Depeche Mode delivers last of three spellbinding Forum shows as part of Memento Mori world tour

DECEMBER 14TH 2023 | by EMMA SCHOORS

Photo by Emma Schoors

Depeche Mode returned to Los Angeles Tuesday night for the last of three sold-out shows at Kia Forum as a part of their 2023 Memento Mori world tour. The show landed on the eve of Depeche Mode Day, proclaimed on Dec. 13 by LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez as a celebration of the band’s four decade-spanning legacy and “enduring message of unity and love.”

“Over their ascent to multi-platinum-selling status and record-breaking live performances, as well as a 2020 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Depeche Mode has been the musical lifeblood of multiple generations,” the proclamation read. Founding members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore attended the ceremony on the steps of LA City Hall Wednesday afternoon, among hundreds of onlooking fans. “We’ve always had a special relationship with Los Angeles,” Gore explained. “The first ever stadium we ever played, headlining, was here in Los Angeles."

In continuation of their alchemic connection to the city, the band wrapped up their triumphant three-show Forum residency with a set traversing nine albums and 42 years. Young Fathers opened the evening with an electro-infused exploration of indietronica, soul, hip-hop and Krautorock, performing discography staples like “Rice” and “I Saw” from their 2023 effort Heavy Heavy. The Edinburgh band’s driving set closed with a repetitious last remark: “We are Young Fathers. We are Young Fathers. We are Young Fathers.” 

After abruptly exiting the stage and a return of the house lights, roadies unveiled drummer Christian Eigner’s set, customized with a Memento Mori drumhead, along with keyboardists Gore and Peter Gordeno’s dynamic range of synthesizers. Depeche Mode’s set began right on time, kicking off with an instrumental outro of “Speak To Me,” which led seamlessly into Memento Mori opening track “My Cosmos Is Mine.” After one more new song, “Wagging Tongue,” the band revisited 1993’s Songs Of Faith And Devotion with “Walking In My Shoes.”

“It’s No Good” and “Policy Of Truth” followed, a tantalizing combination of Gahan’s daring, seductive baritone and Gore’s white-glove synth work. Gahan stomped in perfect time to the tracks with the help of his white pointed toe boots, while he stripped from a silver jacket down to an understated black vest. 1990’s chart-topper Violator received ample space on the setlist, including smash hits “Personal Jesus,” “Enjoy The Silence” and “World In My Eyes,” dedicated to late founding member Andrew Fletcher, who tragically passed away last year. 

Watching stageside granted me the opportunity of observing Gahan close up, and witnessing him bewitch the room was an experience I will not soon forget. The lead singer used every square inch of the stage to reach countless pockets of the audience, fueling the exhilarating and unpredictable nature of the band’s performance. Gahan twirled around as if weightlessly, offered a hand to awestruck crowd members, and responded dutifully to signs held out to him. Most of all, he commanded the eyes, ears, and hearts of all 17,000 attendees until the very last lyric sung. 

Gahan’s presence induced a more serious, sexual energy at times – catching his eye is like finding yourself in the eye of a hurricane. His remarks between songs were swift, a resolute ‘thank you’ or similar, but this shortness isn’t to be confused with disinterest. Every second saved not talking, he instead spent sussing out how to best rile the crowd up. At the end of “Never Let Me Down Again,” it was leading them in a vigorous communal arm-wave. On my all-time favorite, “Stripped,” it was crouching down and letting Gore’s arresting synths overtake him. 

Gore strutted to the outermost lip of the stage to deliver an unforgettable ending to “Enjoy The Silence,” as a group of fans in the front row held out a handwritten “Gore” sign and cheered in fervent support of the beloved multiinstrumentalist. The latter half of the encore consisted of fan-favorites “Never Let Me Down Again” and “Personal Jesus,” both of which acted as pulsating singalongs peppered with sentiments of gratitude from the band. 

I turn 20 next month. When my mother was my age in 1987, she was newly moved into her first apartment blasting Music For The Masses, not knowing that decades later her daughter would be doing the same. There are bands who rest on their laurels, and there are bands who, by nature, refuse to. Depeche Mode lands completely and utterly in the latter. They can go toe to toe with any of today’s younger rock/electronic acts, and in many cases surpass them in terms of vitality, industry sensibility, and sheer work ethic. 

Setlist.fm estimates that Depeche Mode has performed their hits upwards of 1,000+ times each since their 1980 Basildon formation. It’s a miracle, and proof of the band’s slick sonic upkeep, that the thousandth performance of a song would energetically triumph the first performance of it. Gahan and Gore have crafted not just a trailblazing collection of brooding, imaginative new wave hits, but a live ecosystem all their own. 

Fletcher’s 2022 death rattled fans and the band alike, but it further solidified that Depeche Mode’s purpose as an entity is death defiance. Not swerving physical death, of course – “memento mori” means “remember you must die,” after all – but creating something that lives forever, made endlessly precious by the fact that we do not. 

The Memento Mori world tour continues at Crypto.com Arena on Friday and Sunday, and carries into 2024 with an extensive UK leg. Find tickets here.

Check out Depeche Mode’s new album, Memento Mori, below.