If it wasn’t clear that Depeche Mode is a generational act that deserves their flowers, their latest string of activity is the decision maker. Today, the synth-pop icons released their 15th studio album, Memento Mori, their first since the loss of their bandmate and co-founder Andy Fletcher, who passed away in 2022. The band has been prepping for this moment for months and to celebrate the release of this highly anticipated LP, they’re bringing the new set of songs straight to the people. Depeche Mode kicked off their 2023 tour last night in Sacramento, California at the Golden 1 Center. The night was filled with nostalgia as Depeche Mode traversed their storied discography to put together a setlist that satisfied fans from every Depeche era.
The band kicked off the night with the live debut of “My Cosmos Is Mine” from the brand-new LP. Depeche Mode also pulled out “Ghosts Again”, “Soul With Me”, and “Wagging Tongue” from Memento Mori. The rest of the 23-song setlist bounced from one decade to the next as the band brought new life to classic tracks. Multiple times throughout the show the band reached back to their older days to pull out songs they haven’t performed in years. Depeche Mode performed “Sister of Night” with a full arrangement for the first time since 2009, the band also performed “Waiting For The Night” as a part of their encore, another song that has laid dormant since 2009. They also added “A Question of Lust”, which had not been performed with a full arrangement since 2017.
This current Depeche Mode tour is broken up into three legs, two North American tours with a trip across Europe thrown in the middle. The band will hit cities like San Antonia, Chicago, and Toronto on this first leg before skipping across the pond to perform in places like Amsterdam and Barcelona. The tour will wrap up back here in the states this fall. Check out the full setlist, tour dates, and footage from last night’s show below:
https://www.depechemode.com/#leg1
