Depeche Mode made a guest appearance in Munich at a secret concert in front of 400 fans.
And not only showed themselves very human and intimate in a double breakdown.
Munich – In June, Depeche Mode will perform in the Munich Olympic Stadium: in a gigantic circle, in front of thousands of people.
It was much more intimate on Sunday (February 19): The synth-pop icons played a secret concert in front of 400 people in Munich.
There were no tickets to buy, but to win at various radio campaigns.
First and foremost at Bayern 1, the broadcaster had organized the exclusive show, but also at other stations in northern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The visitors had come a long way to experience the great legends on such a small scale.
Five songs were announced, three of them new from the new album “Memento Mori”, which will be released in March, and two old ones.
This was followed by a question and answer session with Bayern 1 morning presenter Marcus Fahn.
Depeche Mode in Munich: Exclusive concert took place in the old congress hall
The location had only been announced to the winners at short notice two days earlier and was not publicly leaked until Sunday.
There had been speculation in advance about the BR radio station.
Far from it: the fan event took place in the old congress hall.
The author of this text was there privately.
The safety precautions continue on site: all smartphones are sealed, perhaps so that no audio or video recordings end up on the internet.
Another effect: the lucky winners can concentrate on the stage.
The seating in the hall turns out to be more of a decoration: the fans stand and cheer for five songs.
D|M live in Munich 🖤 #DepecheMode #MementoMori #Munich 📷Bayern1 pic.twitter.com/cvVf7TBCaG
— Depeche Mode Europe ✪ (@dmforumeu) February 19, 2023
Depeche Mode in Munich: Band breaks off two songs and restarts them
Depeche Mode open their mini-set at around 5.30 p.m. with the current single "Ghosts Again" and show themselves to be very enthusiastic: perfect minutes with a rich synth sound and an audience with a solid grasp of the lyrics.
Two more unreleased songs follow with the dark “Wagging Tongue” and “My Favorite Stranger” – and with them a double breakdown.
Because the band gets tangled up in both pieces, breaks them off at Gahan's behest and starts them all over again.
"We're still rehearsing," Gore says apologetically.
And instead of resentment, they take the double lapse with a lot of humor, which is rewarded by the audience with encouraging applause.
Even professionals make mistakes.
Gradually, Gahan and Gore shed textile ballast: both appear in glamorous retro waistcoats, Gore in silver, the back of the frontman shines reddish.
At their side: multi-instrumentalist Peter Gordeno and drummer Christian Eigner.
Although Depeche Mode have only been a duo since the death of Andy Fletcher in 2022, in Munich they perform live in their four-piece line-up and not in an acoustic set, as some might have feared.
Depeche Mode in Munich: "Precious" and "Personal Jesus" on the set list
The two announced older songs turn out to be "Precious" and "Personal Jesus".
The band delivers both with pinpoint accuracy and increases the anticipation for the upcoming stadium tour, which will certainly be peppered with hits, which begins on March 23rd, one day before the album release, in Sacramento, California and takes them back to Munich on June 20th.
In the question and answer session with Bayern-1-Man Fahn, Gore and Gahan first talk about the two canceled songs.
"We could have done better," Gahan smiles, and Gore adds, "Believe it or not, we've been rehearsing for a month.
Even if you don't listen to us."
Depeche Mode in Munich: Dave Gahan and Martin Gore talk about Andy Fletcher's death
Moderator Fahn also passed on several questions from the listeners to the two.
The fans seem very interested in the everyday life of the stars, on tour and off.
The duo can only come up with short answers.
It gets all the more touching when Gore and Gahan talk about the recording process of the new album.
This was overshadowed by the death of keyboardist and founding member Andy Fletcher.
In the studio, the band met in July 2022, just "six weeks after Andy died," Gore recalled.
And Gahan gives goosebumps when he explains that it always felt like Fletcher was behind him when he looked over his shoulder.
Depeche Mode in Munich: Martin Gore would have liked to have written "Life On Mars?"
A fan wants to know which song the two would have liked to have written themselves.
"Life On Mars?" by David Bowie, reveals Gore from his point of view.
It can also be learned that star photographer Anton Corbijn not only took charge of the album cover and the "Ghosts Again" music video, but will also be responsible for the stage concept for the upcoming tour.
Fans can then see what that looks like in the Olympic Stadium, among other places.
During the Rolling Stones guest performance in Munich, Mick Jagger started a foray through the English Garden.
(lin)
