September 3, 2013 | Posted in LIVE MUSIC | By sockii
Depeche Mode Rocks Ovation Hall in Atlantic City
Depeche Mode live in Atlantic City. All concert photos on this page by the author, sockii.
On August 30, 2013, electronic music legends Depeche Mode brought their Delta Machine Tour to Atlantic City, New Jersey. The show, which took place at Revel’s Ovation Hall, provided fans a wonderful chance to celebrate the band’s span of hits and memorable songs from their over 30-year career and recording history.
By way of disclaimer, I’ll confess that I’m one of those casual Depeche Mode fans that the serious, dedicated fans probably hate to see at a show. By that I mean I know and like most of their big hits and have a couple of their albums, but I can’t profess to being familiar with all of their songs, the band’s history, etc.
That said I found their performance a wholly enjoyable and engaging experience, one that made me want to listen to more of their music after the show was over – always a good indication of a great concert. I would definitely recommend seeing them live if you get the chance! More details on the concert below including videos, set list, and where to get the latest news from the band.
Videos from the Concert
You can get a taste for Depeche Mode’s performance at the Revel in these audience-filmed videos.
My Thoughts on the Show
This was my first time seeing any band at Ovation Hall and it’s worth a few comments on the venue. The space is thoroughly modern, comfortable and features truly wonderful acoustics. Despite having seats quite high up and far back on the 200-level, it still didn’t feel like we were very far from the stage at all and the sound was perfect. The main criticism I have of Ovation Hall is that after the show, getting out of the Hall and back to the main casino floor was a nightmare of confusing exits and terrible crowd control.
But on to the concert itself. Depeche Mode went on stage just a little after 9pm (with no opening act) and proceeded to run through a great set of 21 songs, from early hits to new music from their 2013 Delta Machine album. Lead singer Dave Gahan is a compelling frontman who managed to engage the audience from the front rows all the way to the back of the theater with his energetic dance moves, sexual presence and strong baritone voice. Martin Gore switched between keyboards and guitars throughout the show and took center stage on several tracks with his beautiful vocals, accompanied only by additional keyboardist Peter Gordeno while the rest of the band took a break. Drummer Christian Eigner kept the beat going steady and had most of the audience on their feet and dancing the entire night (only in the upper level where we were at were some people sitting at all). Andy Fletcher kept mostly to the background on his synthesizers, letting Dave and Martin keep up the center-stage action.
The large, geometrical backing screen alternated between close-up shots of the band performing and pre-recorded artsy videos. The videos and lighting effects were compelling enough, without being distracting and indeed, adding a little visual excitement which can be missing with a band mostly performing behind keyboards. As someone who goes more frequently to hard rock concerts than dance/electronic-music ones, I was thoroughly impressed with how much I enjoyed the performance and the show as a whole. Even when I didn’t know the songs from the new album like I did the big hits, I was still engaged by the performance and felt there were only a few slower, less-compelling moments.
All told, I’m glad I saw the show and happy to be able to check off Depeche Mode from my list of bands I’ve always wanted to see in concert but never have before. Whether I’d be in a huge rush to see them again, I’m not sure. Probably in a few years if they hit the road again, I would – especially after spending the time becoming more familiar with their complete body of work.
Depeche Mode Setlist
From the show on August 30, 2013 Atlantic City
- Welcome to My World
- Angel
- Walking in My Shoes
- Precious
- Black Celebration
- Policy of Truth
- Should Be Higher
- Barrel of a Gun
- The Child Inside
- But Not Tonight (Acoustic)
- Heaven
- Soothe My Soul
- A Pain That I’m Used To (‘Jacques Lu Cont’s Remix’ version)
- A Question of Time
- Enjoy the Silence
- Personal Jesus
Encore:
- Home (Acoustic)
- Halo (‘Goldfrapp Remix’ version)
- Just Can’t Get Enough
- I Feel You
- Never Let Me Down Again
Setlist courtesy Setlist.fm
Delta Machine by Depeche Mode
Get the band’s latest release on CD or audio download
Released in March 2013, Delta Machine is the band’s 13th studio album. The Deluxe edition available on Amazon features a bonus disc with 4 extra tracks and also a 28-page hardcover book.
Follow Depeche Mode on Twitter
Get the latest news from the band via social media and other forums
Twitter not your thing? You can also keep up with the band via these websites:
- Depeche Mode – Official website
- Home/a Depeche Mode website
- Depeche Mode World
- Depeche Mode UK Fansite
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sockii
sockii is just your typical Jane-of-All-Trades who never has enough time in her day for all of her projects. She has written for many websites online including Squidoo, Zujava, Yahoo! Contributors Network, HubPages and Wizzley. She has been attending and vending at science fiction and media conventions for over 15 years, and for several years ran an art gallery and jewelry store in Philadelphia. Today she is happy to be living in South Jersey with her partner David and their 6 cats. Sockii is a member of several affiliate sales programs including Amazon Associates and Viglink. Products from these services may be advertised on her posts and pages to generate sales commissions.
1 Comment
- Pet Shop Boys Electric Tour Review: April 25 at the Revel in Atlantic City - […] was the second concert I’ve seen at Ovation Hall (the first being Depeche Mode last year) and once again…
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