It’s been one week since we saw the end of a fantastic tour. The band and traveling fans alike are back home, sleeping in their own beds, mostly adjusted to their original timezones. The concept of post-concert depression (PCD) is a very real one, as the body and mind comes down from the natural high that comes from the thrill of any amazing and fun experience. However, my personal Tour of the Universe ended on such an unexpected high, I haven’t really had too much trouble with PCD. I coped with what I thought was the end of my adventure back in August, after the Dallas show. Dusseldorf was an amazing epilogue.
What I have felt, though, is the same as what I felt after traveling this summer: A somewhat disgruntled readjustment to normal life. The band has cited this as one of the difficulties of touring. Dave’s family suffered quite a bit of tension after he returned from Touring the Angel (the results of which can be heard in the subsequent release of Hourglass). Martin has commented about the awkwardness of something as simple as grocery shopping after a long tour. It goes without saying that Depeche Mode travels at a higher financial level than their fans. They certainly aren’t bumming couches from buddies, booking hostels and hotels with three people to a room, or hauling luggage up and down subway stairs like most of their traveling fans are. We certainly aren’t on and off tour for nine months. However, this isn’t about being well-taken care of or spoiled. It’s a psychological experience, in which I imagine better accommodations may help but do not prevent. I think one begins to understand that experience through the prism of a fan’s microcosm after even a few short trips. Read More »
Dave Gahan, Dusseldorf, Germany. Feb 27, 2010. Photo by Amanda.
I’m about an hour away from landing in San Francisco as I start this piece, trying sum up the last show of the tour without completely embarrassing myself in public. However, as the events of the last 24 hours continue to soak in, I find it increasingly difficult to hold back the tears of joy. To say last night’s show at the Esprit Arena was amazing seems generic – a blanket term that can’t encompass the emotion on and off the stage, the nuances of body language, and the synergy of 50,000 people and a resilient band celebrating the end of a challenging but awesome tour. Read More »
Martin Gore, Dusseldorf, Germany. Feb 26, 2010. Photo by Amanda.
So its 4am, this is a German keyboard with weird buttons so please ignore typos.
Damn this show was awesome!
I wouldnt say it surpases Berlin or Vegas, but it is up there. It was just so much fun. I didn’t weep like a school girl, I didn’t have any strange religious out of body experience, it was just a LOT of FUN. There was a ton of love in the arena (between the band and from the audience). The audience was singing along so loudly, I got choked up on NLMDA of all things, in that “wow” kind of way. The audience was creating their own singalongs at every turn, not just Home. Some folks in front row were even doing the backup abstract vocals from Behind the Wheel. Read More »
A friend of mine had some extra tickets for Dusseldorf, and another friend offered to let me stay at their home, so Tara and I are off to Dusseldorf! Crazy. I’ve spent the last few days in a state of disbelief as mentally I had already been thinking of “next time” in the terms of three or four years. I’d made peace with Dallas being my last show. But this is really a stroke of fortune I couldn’t refuse. It means a lot to me, as the Dusseldorf shows are two of my four cancelled shows. I’ll be blogging our adventures, better supported by the upgrade of an iPhone 3GS I got last summer. Wish us luck!
Excited crowd in Berlin, June 2009. Photo by Amanda.
Some of you may remember Kaleidoscope, the fanbook project I did a couple years ago. Well, I’m at it again in a slightly different format. With the tour nearing it’s end, I thought it would be fun to put together a photo book to commemorate it.
This is a strictly not-for-profit, unofficial book commemorating Tour of the Universe. It will highlight the best gigs of the tour, as told by the fans that attended them. Text will accompany a collection of amateur photographs taken by fans, reprinted with permission. Additional content will include infographics related to the tour. Graphic design and layout to be completed by usaku.
What I ask of you guys is to submit your gig stories! I’m looking for 200-400 words about your favorite show of the tour. It could be the atmosphere, the crowd, or a personal experience – anything goes! Stories will be published with your name and location. I would love to have an entry for every city, but the book would be far too big and expensive, so I’m looking to the community to convince me what gigs to include and why. I would love to include Tel Aviv and South America especially, along with the North American and European favorites. Read More »
Source unknown. Know the photographer? Comment or send me an e-mail!
This evening, Depeche Mode was once again shut out of the Grammys. Every time the band is nominated for an industry award, it comes with mixed feelings for fans. Part joy for the possibility they might actually be getting recognized for their amazing work, and part skepticism for the fact they rarely get the respect they deserve from the music industry. They were part of a formative period in the life of electronic music and have inspired a generation of musicians spanning multiple genres. They’ve sold nearly 100 million albums worldwide. Their recent tours are playing to more people than any time in their career. They’ve built an army of a following that gives The Greatful Dead a run for their money. And yet, only a handful of outlets have recognized their achievements over a 30 year career. Read More »
@designlk posted this gem to Twitter yesterday and I just had to share. YouTube is chuck full of cover songs, most of them bad, and Depeche Mode tracks are no exception. However, this accordion cover of “Wrong” by Zsadany Csaky and Szlobodan Wertetics manages to successfully capture every layer and intricacy of one of Depeche’s most complicated compositions to date. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to think of “Wrong” in the context of a bellowing aerophone, but the low, menacing pulsations of air suit the dark nature of the song quite well. Accompanied by an appropriate video, it seems as if they shot the song through a time-cannon and we got “Wrong” – The Vintage Air Around the Bellows Mix. A fascinating and creative take.
*Edited to credit @designlk. Couldn’t remember who it was! Thanks!
'People have been posting that the tour is cursed. “Curse of the Universe,” to some, “Tour of the Unicurse,” to others. I still refuse to call it cursed or unlucky.'
The Snub and the Fools and the Stars
Source unknown. Know the photographer? Comment or send me an e-mail!
This evening, Depeche Mode was once again shut out of the Grammys. Every time the band is nominated for an industry award, it comes with mixed feelings for fans. Part joy for the possibility they might actually be getting recognized for their amazing work, and part skepticism for the fact they rarely get the respect they deserve from the music industry. They were part of a formative period in the life of electronic music and have inspired a generation of musicians spanning multiple genres. They’ve sold nearly 100 million albums worldwide. Their recent tours are playing to more people than any time in their career. They’ve built an army of a following that gives The Greatful Dead a run for their money. And yet, only a handful of outlets have recognized their achievements over a 30 year career. Read More »