Jody was a member of the touring staff of the Depeche Mode Singles Tour. For
the entire tour, Jody contributed her insight into the behind-the-scenes aspect
of Mode on the road (through her eyes), as well as doing her normal job for the
tour (press and promotion). The following diary entries are from her directly,
unless otherwise noted.
Originally found at
www.depechemode.com
December 23, 1998
Los Angeles, CA (Travel Day)
Jody wished to make the following statement:
"Hi. This is Jody. As the tour is over, I just want to say it was great to meet
all the people along the road, and until next time..."
December 22, 1998
Anaheim, CA (Arrowhead Pond)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
The final show! I ended up missing the first song, because I was waiting for
Jody to throw me in the sound pit area (my home for the night). When there, I
enjoyed a great performance, with a few surprises. During Never Let Me Down
Again, in the middle breakdown bit, Peter Gordeno slipped in a few bars of "God
Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (I only heard it when I played the tape back - I didn't
catch it live). At the beginning of "Enjoy The Silence", David said "Merry
Christmas, by the way", and during Personal Jesus, Chris from Stabbing Westward
joined Janet and Jordan onstage (complete with feather boa) to sing backup
vocals. The final treat happened before the second encore ("Just Can't Get
Enough"). Fletch came to the microphone, and said:
"Thanks, ladies and gentlemen. (You've) been a great audience. We've enjoyed
ourselves in Southern California. This has been one of the happiest tours for
Depeche Mode for a long time, and there is a small chance we might be back. I'd
like to thank the band. Christian Eigner on drums, Peter Gordeno, Janet and
Jordan, and Mr. Andrew Philpott, who put together all the programming for the
tour. The unsung hero. He likes to think he is, anyway. So, anyway, I'll pass
you over to the real star of the show...me! (band laughter) Over to Dave."
After the show I went backstage. This time, I brought a six-pack of table
football balls (at the first Pond show, someone had stolen the ball). I came to
play! Sure enough, myself, my friend Chad, and two other backstage people joined
up for a quick game (we won). After we finished, Martin walked over. He (and
Chris from Stabbing Westward) kicked the asses of the guys we had just played
(it should be noted that Martin chose to play with a yellow golf ball, instead
of a standard table football ball).
After witnessing "the man" in action (Martin), there was no way I was going to
play against him. Instead, Martin and Chris teamed up against Peter Gordeno and
Christian Eigner for a final grudge match (again, using the golf ball - go
figure). The game must have lasted at least ten minutes! It was very obvious
that these four men have played this game a LOT during this tour. Best moments
were when Martin was missing a few of his shots. It's very unusual to hear
Martin Gore scream "Oh come on!", and watch him jump up and down. Damn cool
though. ;) It should also be noted that Christian is a damn good goalie (he was
blocking a lot of Martin's shots).
Another interruption for Martin was when his daughter walked over (very cute
little girl), and start tugging on his shirt, and hugging his leg, while he was
playing. Even with this handicap, Martin and Chris did win (even going so far as
to do a jumping high five at the end of the game).
A great end to a cool show. The next day, the band and crew left for Christmas
at home. Happy holidays to all!
December 21, 1998
End Of Tour/Christmas party at Union, Los Angeles, CA. (Day Off)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
A party for the band, crew, and select invited guests. Basically, a lot of
people crammed into a small place, drinking, and following Martin around. :)
When I got to the location (I was one of the first people there), I was
surprised to find fans outside the building (so much for secret parties).
Inside. the place was decked out with Christmas lights and balloons, including
the light-trimmed "DM" that was backstage at the San Diego show (see picture in
Gallery 11). There was a DJ spinning classic 70's tracks (and some
not-so-classic), a free bar (always nice), a generous helping of Chinese food,
and a Korg keyboard sitting in the corner ready to be played (it never was while
I was there, and I stayed most of the night). Martin, Andy, Peter Gordeno,
Christian Eigner, Janet and Jordan were all in attendance (David did not make
it), along with a lot of the touring personnel. Again, most of what I saw were
people walking around (mainly following Martin), and chatting the night away,
while smoking up a storm (my poor lungs). For a fan (like myself), hanging out
in the same area as the band is cool, but it was otherwise kind of boring. But,
the party did serve it's purpose - a good party for the crew before the last
show. It was not meant to humor any fans - it was for the band and crew. In that
respect, it was a cool party! Plus, Santa showed up, and was making balloon
creations for the people. Never knew Santa drank Jack Daniels. ;)
December 20, 1998
Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA.
