Depeche Mode at Jones Beach Theater with She Wants Revenge 05/13/2006

I was pretty surprised a couple months ago to see that Depeche Mode was headed back to New York so soon after the last time we saw them towards the tail end of 2005. But I knew my wife really likes them, (and who doesn't?) and they are about the only band she's willing to see these days (after the Static-X incidents...) so I got a pair of tickets as a late anniversary gift.

There was only one very odd thing about this concert date, it was early May and taking place at Jones Beach Theater, an outdoor venue. I remember going to see concerts at Jones Beach during the summer that were very cold, so May seemed like a very odd choice of date.

We got to the parking lot by 7:00 for the 8:00 show. I could tell my wife was concerned about heading out into the stadium so soon. It was cloudy, dreary, and windy, not to mention very cool, probably in the upper 50's by that time.

By the time we got to our seats, the opening act She Wants Revenge was already performing. I didn't recognize their music, but found it acceptable. I'd say in a similar vein as DM, heavily digital music. There was one guy who sang a little, but, largely, the lead vocals emanated from a sexy blond songbird who utterly controlled the stage. The funny thing is that, from what I see on the She Wants Revenge webpage, the group is really just two guys, meaning that she's, likely, only hired for the tour. Their sound was okay, but the bass level was way too high and distorted way too much. I think it really hurt their set, as it was otherwise very charming. They were off the stage by 8:45, which, coincidentally was about the time that Jones Beach was in the embrace of complete darkness.

By 9:10 Depeche Mode took to the stage. By, in large, it was the same stage props as the last time we saw them, but the screens seemed, somehow, more prominent this time. Maybe it was just where we were seated, and the right of the stage. By that time the temperatures had to have been in the low 50's. We noticed that most of the crowd had come equipped to the show with winter coats, blankets and even gloves and scarves! Unfortunately we were only kept warm with some fleece, (hell! It was over 70 degrees only a couple hours earlier! whoda guessed?) Despite the weather, DM had the crowd on their feet and moving to the music. You know it was cold out because Dave took off his jacket during one song, only to put it back on shortly after. And this is a singer who LOVES to run around on stage! Martin's set was lovely. He just has a great voice. He compliments Dave perfectly. A great team there. The overall sound was PERFECT. You can hear every note in crystal clear perfection. There was no distortion, and no one was too low. Perfect. I think that the fact they now make their live shows available for purchase has something to do with it. That's a new trick that I've never seen any other band do, and it's smart. There's no reason to bootleg shows anymore, now is there? By 11:00 they finished their encore and called it a night. It was a great show, but I think the cold in the air kinda hurt a little of the magic of the music. If you were curious what they played, they post on their site now exactly what they play at each show the VERY NEXT DAY! Here's you go, the set list:

SET 14
> Intro
> A Pain That I'm Used To
> A Question Of Time
> Suffer Well
> Precious
> Walking In My Shoes
> Stripped
> Home
> Judas
> In Your Room
> Nothing's Impossible
> I Feel You
> Behind The Wheel
> World In My Eyes
> Personal Jesus
> Enjoy The Silence
encore
> Shake The Disease
> Photographic
> Never Let Me Down Again

And I would highly recommend catching them if you can. Their music is still as fresh today as the day they first gave it to the world.

Check the websites for more information:
http://www.depechemode.com

http://www.shewantsrevenge.com