Entry One Hundred Two.
Monday, September 7th, 11:46 PM CST.
I saw Depeche Mode live for the seventh time... and I was severely disappointed.
Current Mood:  A bit worn out but optimistic.  Current Scent:  Touch by Burberry.

Well, I've been holding off on posting this one for a bit.  On Saturday, August 29th (the 20th anniversary of "Personal Jesus," as noted in my last Journal Entry), I saw Depeche Mode again, this time at the Superpages.com Center (formerly the Smirnoff, formerly Starplex) in Dallas.

I was disappointed.

If you know me, this will probably come as a surprise.  If you don't know me, then you here's a quick primer:  I've been a Depeche Mode fan and collector since 1987, and have been fortunate enough to acquire one of the largest DM collection in my part of the country.  I've seen them perform in concert in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2005, and now, 2009.

However, this time, I felt really let down by the show.

Granted, the way old man Dave (Gahan, DM's lead singer) has been doing during this tour, it's good that we got to see them at all.  (The band has cancelled over a dozen concerts this year due to Gahan's sudden bout with gastrointeritis, a tumour in his bladder, a torn ligament in one of his legs, and voice problems.)

But, still, I was let down.  In fact, I was downright pissed off.  I will go so far as to say that I was less of a fan of Depeche Mode when I left the concert than I was when I went into it.

NOTE:  THIS JOURNAL ENTRY CONTAINS CONCERT SPOILERS.
IT ALSO CONTAINS MORE "FOUL" LANGUAGE THAN I USUALLY USE HERE.
FOR THE FULL JOURNAL ENTRY, INCLUDING THE CONCERT SETLIST,
PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Anyway, if Depeche Mode ever come back around to Dallas in the future, I'm going to do some serious thinking before I see them in concert again.  It's just too much time, travel, and expense to head all the way down to Dallas just to get let down like that.

I still like the band, but considering the suckage level of the concert this time around and Dave Gahan's many health problems, it might be time for them to stop touring.  They might find it a better idea to sit around recording a few more lackluster albums, drinking Metamucil and talking about the old Violator days when they were a hell of a lot cooler than they are now.

Or, they could just quit recording altogether.  Considering my mood following this concert... that might be a favourable option as well.

Don't get me wrong; I'm still a Depeche Mode fan.  A big Depeche Mode fan.  I've just found their work as of late - both with the Sounds of the Universe album and the "Tour of the Universe" - to be very, very disheartening.

More news soon.  Big news, even.

Badger