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
Sadly, a lot of people at the show tonight were not prepared for the
bone-chilling temperatures (high 30's / low 40's), which is not what California
is really known for during the Christmas season. Many fans were shivering
outside (or smartly waiting in their cars - with the heater on) waiting for the
doors to open. Once inside, the packed crowd did their best imitation of a plane
departing when DM hit the stage (read: they were LOUD). As expected, another
great show.
After the show, in the Band Hospitality area, there was the usual crowd of fans,
label people, and crew. Also on hand was Bon Harris (from Nitzer Ebb), who was
hanging out with some of the DM tour crew. Meanwhile, Mr. Andy Franks ("tour
manager extraordinare", to quote Jody), was getting down to finding the culprit
who stole the table football ball. Sadly, it was not found (I wanted to play),
so instead people were using the table as a coaster for their drinks (an obvious
sacrilegious act in the eyes of Mr. Franks).
December 19, 1998
Los Angeles, CA (The Forum)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
The second of the Forum shows went very smoothly. The biggest surprises were the
set change (the "acoustic" version of Sister Of Night - as performed at the KROQ
Acoustic Xmas, and Stripped replacing Behind The Wheel), and Madonna in DM's
dressing room after the show. A very loud crowd response overall, though not a
lot of singing along.
December 18, 1998
Los Angeles, CA (The Forum)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
The first Forum show. Crowd-wise, this was the night that the audience was more
"into it". More singing, more screaming, more hand waving. Personal highlight
after the show was playing table football in the band afterparty area (I had
never played before). :)
December 15, 1998
San Diego, CA (Cox Arena)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
Loud - the only word that can possibly describe the show. The fans were in
overdrive. A LOT of singing, and a LOT of screaming. One of the better
performances that I have seen. Memorable aftershow moment...Andy popping in
"Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes in the CD player for the after show
party music. Amazingly, people still stayed and hung out with him and Martin. ;)
December 12, 1998
KROQ Acoustic Xmas, Los Angeles, CA (Shrine)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
A special night. DM occupied the headlining spot of the 9th Annual KROQ 'Almost'
Acoustic Christmas show. The crowd was treated to an edited down version of the
"Singles Tour" set list, which included special "acoustic" versions of Sister Of
Night (with Martin singing), A Question Of Lust and Enjoy The Silence. During
Enjoy The Silence, the crowd took over singing the chorus when David stopped
singing, without any delay. Very nice. The finishing touch of the hour-plus
performance was the encore - Never Let Me Down Again, with guest guitar and
vocals by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins.
After the show, the backstage area was packed! A large group of people trying to
cram their way into the area where Depeche Mode was, including Anton Corbijn,
Ben Stiller, members of Hole, Billy Corgan and a lot of KROQ employees and
"label" people.
December 11, 1998
Oakland, CA (Oakland Arena)
Guest diary writer: Webmaster BRAT
Drove up from Los Angeles to Oakland to catch the show (special thank you to the
California Highway Patrol for the speeding ticket). I arrived at the Pan Pacific
Hotel (San Francisco), and got to meet Jody (finally!). She gave me all the
necessary passes for that night's show. After killing some time in SF, my friend
and I proceeded to the Oakland Arena.
