Depeche Mode at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood

An ecstatic night that's not often shared with such passion by nearly 19,000 strangers packed into an auditorium, but there was electricity in the air.

By Chad Radford Saturday September 14, 2013 11:47 AM EDT

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  • Perry Julien
  • "BLACK CELEBRATION: Martin Gore (from left) and David Gahan of Depeche Mode at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood. Thurs., Sept. 12.

Nearly 25 years after spontaneously moving a packed-out Rosebowl Stadium to wave their arms in unison - as chronicled in D.A. Pennebaker, David Dawkins, and Chris Hegedus' 101 documentary - Depeche Mode singer/frontman David Gahan still commands a crowd to hang on his every move by his presence alone. The group played Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood on Sept. 12, delivering a set of unexpectedly powerful newer numbers such as "Welcome To My World" and "Should Be Higher," alongside bombastic renditions of "Black Celebration," "Personal Jesus" and "Policy of Truth." Martin Gore took the spotlight for a couple of intimate moments, reaching a peak with the natural reverb in his voice throughout "But Not Tonight." When he was done singing the song, the crowd kept it going. It was an ecstatic moment that's not often shared with such passion by nearly 19,000 strangers packed into an auditorium, but there was electricity in the air.

Other crowd pleasers included a bounding run through "Just Can't Get Enough" from the group's 1981 debut, Speak and Spell, along with later hits such as "I Feel You" and an ultimate climax by bringing the show to a close with "Never Let Me Down Again" - each number a synth pop classic that sounded as buoyant and sentimentally rich as they day they were unleashed unto the masses.

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