking the stage, responding to both the intimacy and the fervor of the audience with a killer performance and enough energy to power the casino. He always gives 101% on stage, but it’s clear he enjoys performing tracks like “Heaven”, “Angel” and “Should Be Higher” just as much as he does any of those they’ve crafted over the decades.

If you’d bet Christian would have toned down his performance for the smaller venue, you’d have lost!

Dave, Fletch and Martin dealt the lucky few at Sunday’s show a winning hand. What happened in Vegas, was crazed in Vegas!

The buses rolled into Phoenix for the next show before rounding out this leg at Austin City Limits festival on Friday evening.

-Sean Salo"

Blog 7: author: PeterToo | posted: November 21st, 2013 | Germany

"A Look Back At The UK And Ireland Shows

We’re now about two weeks into the winter leg of The Delta Machine Tour, and currently in Germany for the first show of the leg in mainland Europe. Not quite how it was planned, but more on that later. After a few days and an incredible show in Abu Dhabi, the tour found it’s way to more familiar grounds with two weeks touring the UK and Ireland. With eight shows already done, and another to come in Birmingham, this is the band’s most extensive UK/Ireland tour since 1987. And that included stops in Belfast, a city where they haven’t played since the Black Celebration Tour in 1986; and Leeds, which hasn’t hosted a Depeche Mode show in over 30 years apparently! Admittedly yours truly missed out on the Belfast stop, but we were back in full effect in time for Dublin. The O2 there is a fantastic venue (quite surreal with the purple lighting everywhere) and the crowd was fantastic. I seem to remember the Dublin show was also one of the stand outs on the last tour. After that it was off to Scotland for a gig in Glasgow. The band spent the day rehearsing a few songs that have yet to make it into the set list, but fingers crossed they’ll show up soon. It was really interesting seeing how they rework classic tracks on the fly. Then we were off to Leeds for another cracking show. Rereading my notes from the night, I seem to have jotted down that the band haven’t played there in 48 years… maths’ – apparently – not my strong suit. Not a lot of lingering after the show, as everyone was straight off to Manchester for a day off. Anton Corbijn came out for the Manchester show to take some photos. Always nice to see the tall Dutchman in action – I feel like cordoning off the area and putting up a “Genius At Work” sign whenever he’s around, but was told to not pursue that idea further. Then the Lille show was cancelled – a frustrating situation for all involved. Conditions at the venue were simply not safe, with (literally) freezing temperatures INSIDE on show day. So everyone flew back to the UK, and that brings us up to the London show. London is always mental – especially backstage – with friends and families all coming out in force to see their boys in action. A lovely atmosphere, but quite hectic. And that about brings us up to date. The string of German dates, including two dates in Berlin, should be fun. We’re putting up a few pictures from the UK/Ireland shows here, with more hitting the Tumblr page in the coming days. I’ll update you all again soon enough I expect.

Peter"

Blog 8: author: ? | posted: December 18th, 2013

"The Delta Machine Tour… So Far

This past weekend saw Depeche Mode wrap the 2013 part of The Delta Machine Tour with a show in Helsinki, Finland.

Since starting the tour on the French Riviera back in May, the band has performed more than 80 shows in over 30 countries across three continents. Over two million people have seen the band this year – and that’s not counting those tuning in to one of the shows that were webcast during the tour so far.

From Abu Dhabi to Helsinki; Tel Aviv to Mountain View, the tour has gone far and wide. The trucks and tour busses have traversed the globe, putting roughly 57.000 km of road behind them – that’s about 35.000 miles or around the world one and a half times. And we’re not quite done yet.

Thank you all for coming out, and for following the blog. It’s been a blast, and we’re looking very much forward to 2014.

Below you’ll find little over a handful shots that cover pretty much the extent of the tour so far – starting in Nice back in May, all the way up to the recent Scandinavian dates in December.

Happy holidays and new year!"