We got there just in time to hear Martin, Peter and Christian doing their sound
check. They were going through their final rehearsals for the KROQ Acoustic
Christmas performance the next day. In a 14,000+ seat arena, to be the only ones
in the venue (besides the crew) to be witness to this was something that pretty
much left me speechless. They performed Sister Of Night, A Question Of Lust, and
an instrumental version of Enjoy The Silence (David was not present at the sound
check). All three tracks (plus a quick jam session on the old Fats Domino
classic "Blueberry Hill") were "acoustic" versions, with Peter on piano,
Christian on drums, and Martin on his electric guitar.
I didn't get much of a chance to see Stabbing Westward. I was backstage getting
all the camera equipment ready, watching the "Meet & Greet", and receiving my
final instructions from Jody. But, I did get to see their equipment on stage
before the show. Mr. Bendy, and some of his relatives, took position on
Stabbing's mic stand, keyboard and drum kit.
The actual DM performance was fantastic! The Oakland crowd was extremely loud. A
very energized performance (see pictures). After the show, a huge amount of
people crammed into the band hospitality area for the after show party. After
the party, the band flew to Los Angeles. As for me, I drove back home to Los
Angeles (obeying the speed limit this time).
November 26th
Chicago, Il. (Day Off)
As we left Miami, we found that we had inherited a new member on the tour, who
introduced himself as Evil Bendy. This introduction happened over the tannoy of
the aeroplane, and as you can see from the pictures, he was at the controls.
On arriving at the gig, he possessed Dave in the corridor and continued with the
rest of the band and crew and then insisted on his own picture gallery on the
website - this wish of course was granted. He also then took his place on the
bar football league, challenging Fletch and Mart and of course beating them all
(he must be female).
Evil Bendy comes from Seattle and has decided to join the remaining few weeks of
the Depeche Mode Tour, he has his own dressing room, after show guests and even
his own personal hotel room.(under the name Mr E. Bendy)
He embarked on a reign of total chaos, influencing the crowd for 'Never Let Me
Down' during the arm waving, teaching Dave how to 'Reach Out and Touch Faith'
and generally causing havoc - finally he finished the gig by standing on
Christian's bass drum just to prove a point.
We hit New Orleans where Evil Bendy ensconced himself in Dave's dressing room.
As we left the venue after another fantastic gig, he hid and therefore got to
ride on the crew bus, giving him the opportunity to possess them too. Soon, many
of his friends will be joining us, the Evil Bendy clan will outnumber the DM
tour party.......so watch this space.
We came to Chicago for two excellent sell out gigs - Evil Bendy kept a low
profile but I am sure will surface soon. Happy Holidays to all........
November 12th
Miami, Fl. (Day Off)
Miami - We arrived in Miami the night before the show and were greeted in the
airport by some serious humidity. Had relaxing evening in preparation for the
show.
Miami show day - We arrived at the venue only to see the new Miami arena up in
flames , it was in the middle of being built and apparently a welders torch set
the scaffolding on fire. So everyone stood out side and watched the
fire-engine-helicopter putting out the flames. I dont know if it was the
weather, but the crowd went mad for the show, and as a result we had (as usual)
another stormer of a gig.
Orlando (show day) - A few hours in the morning by the pool to start work on the
suntans (Mr. Franks looking nice and brown) and then all aboard the Skylark for
a quick sojourn into the skies and on to Orlando. As I sit next to Christian on
the plane and ask him about the Orlando show he says- "I dont remember much
except I we all rocked like animals!!!!!!! HA HA HA!!!!" After the show back to
the giant hotel which was a cross between a train station and a shopping center.
Not a particularly wild night..........
Tampa (show day) - For a change we drove to Tampa, a short burn up the highway.
Tampa the excruciatingly hot city, played host to a fantastic DM show. Everyone
was in top form and really got into it. The crowd once again went loony,
especially on stage right (martins side). After the show there was much activity
in the accountants office, and Tom came out rubbing his hands - he managed to
look into a couple of openings that might bear fruit in the future-it must have
been a good night all round. Then back to our lovely beach side hotel to prepare
for two days of sun and fun.
