I went to see Depeche Mode at the LG Arena in Birmingham last night. This was my first time at a DM show, and also the first time at this venue.
The set-list was very similar to that already reported earlier in this thread, although they have dropped
Peace(
), and they finished with
Personal Jesus. Martin Gore did three solos (with Dave Gahan off stage), and I’m wondering if the tweaking of the set-list was aimed at giving Dave a breather?
It’s difficult getting the same atmosphere in a venue this size compared with the smaller shows. You lose the personal connection that you get when you a close up to the artist. That is my only criticism, and I guess it comes with the territory.
Most of the audience seemed to have more enthusiasm to get up and dance to the older stuff, being more subdued during the material from the last two albums. I was the exact opposite, having taken it upon myself to purchase their stuff in reverse order, I felt most at home with the newer songs.
Anyway, having experienced the ‘big arena’, I definitely prefer the more personal touch of my local venues.
