Depeche Mode on Letterman Mon March 11

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by namnibor

Depeche Mode is still very relevant and can PACK HUGE arenas ANYWHERE they tour...if they come here I am sure to get ticket and finally see them live...now, where's that black leather skydiving suit and eyeliner at again? Just where I left it last!!

As I was watching that earlier video, I was amazed at how DM was able to play such a small venue as the Letterman show at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in NYC and act like it was just par for the course. That is an extremely small venue for them, and I think folks have to wait to get tickets to Letterman, but ultimately pay zero for the tickets themselves to sit in on that audience (not including the expensive hotels and restaurants of the area to stay there of course).

I remember seeing the documentary 101 about Depeche Mode... They sold out the freakin' Rose Bowl Stadium.. 60,000 people in the crowd that night just to see them!!

The folks who were in the Letterman audience that night were some very lucky people, and I don't mean that as a dig at Dave, because in his field of satire, he is equally as epic as DM is to music. They were lucky people all the way around. Kind of a shame Mayor Bloomberg was the guest that night, lol.... On the nights following they had Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey, both of whom were freakin hilarious.

[namnibor]

Here's a great bit of video of Depeche Mode's "Sounds of The Universe" tour, probably the closest to the Virus Ti's one will see of their set-up and having discovered that youtube channel, The Virus Channel, it seems, there's some really other cool Virus and Depeche Mode related stuff on there...very good PR for Access http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zomJg_odX4

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by namnibor

Here's a great bit of video of Depeche Mode's "Sounds of The Universe" tour, probably the closest to the Virus Ti's one will see of their set-up and having discovered that youtube channel, The Virus Channel, it seems, there's some really other cool Virus and Depeche Mode related stuff on there...very good PR for Access http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zomJg_odX4

How would you like to be the guy that tunes Martin's guitars for him? Did you see how many different guitars he went through just during the 45 minute Letterman set? I lost count! lol

[namnibor]

Originally Posted by MBTC

How would you like to be the guy that tunes Martin's guitars for him? Did you see how many different guitars he went through just during the 45 minute Letterman set? I lost count! lol

I know! Been trying to find the source and think it was some back issue of keyboard Magazine, where am *almost* certain that Martin was primarily a guitar player and when Vince or was it Andy(?) left early-on, Martin needed to move more to synths to fill void...until find source, not certain. Do you recall ever seeing Dave Gahan playing synth or otherwise (other than his fraking fantastic voice/instrument)?

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by namnibor

I know! Been trying to find the source and think it was some back issue of keyboard Magazine, where am *almost* certain that Martin was primarily a guitar player and when Vince or was it Andy(?) left early-on, Martin needed to move more to synths to fill void...until find source, not certain. Do you recall ever seeing Dave Gahan playing synth or otherwise (other than his fraking fantastic voice/instrument)?

Hmm.. not sure, but the very early DM stuff was all synth, and I don't think they used a guitar on a DM record until Music for the Masses. I know Martin and Vince had a band before DM (a little research indicates they cited The Cure as the influence for that band). Martin may have been a guitarist prior to DM, but I was thinking that he was not (possibly wrong). I believe Vince was indeed a guitarist in the early days, supposedly Fletch was too. I don't ever remember seeing Gahan play an instrument, but as you say his contribution to their sound has never been in question.

[namnibor]

I DO recall Dave having a tambourine in-hand on some footage from Depeche Mode 101 or from those early days when MTV actually meant MUSIC Tele-Vision, rather than "reality-frakin-this"...sour note for me because I ALSO enjoy *great SciFi* and whomever must have purchased parent company that had the SciFi Cable Channel Network, decided to cancel even re-runs of Dr. Who, let alone a creative series, and was responsible for canceling even the newer Battle Star Galactica in midst of it's 4th season when the story was really developing...and now, the even have ghost hunting this (Blair Witch moving camera around-making-one-want-to-heave), AND WRESTLING!!!??? On SciFI???? Same goes for MTV or the other one--they have gone this way of entertainment for walking meatheads! Sorry...kind of had a few synapse snap there in a rant!
So yes, have seen Dave doing the tambourine thing along with that beautiful voice!