Days off - Every one kicked back and got into beach life, and we all discovered
our new passion - wave runners . Dave, Jeff, myself and Andrew were the first
out hitting the waves and soon Christian was out as well. We spent ages on them,
and also on the next day. Christian went out another three times - his butt is
still hurting. Good food and swimming, chilling out and talking about things
other than touring. Then we flew to Houston....
Houston (show day) - A short while by the pool and then we headed to the venue.
A sold out night, we played to a seriously crazy, cowboy hat a wearin' 15,000
Texans. The result was another (you guessed it!) fab show. Great hip swinging by
Dave, hand waving by fletch, and head banging from Martin!!!!!
November 10th
Detroit, MI. (Day Off)
Cleveland - We boarded the plane and headed for Cleveland, a bit of a rough
landing, but we got to the venue safely. During sound check the band tried some
semi acoustic versions of the songs - v. interesting. The show turned out to be
a great performance, considering it was a Sunday night. Lots of post show
bar-football, and then back to the hotel for early bed!!!!!
Detroit - A short flight to Detroit, the home of our security men. One of whom
is leaving us today for ten days, so he can witness the birth of his child, so
good luck to him and his wife. A great show in "Motown" for both Stabbing
Westward and Depeche Mode. Back to the hotel for yet another quiet night....What
is going on?...
Day off - I woke up, opened the curtains, and it was blowing a gale force wind
with possibilities of a tornado. Great. So out with the briefcase and computer
for a days work. Roll on Miami and the good weather...........BYE BYE
November 7th
Montreal, CANADA. (Day Off)
post Toronto - Woke up to snow in Toronto. Got on our beautiful big plane, and
made our way to Montreal. Most interesting plane ride with various card games
going on, game boy, dirty nappies (you had to be there) and great sandwiches.
Arrived in Montreal to the Molson Centre, which was so organized and poptastic -
top marks to most excellent promoter and venue staff. Fletch did a great
interview for Musique Plus, so watch out for that (if you live in Canada).
We have a day off today in Montreal, and are going to see an ice hockey game
tonight - should be good. Off to Cleveland tomorrow, will write soon.....
November 5th
Toronto, CANADA. (Skytent / Toronto Skydome)
After returning extremely late from Philadelphia, we got up the next day to go
to Letterman. Also on the show (as I am sure some of you may have) was Sir
Anthony Hopkins and Buzz Aldrin.....
After a most excellent rehearsal (at which I couldn't take piccys - except of
the TV in the dressing room), the band and crew went on to produce the best
performance ever for TV by Depeche Mode. After receiving our complementary
t-shirts we departed the building to be met by a good number of fans. Early
night as big promotional day tomorrow....
Left at the unearthly hour of 10 a.m. to go to the MTV Studios to record 120
Minutes with Matt. It was a really really good co-host and the band had a good
time. The show will air this Sunday 8th on MTV at midnight - make sure you tune
in....
Dave recorded an interview with MTV News then it was onto the Kit Kat Club to do
the interviews for VH-1's 'Behind the Music'. Dave went first, followed by
Martin and then Fletch. They all gave brilliant interviews. Watch this space to
find out the airing time.
Wednesday was a nice relaxing day, some of us went to see PJ Harvey in the
evening - she was really good. Today, Thursday (Bonfire Night for us Brits), we
flew to Canada on our new plane which is just amazing (understatement).
Arrived in Toronto (very cold) and went to the Skydome, where the band are on
stage at this precise moment of typing ('Question of Lust'). Will give full
report of this gig, Montreal and Cleveland soon.
Pictures will shortly be posted for our MTV/VH-1 shoot and our fabulous new
plane.........keep logging on
November 2nd
New York, NY. (Late Night With David Letterman)
Had to wake up late on Saturday, after dinner at the Tribeca Grill hosted by
Reprise followed by our meeting up with our crew (a rare but very pleasant
event) at the Bubble Lounge. It was a good party, but unfortunately it wasn't
long before I had to retire to my bed - very tired after Madison Square Garden
gigs.
