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| | Depeche Mode concert: phenomenal! |
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 | For the largest indoor concert ever held in Switzerland, Depeche Mode attracted some 17,000 fans in Hall 6 of Palexpo on November 11 this year. “We have proved that it is possible to stage big concerts at Palexpo”, said Vincent Sager, manager of Opus One, which organized the event.
It is not our intention to give an artistic review of the performance of this legendary group.
We have therefore decided to reproduce for your benefit some excerpts from the article published in the Tribune de Genève on November 12 this year, written by the journalist Fabrice Gottraux.
“To walk onto the immense, covered esplanade in front of Hall 6 was in itself pretty exotic as you got the feel of this extraordinary moment. (…) Once past the entrance, handled in masterly fashion by a very experienced team, the spectators found themselves in an immense hall. Number 6, in this case.
To the left, the bars, looking tiny beneath the gigantic sheet-metal roof. To the right, an enormous curtain. We went through. There was the stage. And 17,000 people milling around quietly from one side to another, crowding around to pick up a soda (…).
Nine p.m.. Andrew, Martin, Dave and the others (…) appeared on the stage to a techno rhythm. From the metallic frame of the hangar to the glaring neon lights left switched on behind the platform, you had a strong impression of participating in a rave party.
In Chains. The concert opened with the first title of the very latest album. Two screens on the sides. A big one in the middle. Faces, cosmonauts, an eye projected on a hemisphere, peering at the crowd. The images were well-presented. The effect was spectacular.
The sound volume was impressive too. The singing echoed. I thought to myself, no, the sound isn’t good. But if you listened carefully, this profusion of decibels almost at breaking point corresponded perfectly to the synthetic nature of Depeche Mode’s music. (…).
One curious thing. Being open at the sides, the stage revealed the musicians in profile. Not so many people came to look from this angle. An unrivalled glimpse of the light control room, littered with monitors and crates on wheels parked all around in conspicuous disorder. This time it’s the other side of the set that’s revealed to the spectator, the tip of a technological iceberg without which such a performance would not exist, however phenomenal it may be.
We found ourselves ten metres away from guitarist Martin Gore when he started on his vocal part, including a magnificent Home accompanied on the piano (…). Hits galore, a string of new titles. And to wrap up, as is customary, the always-just-as-exciting Personal Jesus. Ovations. Light on the audience. That Tuesday evening, a monster had swept through Palexpo’s Hall 6.
On the way back, thousands of people were heading towards Cointrin train station, where special trains had been chartered. Everything went smoothly. The organization was faultless. There was even a cash dispenser in the hangar.”
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