Music

Guest Blog: The Depeche Mode Love Concert Experience

By Stephen McDermott

There are not many things that I can think of which are better than being at a live concert…I mean a really good concert.  That really good concert with your favorite band on a hot summer’s evening and you’re surrounded by tens of thousands of other screaming fans who are just as excited to be there as you.  It is a difficult experience to describe and an even more difficult one to capture.  But somehow, the recording of Depeche Mode’s song, “Stripped” on their live album 101 did just that.  It captured the essence of being at a live concert, surrounded by tens of thousands of fellow fans.  It captured the energy, the emotion, the lightning in a jar so to speak.  “Stripped” from 101 is a perfect recording of what it’s like to be at a big kick-ass live concert.

A live concert is something that everyone must experience.  If you haven’t yet, do everything you can to get tickets the next time a band you like is in town.  Here’s why: when you’re at a concert of a band you love, you become yourself.  Now, some of you are nodding in recognition of what I mean.  Others, who have not been there, don’t know what I mean.  Either way, when you listen to the first forty-five seconds of “Stripped” from 101, all will be revealed…at least as a listening experience of course.

So what does that mean, “you become yourself”?  It means that without knowing it, without making a conscious choice, you let go and become completely immersed in the moment.  The entire experience becomes immediately focussed and all of your inhibitions just melt away.  You don’t care if you’re singing off key, you don’t even care if your dancing looks silly, you no longer care.  And I’m not talking about drugs or alcohol.  Sober or stoned, that moment of focus will happen and when it does, brace yourself because it is fantastic.

We all know it.  That moment.  That amazing moment at a concert when your favorite song comes on, the one you’ve been waiting for, the one that you weren’t sure if they would play or not.  Your emotions take over and you lose yourself in the pure joy and raw emotion of the whole “being there” experience.  That’s the moment.  So far, you’ve been enjoying yourself, singing along, looking around at all the other crazies, having a good time.  You’ve even been thinking about spending the rest of your money on a T-shirt, but you’re not there yet.  And then it happens.  That moment.

So do me a favor.  I want you to get a copy of “Stripped” from Depeche Mode’s 101 album… yes…right now.  Cue it up if you have it, download it if you don’t.  Even if you’re not a DM fan, just do it…trust me.  Now don’t play it yet, just get it ready, and get it ready to play loud.  Put your headphones on, turn the home speakers up, go out to the car, whatever.  This needs to be played loud.  Go get it, and come back because I am going to walk you through the first forty-five seconds and you will experience, “That moment”.

In the meantime, here’s a little history.  If you don’t already know, Depeche Mode is an electronic based band from the U.K. that started in the late 70’s and hit it big in the 80’s and 90’s.  They have many albums, many songs, many hits and are one of the most influential bands out there.  And they’re still recording.  The album, “101” is a live recording of the band’s final performance from their “Music for the Masses” tour in 1987-1988 which, incidentally, had 101 concert dates.  The song itself was the first release from the band’s album “Black Celebration” released in 1986 and describes with double entendre  a narrator asking his lover to be stripped, both literally and figuratively.  So let’s get to it…

Picture yourself amidst loads of other devout followers of your favorite band, in this case, Depeche Mode as the last song fades away.  You wait to figure out what the next song will be.  And you wait.  And then it begins and the crowd responds…and you respond…by yelling.  Well, the response of a fanatical crowd at a great concert, as I have already mentioned, is captured in these first forty five seconds.  And then, “That moment” begins to play out.

The song opens with a unique little discordant chord just enough to let the crowd know that something is about to happen.  It is a recognizable chord for those who know the song well.  For the devout fan however, it is a dead giveaway of what song is coming and you can hear some of them, screaming…and screaming.  At the four second mark, a percussive loop begins.  It is the percussive sound of an idling Harley Davidson motorcycle “played half an octave down from its original pitch”, a sound sample which came with the band’s new Moog keyboard according to Mr. Martin L. Gore, chief songwriter and Depeche Mode architect.  The crowd responds to this motorcycle percussion with much attention and more noise, more screaming.  Now hearing something that they recognize the crowd swells, it responds fervently.  The roar increases and if you listen close enough, and loud enough, you will become immersed in its excitement.  Listen to the recorded increase of the swell in the crowd’s roar.  This is the well-known roar of many voices.  That moment is coming…there are several seconds of the percussive engine which allows the crowd to settle into their rhythm, to allow that suspense to build. 

Then, at the 24 second mark, another engine sound emerges in the background, accompanied by a staccato rhythm which follows time with the motorcycle engine.  The second engine sound, a short and background, “Vrooooomm”, is a recording of lead vocalist Dave Gahan’s Porsche 911 starting.  There is further response from the crowd as their anticipation grows.  You can hear it.  Finally, and this is where I really want you to listen, the song’s introductory keyboard riff rips through the rhythms.  Instantly, the crowd revels in the release of suspense and erupts, and erupts and erupts even more.  The swell of the crowd grows and grows and grows to a fever pitch. This is that moment.

Now, start the recording and play it loud.  If you already did, start it again.  Play it loud.  When the band hits that first note (it’s a D by the way) listen to how loud the crowd gets and notice how much louder it continues to grow.  That’s the moment.  That’s what happens when you are at your favorite band’s concert, except you’re one of those voices.  Oh and by the way, you won’t be able to hear your own voice, but it doesn’t matter.  So as I said, the next time a band that you like is coming to town and it’s gonna be a big show, get a ticket…also, spend the rest of your money and get one of those t-shirts too.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38035 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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