Depeche Mode: Devotional

This is Depeche Mode the way they should be seen.

Filmed by Anton Corbijn over several nights of their 1993-94 DEVOTIONAL TOUR (listed by Q Magazine as "the most debauched rock tour ever"), the final product is an almost dreamlike chronicle of Depeche Mode at the absolute peak of their influential creative talents.

Musically, the song selection is on-target, the arrangements are tight & rockin', and frontman Dave Gahan is at his over-the-top best and surrounded by Anton Corbijn's opulent stage set and surreal visuals. Accordingly, after this film's VHS release, it was nominated for "Best Longform Music Video" at the 1994 Grammy Awards.

The extras on the DVD set include two previously unseen excerpts from the performance ("Policy Of Truth" and "Halo"), the tracks that were (irritatingly) only released on the European versions of the film ("Behind The Wheel," "Mercy In You," "Fly On The Windscreen" and "Everything Counts"), the music videos from SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION, the original concert projections used on the tour, and two relevant documentaries.

At any rate, without bias, this video is truly one of the best live performance documentaries that are out there. It captures a band in top form, an audience in almost trance-like devotion, and, thanks to Anton Corbijn, the film is dripping with color and, at times, in hazy focus...much the way you'd remember the show if you had been there. Recommended to all.

"Depeche Mode Devotional" (1993 release; 94 min plus bonus materials) is a concert film that was taped during the band's "Songs of Faith And Devotion" tour in 1993. As the movie opens, we get the opening sounds of "Higher Love" while the band remains hidden behind massive curtains, and then about halfway through the song, lead singer David Gahan jumps out in front as the crowd goes crazy. It marks the beginning of a wild and wonderful evening of music.

Couple of comments: this concert documentary is directed by Anthony Corbijn, the band's long-time visual collaborator and maker of many of the band's hit single videos. With almost 30 years of hindsight, we now know that this was Depeche Mode at its absolute peak, creatively and musically. The combination of the killer songs from the "Faith and Devotion" album (the band's only album to hit No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart) along with choice cuts from their prior output is one thing. But then there is David Gahan's irresistible performance, truly one for the ages. It was widely rumored that Gahan had a serious heroin addiction problem during this tour, and while I have no idea whether that is true or not, one surely cannot tell from his performance. As it turns out, the "Devotional" tour was the last one for original band member Alan Wilder, who left the band after this tour. Watch him play the drums, none better than on "I Feel You" and "Rush", two of THE highlights of this concert. Martin Gore is in fine form as well, playing the electric guitar on some tunes. Yes, Depeche Mode is an all-out rock band on tracks like "I Feel You" and "Mercy In You". Last, but not least, is of course Andy Fletcher, whose shocking death earlier this week, at the mere age of 60, is why I had to watch this concert documentary again. There are no words. RIP Andy Fletcher.

I had the original VHS tape of this when it was first released in 1993, and then bought the DVD when that was released a decade later. The DVD comes with plenty of bonus materials, all worth checking out but at the end of the day it's the original concert documentary that makes this such compelling viewing. Depeche Mode was never better, period. I had the good fortune of seeing Depeche Mode in concert several times on the "Devotional" tour, in Houston (while on business trip) and in Cincinnati (where I live). It's as if it was just yesterday. If you are a fan of the band, be it a die-hard or just a casual (?) fan, "Devotional" is a must-see film.

First: I'm a great fan of DM.

And I think that "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" is a truly great recording although the critics (and fans, too) were rather divided in their opinions.

Same goes for me with "Devotional". On the one hand, Anton Corbijn did an overwhelming job with the stage exteriors and the filming, on the other hand it's pretty scary to see a Dave Gahan on the brink of emaciation, almost fighting himself through the concert. Focusing on the SOFAD album left many "oldschool" fans behind with mixed emotions - okay, you really can't expect that DM is always digging up "Just Can't Get Enough" after more than one decade in which they had evolved like no other band (you would still wonder how many people are requesting especially this song though), but...hmm, let's say that some songs of faith and devotion didn't worked really in front of a huge live crowd. Or better said, a few more songs from their huge backcatalogue wouldn't have had hurted.

Okay, all of the above mentioned things are a matter called "the freedom of the artists" - if you count everything together, you will have a great time with "Devotional", reliving the good old times before "Exciter" (sorry...but this is definetly their worst output ever IMHO).

This whole concert was made with the fan in mind. No other Depeche Mode show matched the production value of the Devotional tour (Except for maybe the Music for the Masses tour when the lead singer was much healthier.

Several books written about Depeche Mode talk about this tour as one of the biggest drug fuelled tours in history (hardened drug users were shocked at what they saw).

That being said, Dave is in his mode. Sure he may not be as alive and upbeat as the previous tours, however, the music on this album was darker which adds to the visuals. This was also one of the first tours to use a live drum kit. The first time us 'Devotees' got to hear a harder edge to Dmode.

This is also the last concert run with Alan Wilder before he left the chaos of the band. Many people credit him with helping Depeche reach the highs that they did.

All of the songs on this concert are from the Song of Faith and Devotion album. Don't go looking for the biggest hits.

If you are looking fo an amazing sonic experience to match beautiful imagery (Anton Corbjin) then sit in with a drink or a smoke and enjoy!

This is an amazing show, in all senses of the word. Great performance (if you're into Depeche Mode of course), but also the audio is excellent and the picture amazing. Shot on film (not video as was the trend at the time) by renowned photographer Anton Corbjin, the lighting and photography are breath-taking, as well as the huge projection screens at the back of the stage (shot by Corbijn again). This concert was nominated for a Grammy in 1993. Fans of Corbijn can check it out as a curiosity. People who aren't sure what Depeche Mode are about and who are open minded (especially the rock crowd) should definitely check it out and make up their minds about Depeche Mode after seeing this. Songs mainly from "Songs of Faith and Devotion" and "Violator" albums. In my opinion the best Depeche Mode live footage ever: the bits in 101 are great but are only bits and don't have the visual depth of this show.