On the Road Again
Live Reviews:

Depeche Mode with Stabbing Westward
November 5, 1998
Skydome, Toronto, ON

Let it be known: it'll take more than a few heroin overdoses, a nervous breakdown, a brain seizure, a divorce and the departure of longtime member Alan Wilder to knock off Depeche Mode. As over 20,000 devoted fans witnessed tonight, Mode have survived all the above tragedies and look startlingly good considering. Sure, Fletch has put on a few pounds and he still touches himself more than his keyboard. Fine, Martin Gore's lined face looks older beneath the shock of blond hair. Yes, Dave Gahan is more subdued than in previous performances. But I'd take a subdued, clean Dave over the tattooed, substance-abusing T-Rex (or is that T. Rex?) he had become any day.

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This tour is a companion piece to the new double album (triple vinyl, for those of you who remember the 80's from the first time around) The Singles 86>98. As such, the set list is a jam-packed run through the band's history. An impressive run it is, too. I defy anyone to refute the splendour of "Enjoy The Silence," the powerful imagery of "Stripped" or the beauty of new single "Only When I Lose Myself." I also defy you to think of another band that can so easily shift between two talented vocalists the way Depeche Mode can. Martin's tender renditions of "A Question Of Lust" and "Home" both prove to be high points of the show.

In addition to the abovementioned tracks, we are treated to all but four of the songs on The Singles ("Strangelove" is particularly conspicuous by its absence), as well as a gripping "Somebody" and a positively giddy "Just Can't Get Enough." Gahan introduces the latter with "Let's see who remembers this one, then," perhaps a nod to the fact that a good chunk of tonight's audience (or any audience on this tour) may have been in the womb when it was released in 1981.

Stabbing Westward played to a number of empty seats in their role as opening act (the second tour they've done with Depeche), but made their time count. Running through a competent set comprised mostly of tunes from their last two albums, the sonic debt they owe tonight's main attraction was evident. However, from the distant confines of the media box, it may as well have been Econoline Crush leaping about the stage in their velvet blazers and PVC pants. I quickly abandoned the press perch to take in the electricity of the crowd for Depeche Mode's two hour-plus show.

From the moment the lights went down, the Skydome shrieked, sang and Bic-flicked their appreciation at one more (or possibly the first) chance to see their heroes. As the instrumental intro "Painkiller" exploded into a charged take on "A Question Of Time," it was evident that Depeche Mode may not play as hard as they used to (non-musically speaking), but they still give their all onstage. Drummer Christian Eigner energized the upbeat numbers, the pounding outro of "Never Let Me Down Again" a definite standout.

Dave's voice is the best it's sounded to date. His range has improved greatly, tested only tonight by an impassioned reading of "Condemnation," a song that clearly holds some meaning after his battles with addiction and thankfully failed suicide attempts. Gone for the most part are the stadium-god poses and "AWWWWWRIGHT TORRRRONNN-TOHHHHH" howls, which is good. His occasional forays into dancing were risky, but then again he did jokingly promise some Spice Girls choreography earlier this year. He looks far healthier than he has since the beginning of the decade, and the smiles that broke across his face all night suggest he may be happier, as well.

The evening's musical highlights aside, several visual moments will stay with me moreso. A clever video medley of Anton Corbijn's clips for the band since 1986 accompanied "It's No Good," and a campy sequence involving Dave, Mart and Andy dressed as various rock icons (Elvis, Kraftwerk and Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles the most striking of these) aired during "Walking In My Shoes." The evening's defining moment for me, which a good portion of the stadium may have missed, occurred during Gore's show-stopping mini-set. As Martin sang "Home's" earnest chorus, Dave emerged off-stage with a cup of tea. He spent the latter half of the song swaying, then dancing, then laughing with longtime band confidant J.D. Fanger. What a feeling it must be to step outside of the context of a universally famous rock band and witness one of your own shows.

Like the song says: "And I haven't felt so alive in years..."