Depeche Mode in Concert in Bucharest 2013

Here are the songs Depeche Mode performed in Romania last night, in order:

“Welcome to My World”

“Angel”

“Walking in My Shoes”

“Precious”

“Black Celebration”

“Policy of Truth”

“Should Be Higher”

“Barrel of a Gun”

“Higher Love” (sung by Martin)

“When the Body Speaks” (sung by Martin)

“Heaven”

“Soothe My Soul”

“A Pain That I’m Used To”

“A Question of Time”

“Secret to the End”

“Enjoy the Silence”

“Personal Jesus”

“Goodbye”

For the encore, they sang

“Home” (Martin)

“Halo”

“Just Can’t Get Enough”

“I Feel You”

“Never Let Me Down Again”

I had a standing ticket on the pitch, close to the stage. Well, it was for “Gazon A,” the first of the two sections set up on the National Arena’s playing field, and I was the one who made sure I was close to the stage, because “Gazon A” was a pretty big area. I got to the stadium at 5pm, when they started to let people in, managed to find a good spot, and stayed put some 9 people away from the stage. I didn’t go for a soft drink or a hot dog or popcorn, because I just couldn’t believe my luck. Did I tell you I managed to get this ticket for “Gazon A” – a special pass / an invitation -- at the last minute, on the day of the concert?

My own ticket – the one I had bought -- was way far up on a seat in “Tribuna II” (in the uppermost section of the bleachers opposite the stage). I got a cheaper ticket because I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the show. That’s also the reason why I didn’t get a ticket on the pitch in the first place. I was trying to decide whether I should risk the money. In the end, of course, I realized that the old adage is so true: having regrets for what you didn’t do is much worse than having regrets for what you did.

To this day I don’t know what I was thinking when I didn’t get a ticket to see the (Rolling) Stones in 2007. All I can say in my defense was that I was going through a time in my life when I was too unhappy with how many things were going to feel like doing many things fun. I know I’ll try my best to never fall into that trap again. So, anyway, this time I went ahead and risked the money: I bought a ticket. Making up, in part, for what I missed in 2006, when Depeche Mode performed in Bucharest, Romania for the first time.

It took me a while to find the entry for “Gazon A,” but the guards were helpful. Other than that, the whole event was well-organized, and the crowd was great. People went to get food and beer (the company behind the beer brand Ursus sponsored the event, as did the telecom operator Cosmote and the bank Volksbank), and came back to their spot. No one pretended they had had a spot up front when they didn't, and no one tried to move further ahead.

Well, at least one person around me did, but that’s because I heard her comment, in a frustrated but nice way, that she couldn’t believe she had the luck to have a spot right behind me. I happily let her move up in front of me. I was really surprised how kindly she manifested her irritation. A less gentle person would have made a nasty comment and moved in front of me straightaway. Nota bene: I was dutifully recording bits and pieces of the opening show by the band F.O.X., partly as a way to reappraise them after the concert, and partly to test my new camera, a Canon S110. You know part of the verdict: the mike of this Canon cannot handle neither close-by loudspeakers, nor crowd cheers and whistles. As for the band F.O.X., I thought their songs were not bad, but a little flat and rather too similar to one another. But I hear they’re a new band (formed this year?), so maybe they’ll get to develop their sound in a more successful way. Of their songs, I liked best “London Town.”

F.O.X. finished at about 8:15, and Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Dave Gahan came onstage around 8:50, 8:55. Either then or later two other musicians joined them, Peter Gordeno and Christian Eigner. Depeche Mode started with a song from this year’s Delta Machine album, “Welcome to My World.” The guy behind me started singing right away, word for word. Eventually, somehow, in the latter part of the show, I stopped hearing him. Either more people started singing, or the music was louder, or I had gotten lost in the excitement of the moment.

The show lasted some 2:20 hours, from about 8:50 to 11:07. When Dave took a break after "Barrel of a Gun," Martin stepped center stage to sing first "Higher Love" and then "When the Body Speaks." The public loved it!! In fact, when Martin had finished singing "Home" a little bit later and relayed the microphone to Dave, the audience continued to sing the melody bars from the ending to Home for quite a while, and Dave ended up conducting the fans, to everyone's delight.

After the show, Andy Fletcher commented that the audience – 40,000 people, or 45,000, or 50,000, according to various sources (the Romanian news agency Mediafax gave 50,000) -- was “wonderful” and the evening “perfect.” And, as most musicians also say after a concert, that they’ll have to come back. I’ll take him at his word ;-).

I looked at videos taken from up high in the bleachers and the crowd was huge. Down on the pitch there was “a sea of people,” as we say in Romanian (as well). A pretty animated crowd, too. I’m reading that after “Just Can’t Get Enough” Dave said “Oh, baby! Thank you!” – which made me smile. I have also seen Dave smile many times on stage! It’s so wonderful to notice a singer’s involuntary smile when you’re in the audience!

Depeche Mode will be next in Istanbul (May 17), Belgrade (May 19), and Budapest (May 21). I can’t imagine how they do it. They will have 86 concerts on their Delta Machine Tour: 61 in Europe, 23 in North America, and 2 in Asia.

The visuals -- some, all? -- are the work of Anton Corbijn. Some were pretty colorful and seemingly inspired from the film Tree of Life. Didn’t look like his style. Anyway, I loved the doggies, and the montages with the DM members and the delta symbol of their Delta Machine Tour.

I hope you get to see Depeche Mode in concert!!

THANK YOU, Depeche Mode! Looking forward to seeing you next time!