Saturday, our fearless leader Mr. Andy Franks had to defy all odds by then
trekking to VH-1 for the first of the many interviews for the forthcoming
'Depeche Mode - Behind the Music'. A great show.
This was Franksy's first ever full-on TV interview where he spilt the beans (and
the pulses about DM). It must be said, there are a lot of beans.........
Please see picture of the main man, Mr. Andy Franks and his beautiful and
luverly wife, Marla (after the interview - with an extremely cheeky grin on his
face -I wonder why??).
Read here for broadcast dates.
Sunday came around very quickly, now its off to Philadelphia to play at the
Spectrum. Was a little bored in the morning so decided to run the marathon then
left for the venue with the band at around 2 p.m., avoiding all the other
runners.
Sound check and dinner. Everyone was very happy as we got our espresso machine
back, so we now get some strong coffee...
Started taking pictures with the new camera - the one with the dinosaur and egg
was a test picture from my hotel room.
Gig was good and the crowd were most receptive. VH-1 continued to shoot for
their special and were very very happy.....
Jonathan, the band's manager was interviewed too and was looking extremely cool
in his suit. No hints about his interview - just tune into VH-1 on the assigned
date.
After a quick few games of bar football we drove back to New York to prepare for
Letterman today........
October 29th
New York, NY. (Madison Square Garden)
Another tip-top, electropop-tastic show !!!!! Again another great night. Janet
and Jordan premiered their new sexy silver catsuits, complemented by glittery
mules - top marks to Flo Guenand (wardrobe, and table football champ.) Picture
to follow. We had an after-show party with Helmut Lang, at the very trendy LOT
61 club. Celebrity guests present were; label mate MOBY, SASHA, MICHAEL BOLTON
?!?!?, BILLY MYERS, and two scantily clad go-go boys. A late night, but we've
got two days off. New York shops here we come!!!!!!!!!
October 28th
New York, NY. (Madison Square Garden)
Madison Square Gardens....We got to the "garden" at five and spent the sound
check rehearsing the new arrangement for the song we're playing on LETTERMAN,
tune in on Monday to find out which song we're playing.... Any way, the show was
a stormer, we played to a full house of 14,000, and it was the tightest show of
the tour (in my opinion!) We got fantastic reviews in the NY Post, Hollywood
Reporter, Daily News and Variety to name but a few. Photographs will be posted
as soon as Tom (our money-man) takes me shopping for the new camera....
October 27th
Worcester, MA. (Centrum Centre)
Today is the first show of the American leg, and everyone is itching to get on
stage.
(post show report) The show , as usual, was excellent and was definitely a great
start to america. The audience were extra enthusiastic, and had all made a great
effort to get there from Boston. Then we flew straight to NY after the show,
squeezing all twenty of us into a little plane, which made for a very
interesting and hairy flight.....
October 25th
Boston, MA. (Day Off)
We flew into Boston today, and were taking the day off to get used to the time
change. Meanwhile our trusty and hard working crew are having a technical day to
make sure all the equipment survived the trip across the ocean so that the show
can continue...
October 17th
San Sebastion, Spain (Velodromo De Anoeta)
Well this is our final gig for the European leg of the tour. The competition
between crew/band members for the bar football is heating up. We flew to France
today from Barcelona only to then drive back into Spain to San Sebastian, coz
they close the airport early here. Gig is going great (they are performing It's
no Good at the moment - sounding most excellent).
New camera going to be purchased in New York to get enable me to get better
pictures for the US leg of the tour.
A very happy night......
October 14th
Barcelona, Spain (Day Off)
Well we are nearly finished with the European leg of the tour - wow it was
tiring!! We finally left Germany yesterday to arrive in sunny Spain and are
staying in a most beautiful hotel by the beach (many thanks to Mr. Franks, tour
manager extraordinaire).
Thanks for the questions for Fletch, he will have a look at them tonight and
then send the responses.......remember the winning question (as chosen by
Fletch) receives a personally signed tour book and merchandise.
