November 23rd 1990, Depeche Mode at Wembley Arena

 

 

Depeche Mode's World Violation Tour in 1990 holds a special place for many of their fans, a sweet spot in their history where the band's skills as songwriters and musicians was in perfect synch with their popularity. Having scaled exceptional heights of artistic and critical success with the release of "Music for the Masses" in 1987, Depeche Mode were able to reach even further when "Violator" came out in 1990, an album that many would consider the high point of their studio career. Propelled by four immensely strong singles that fully encapsulated and defined the Depeche Mode ideal, along with a selection of lushly produced and nuanced tracks that embraced and celebrated all of the darker elements that run through the band's work, "Violator" was and is a perfect album, a record that has inspired countless fans and countless artists on their own musical journeys.

Along with releasing the album, Depeche Mode went on tour throughout 1990 in support of "Violator", and those shows have gained a certain mystique since there's never been an official video release or album recording issued, giving the World Violation tour a kind of lost treasure element, a kind of "You had to be there" appeal. I was lucky enough to see it twice, once in Toronto at CNE Grandstand during the summer at a truly amazing show despite it being a wicked cold and rainy night, and a second time in London at Wembley Arena. 

See, around the time that "Violator" was released I had started working a new job, and I set a goal for myself to save a bit of money so I could take a vacation a few months later. And in thinking about where I wanted to go I was inspired by all of the concert listings that I was seeing in the British music papers. As far as I could tell from Melody Maker and the NME, there were amazing shows happening in London every day and all I had to do was wait for the right time when there were a few shows all within the same week so I could maximize the opportunity. And as luck would have it, the stars aligned over a week in London in November where there were a handful of shows that I wanted to see, including Depeche Mode at Wembley Arena. Even though I had already been to the Toronto date of the tour in the summer, the appeal of seeing the show again in such a famous venue was pretty strong, so my mind was made up. I was going to London to see Depeche Mode (and a few other shows) in the fall. 

So if this blog were a movie, now would be the time for a montage playing over an instrumental track from one of the earlier Depeche Mode albums. A shot of me circling concert ads in an issue of Melody Maker with a red pen, me on the phone booking tickets for a flight, eating mac 'n' cheese while I listen to "Violator" on my Walkman, a shot of me pulling a luggage strap over my shoulder and handing a ticket to a smiling flight attendant, all that kind of stuff, all in the service of moving the story along and getting me into my seat at Wembley on November 23rd 1990.

Depeche Mode were in fine form that evening, one of the last dates on a very successful tour that had further solidified their reputation as an excellent live draw. And I might be projecting a bit here, but I'm sure that playing London is always a thrill for a band, one of those cities like Paris and New York that has a particular appeal and excitement about it. The show opened with World in My Eyes, where the band literally invited the audience on a trip, similar to how Behind the Wheel was used to open their earlier Music for the Masses tour, suggesting a journey to be taken over the course of the night. I like that idea, there's an appeal to the thought of being taken somewhere else during a show, an escapist fantasy that further strengthens the immersive element of live performance for the audience. Plus, y'know, World in My Eyes is a pretty great song, so there's that too...

At this point in their career the band had a strong back catalog of singles, and the show that followed was a steady parade of fan favorites, along with a few album tracks thrown in for good measure, and it's a testimony to the strength of "Violator" that those album tracks were received with just as much excitement as the hits. Clean was exceptionally impressive that night, haunting and beguiling, a repeated melody that drew the audience deep under it's spell while a video of a slowly spinning cowboy hat played behind the band. The biggest cheers of the night came for Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus, both recent singles that had captured the imagination of old and new fans of the band alike, each of them expanded and elongated with additional instrumental grooves that gave Martin Gore a chance to strut a little bit with his guitar. Any nervousness that Gore had displayed on earlier tours was gone by then, and he was more than happy to move around the space while he played. 

The night closed with a medley of Behind the Wheel and Route 66, a sweet keyboard solo by Alan Wilder bridging the two tracks together while black and white videos (I'm assuming from Anton Corbijn?) of US highways played along in the background. It was pretty great, and even though I already knew what to expect from having seen the Toronto date on the tour earlier in the summer, it was still just as exciting, just as awesome as it was the first time I'd seen them play it.

I've seen Depeche Mode about twenty times over the years, a bunch of great shows that have all been enjoyable and exciting, but this date at Wembley stands out as a perfect mixture of great songs, an enthusiastic audience, and the band's own excitement, all contributing to an excellent performance that's stayed with me for years. Definitely one of, if not the best time that I've ever seen them play. If only there was an official video released from that night...