Depeche Mode in Prague

My first encounter with the music of Depeche Mode goes back to the 80´s. At this time I could have been around ten years old and their music wouldn´t be much on my playlist. I remember my four year older sister and her generation already listened to them though. Much later, when I was 15 or so, I recall one song that particularly stuck in my mind. Condemnation. I really loved that song. Of course like everybody, I have come to know some of the most famous Depeche Mode songs, those, that have been played on the radio or MTV.

It´s been one of my most favorite bands of my sister. She used to talk of Dave Gahan and they were to her the equivalent of what was Queen to me. That´s why it was my pleasure to accept her Christmas present in form of the ticket to their Prague concert. It was to take place on 24^th May in Eden Arena, in the open space stadium that can take in as many as 20.000 people, and which, according to the daily press, was filled completely. When I arrived in front of the stadium, there were hundreds of black clad people, some of them undoubtedly the hardcore fans, judging by sleek haircuts, bright colored lipsticks and generally mystique, dark appearance. There were also lot of police vans and security personnel due to the Manchester attack few days before. The tension lingered in the air, but the good and positive vibe prevailed nonetheless.  When we got inside, there were already hundreds of people formatting the close knit pack in the centre of the arena, enveloping  the main stage. One hilarious scene before the concert even started was a moment when five security guys grabbed one of the gig attendees each by edge of his clothing and carried him out of the arena, drunk beyond his wildest imagination. I guess he was overexcited to attend his favorite band a little more than necessary.  It looked like they carried a heavy log from the forest, as he was half unconscious and his lifeless body didn´t even protest. After some unknown forerunner who nobody listened to as usual, the big ones came. They kicked off with GOING BACKWARDS. All the hands in front of us rose up in unison and you could barely see Dave through this thick forest. SO MUCH LOVE, BARREL OF GUN, A PAIN THAT I´M USED TO, CORRUPT, IN YOUR ROOM, WORLD IN MY EYES, COVER ME…all these followed with the giant screen in the backdrop playing accompanying videos. To be utterly honest, I didn´t know any of these songs, as I´m not the hardcore fan. But I definitely knew QUESTION OF LUST sang by Martin Gore. Next one I recognized was WALKING IN MY SHOES and EVERYTHING COUNTS. When ENJOY THE SILENCE begun, the whole stadium broke out in one big frantic sheer. Obviously one of the most legendary tunes of Depeche Mode. We all sang at top of our lungs. Dave Gahan was wonderful, turning twists like a ballet dancer and enjoying the rush we gave him, being cocky and all that, but you definitely couldn´t take your eyes off him. There were so many people who sang in one voice, so much energy that one stadium could possibly contain. It was amazing feeling that would overwhelm even the toughest ones. Dave, again dripping wet and half naked, sang NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN, with all of us waving our hands in the air, and no matter how squeezed we were, we all waved and waved, Dave giving us a devastatingly cute showcase of how to follow him. The sea of hands moved in the same rhythm and speed and there was no way to escape this. Once you joined the sea, you turned into one of the waves and became inseparable. I recall Freddie Mercury who used to say that it feels like he´s created a monster that reacts to every single move of his finger. I wondered how does it have to feel for Gahan and these big stars, when they win over the stadium full of 20 thousand souls, willing to die for them. I imagied it must be monstrously amazing feeling, a feeling that nobody who hasn´t experienced it, will never comprehend. Then it was turn for Martin, who sang a beautiful ballad of his own, SOMEBODY. The whole stadium darkened and you could only see the lit up lights all across the stadium, which looked like little stars in the ocean of darkness. This was a moment of utter peace on earth, at least for a moment, the feeling quite indescribable and rare. Next song was HEROES, by David Bowie, which was understandably very touching moment. The big black flag was being projected onto the screen behind Dave, who gave it all, when dedicating it to his musical hero. Next song was I FEEL YOU and the last, PERSONAL JESUS, a song that once again contributed to mass madness and brought us to a boil.
 I have been to several concerts in my life, but this one must have been the most emotionally charged, passionate and inspirational one. They got under my skin after all. Unfortunately, the show had to end precisely at 10pm due to the rules, so we didn´t get any bonus songs, but with a show full of so much energy, it was alright, as the scope of what we have just witnessed stayed and lingered in all of us, long after we left the stadium. Some of the fans were unhappy to see it end so abruptly, so they kept singing their songs while climbing up the stairs and it evoked so much interest that some people even started recording them. One more legend I can put down on my list and say to myself, hell yeah, I went to see the legendary Depeche Mode, the guys whose songs we have listened to when we were fifteen. They are still around, as much as their songs. They are immortal and always will be.