The weather is beautiful, the sea looks lovely and we are flying this afternoon
to Zaragoza for the first of our three Spanish gigs. We play Barcelona tomorrow
night and then Tim will be DJ'ing at a local club. No doubt it will be a late
one for some....
Will let you have an update on the bar football championships..... till next
time
October 12th
Frankfurt, Germany (Day Off)
Everything is going extremely well. We returned to Germany after a very
successful gig in Paris. This week, we have done six shows in seven days - not
bad going. The crowds as always have been great and the shows even greater.
It just keeps getting better.
Played in Frankfurt last night, now everyone has a day off then tomorrow we fly
to Munich then onto Spain for three more gigs. Then we take America........
Mr. Andy Franks, our fantastic tour manager, was presented with a beautiful
Rolex watch tonight. It was from the band, and the German tour promoter, because
he is doing an incredible, fantastic job...and we love him. :)
Prior to the gig in Frankfurt last night, there was the World Table Football
Championship, between the band, and the crew. The playing led to a gritty final,
between Christian Eigner (the drummer), and Flo Guenand (wardrobe/production
tech). After a tense 5-10 minute match, Flo won (for the girls), beating
Christian with a score of 10 to 9. Although Martin and Fletch are incredibly
good at table football, the girls won. ;)
October 6th
Cologne, Germany (Koln Arena)
First of all I must apologize for the lateness in my diary. Last week in the UK
was hectic, massive guests lists, interviews, meet and greets and of course
fantastic shows.
Wembley was great (both nights) and many famous people came to see the band's
performance including Stephen Hawkins! The shows were both a sell out and the
audience sang along to all the songs. Dave was on great form and sounding
fantastic.
We then traveled up to Manchester (took 5 hours due to motorway road works) and
again a great time was had by all. Left on Saturday for Birmingham and the show
was attended by families and relatives. Again sell out, again fantastic.
After a much needed day off on Sunday we flew to Cologne yesterday and played in
a brand new venue, the Koln Arena. We were the first international band to play
there - all went extremely well. MTV filmed the whole show and were most
pleased. They will be editing their footage down to make two specials which
should be aired on MTV soon!
The band has just gone to Number One with their album in Germany and Anna from
the record company will be presenting them with a huge cake in the shape of a
No. 1 and in the colours of the album. I will take pictures tonight for proof!
We will be off to Paris tomorrow after our second show in Cologne tonight and
will be doing off to Paris for a press conference and show tomorrow and then a
most fantastic day off there. Hope the weather holds up.
Quite funny incident with security at the Koln Arena venue last night where
Steph and Em (caterers extraordinnaire) were asked to be quiet in the backstage
corridor as the band were on stage??! ok, no problem. All is well and all are
well - will write again soon
September 24th
Stuttgart, Germany (Day Off)
Can't remember my last entry. However DM played a great gig in the Forest in
Brussels, the reviews of which read that Dave Gahan was received as a God by the
Belgian crowd. Also another one was that the delivery of 'Personal Jesus' and
'Enjoy the Silence" were so powerful that DM nearly set the venue on fire.
We are on our way to Zurich today, followed by Bologna and then Milan. Life is
good.
September 21st
Berlin, Germany (Day Off)
DM performed two shows back to back in Waldbuhne, a fantastic venue in Berlin.
The shows were incredible, and there are some pictures to prove it. Sold out
over the two nights with 21,000 people each night. We then traveled to Erfurt on
Sunday for another show, which again was great and here are even more pictures
to prove it.
After a day off (for most) in Berlin we are flying to Brussels tomorrow and then
back to Germany for a gig in Stuttgart.
September 18th
Berlin, Germany (Waldbuhne)
It was a long journey from the hotel to the gig, but we did get to go through
the Brandenburg date, and cross over the red line (which used to be "the wall").
That was quite good on the sightseeing side.
The venue is fantastic in Berlin. It didn't rain (which is good, considering
that it was an outdoor gig). The gig went off - it was totally nuts.
September 16th
Vienna, Austria (Stadhalle)
well we are now firmly ensconced in Berlin after a hair raising ride to the
airport. We had to get there by midnight after the amazing (is there any other
type with this band?) gig otherwise our plane would not be allowed to take off.
Anyhow we lost the convoy so our driver proceeded to drive faster than the speed
of sound only (and probably inevitably) to get stopped by the police who gave us
a speeding ticket (happens all the time apparently).
Anyhow then we continued to speed along the autobahn (despite the ticket) and
then got to the airport in time for the electronic gate onto the runway to start
shutting. Our driver decided that he would make this and proceeded to put his
foot down even more (it was going through the floor at this point) to try and
get us through the gate before it closed completely.
To cut a long story short we were definitely not going to make it, but our
driver did not realise this until we were at the gate whereupon he slammed on
the breaks and we were nearly catapulted to the plane.
Great journey.
Going out for dinner tonight to a local restaurant - meant to be quite an
experience.
September 15th
Prague, Czech Republic (Sports Hall)
The gig in Prague was fantastic, the band were in top form and the performance
was one of their best so far. The audience reaction (all 16,000 of them) was
brilliant, with fans singing along to all the songs.
Tim S. DJ'd at a club later called Roxy, where he played an excellent set and
packed the dance floor.
We are leaving for Vienna this afternoon for the gig there and then straight
onto Berlin.
September 14th
Prague, Czech Republic (Day Off)
We left Stockholm this after, and had a long flight (2.5 hours) to Prague. We
got here, and now everyone has gone to a local restaurant.
Last night, Anton Corbijn was taking photos of the show.
We don't envy the crew at the moment. They are driving 936 miles from Stockholm
to Prague!
We have our gig tomorrow in the beautiful city of Prague tomorrow.
September 13th
Stockholm, Sweden (The Globe)
Sorry about the delayed entry for Stockholm, it was just that we traveled and
gigged three days in a row, at the end of which I went to Emma B's birthday (the
supermodel - who is a lovely person) and then collapsed in the early hours.
However having said that, it must be said that the fans in Stockholm were the
best, the response was incredible and being the first time on this tour that the
band had done three gigs in a row their support was extremely well received.
September 12th
Gothenburg, Sweden (Scandinavium)
Played Gothenburg last night, DM rocked.
The live reviews the band are receiving are better than the best. The feeling is
that the band look fantastic, sound fantastic and basically are fantastic. One
local paper described them (a direct translation) as "fresh young horses coming
out in the spring".
We are leaving for Stockholm today, last of the Scandinavian gigs before going
onto Prague..... Andy and Martin are doing some promotion this afternoon with
ZTV (national tv station) who are making a one hour special on DM for broadcast
on the 28th September (in Swedish of course) and Aftonbladet (biggest daily
newspaper).
September 11th
Copenhagen, Denmark (The Valby Multi Hall)
Arrived a little late in Copenhagen due to problems getting clearance for the
flight path - the skies looked pretty clear to us though. Managed to make it to
the venue in time to have a quick sound check and then onto the press
conference. The press conference was extremely well received and there were
approximately 80 journalists/TV persons there. Most excellent.
The venue was a new one and we were the first people to perform there. It was
full to capacity, over 12,000 people who all went extremely mad. It was the best
concert so far and as usual Depeche were brilliant.
Mr. Franks is now up and running with his new computer - special thanks to
Apple, however we are still looking for the original and any leads on its
whereabouts please pass on.
We need to give double special thanks to Apple, who so far with all our
inevitable computer problems, have been fantastic - they rock.
Lastly after show we went on to catch Tim DJ'ing at the Country Club, very deep,
but cool.
We are off to Gothenburg today, flying this afternoon.
By the way...the crew are feeling much better today.
September 10th
Helsinki, Finland (day off)
*This is the webmaster speaking for Jody today*
Not much of a diary today due to Jody working on her day off, but she wants
everyone to send their best wishes to the crew of the Depeche Mode tour, who are
suffering with the stomach flu at the moment.
September 9th
Helsinki, Finland (Hartwall Areena)
Andy Franks, the tour manager for Depeche Mode, had his computer stolen while
the band was in St. Petersburg. He is asking the fans of Depeche Mode to help
him find his computer, which has personal info about the band on it. If you are
traveling through St. Petersburg, or in Moscow, and are offered a computer
directly from Depeche Mode, please make the person a large offer, and
immediately contact the webmaster of depechemode.com. You will be rewarded!
This morning we flew to Helsinki in our private plane (we now have Swiss
chocolate on-board the plane!). Andy Franks was in the cockpit today, driving
the plane (not!). He was bossing the pilots around, got on the P.A., and started
saying "Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking...".
:)
The band did another "Meet & Greet", as well as a quick interview with Q
magazine (a two-page live spread for the October issue). The Q photographer was
taking loads of pictures of the concert. The guys from Q thought the concert was
brilliant!
The fans of Helsinki went crazy tonight, singing along to every word of every
song. We will be going to our hotel after the show (haven't even had the time to
see it yet).
September 7th
St. Petersburg, Russia (SKK Sport Complex Arena)
There were 19,000 screaming fans in the arena (more than capacity). Also, Flood
came to the gig (just as a friend) to check out the boys. He is currently
staying in St. Petersburg.
September 6th
Moscow, Russia (day off)
We got into the van, and basically drove around Moscow. We went to see the
Kremlin, Red Square, and we also went to a museum. We got to learn about the
history of Russia, as well as see things like Faberge Eggs, et cetera.
September 5th
Moscow, Russia (Olympiski Stadium)
We did the concert tonight in Moscow. It was a huge success. The fans in the
front actually broke down the barricades, so the Army was called in (in combat
gear) to form a human barricade between the fans and the stage! On the way to
the gig, we unfortunately had to stop at every traffic light. At every stop,
fans would come and scream at the van we were in. One car full of fans even had
a Russian bear in the back seat, ducking his head out at us. Also, the band did
interviews for MTV Russia (which should launch soon), as well as for WTN, which
should go out on worldwide circuit.
September 4th
Moscow, Russia (day off)
We arrived in Moscow today, and there were a lot of fans at the airport waiting
for us. The fans followed us (in their cars) from the airport, all the way to
the hotel (sticking their heads outside their cars - while driving - and
screaming). Now, they're waiting outside the hotel. The second they see Fletch,
Martin or Dave, they start screaming at the top of their lungs.
The band will be catching up with their old friend Flood in St. Petersburg on
Monday (he is currently staying in St. Petersburg).
September 3rd
Riga, Latvia (Lielupe Tennis Hall)
When we arrived in Latvia (on Tuesday), they were over 100 fans waiting for us
at the airport. They screamed when David, Martin and Fletch walked off of the
plane. They even screamed (in anticipation) when Jonathon Kessler (DM's Manager)
ducked his head out before the band walked out!
I found out later that a week ago, when The Rolling Stones arrived in Latvia,
they only had two journalists waiting for them, and that was it. No fans - no
nothing.
The band did a "Meet & Greet" before the show, and were presented with a Gold
Record award, because they have sold more records than any other artist in
Latvia.
It had been raining non-stop in Latvia. The only two days of sunshine that they
have had started the day we arrived.
September 2nd
Tartu, Estonia (Tartu Song Fest Grounds)
We got on our private plane for the first time today, and it was a little bumpy
towards the end, but it was ok...we survived. I was a bit worried, but our air
hostess (Eva), was wonderful. We came to the gig. The guys did the "Meet &
Greet", which was very polite. The fans here are very polite. They come up and
have their pictures signed, and they kinda get to the background. I'm sure it
won't be quite the same in other places.
There were 12,000 fans here tonight, and they were absolutely mental! They were
chanting "Depeche Mode" a half hour before the band went on stage! Dave and the
band were brilliant.
It was six degrees here, and it's freezing out there. It's totally and utterly
freezing. It's outdoors, it's cold, and there's smoke in the air when you
breathe out.