May 2 - A 32 Year Black Celebration

On May 2, 1988 I went to my first Depeche Mode show.
On May 2, 2020, I saw Depeche Mode inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

At least, I was supposed to.

I have started and stopped this blog post so many times. This was going to be about my journey to Cleveland and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It was going to include journal entries I made showing the range of emotions I felt from the moment I was lucky enough to buy tickets to the moment the ceremony was postponed due to Covid-19. Now it's going to be musings from my mind and a celebration of May 2, 1988 - May 2, 2020.

It was 1988. Depeche Mode were on their Music For The Masses tour - you know, that one that culminated with the famous Rose Bowl show that would be documented in the D.A. Pennebaker film, 101.
I was so excited to go the show. From the moment the opening beats of Pimpf began, to the last notes of Everything Counts, I was a screaming, dancing, singing 15 year old. It was not my first concert ever, but it was my first experience with the power of a live DM show. And it was incredible.

Fast forward nearly 32 years.

On January 15, 2020, the news I'd waited years to hear came - Depeche Mode were going to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As a fan, I was ecstatic. I started thinking about how I would be able to watch coverage of the ceremony. Would it be aired live? Would I have to wait until after the fact to watch it online? 

The induction ceremony would take place on May 2nd. 
May 2nd? Why did that date feel so familiar to me? 

Look at that ticket price!

It never occurred to me that I might have an opportunity to go to Cleveland to see it happen in person.

*Insert a lot of unnecessary backstory here*

I got tickets! 

Somewhat affordable seats at the back of the venue? Yes.
Did I care that I'd be sitting in the suburbs of Cleveland? No.
I was going to be in the same venue as Depeche Mode, and I was going to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of my first Depeche Mode experience by seeing them rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

*Insert every emotion imaginable coursing through my veins day after day, week after week here*

Once Covid-19 started to spread and events were being postponed and cancelled, I knew deep down the induction ceremony would not go on as planned. Then the news came - it was postponed indefinitely. 
Eventually a new date was set (which could still be postponed again). 
Unfortunately, I will no longer be attending.

*Insert every emotion imaginable again here*

May 2, 2020 may not have gone the way I had planned, hoped, and wanted it to go. But I still spent the evening with other devotees, celebrating the band and their accomplishment, via a Zoom meeting - the new way to hang out with friends while Covid-19 has it's way with the world. I only knew a couple of people in the group, and didn't really say much (which is normal for me even in groups of people I know, to be honest). But it was still a much needed evening spent with people that share of love of this band that has been a soundtrack to all of our lives. 
Much thanks to Rob from Depeche Mode Global Fan Group on Facebook for setting up this Hall of Fame pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-show funk. And to DJ Tony Stewart for providing the tunes after the main chat. 

Congratulations to Depeche Mode and the rest of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020!

We'll see you next time!

Sweetest Perfection - Violator at 30

10 years ago, I wrote a blog about the 20th anniversary of the release of "Violator", Depeche Mode's amazing and groundbreaking album released on March 19, 1990.

Now here I sit wondering how another 10 years have passed and how it's been THIRTY YEARS since this album was released. It's also been 30 years since I graduated from high school, but I think I'm in more disbelief about "Violator" turning 30. 

A lot of albums, at 30 years old, sound dated. You can tell when these songs and notes came into the world. I know I'm biased when it comes to Depeche Mode, but for me, "Violator" sounds as fresh and new now as it did back then. Reading what I wrote 10 years ago, there isn't a lot more I can add. I still love this album. It's still one of the greatest albums ever made. It's still an important piece of my life.

Here is what I wrote in 2010:

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sweetest Perfection - Violator at 20

March 19th and 20th marked the 20th anniversary of the release dates (UK & US respectively) for Depeche Mode's Violator album. For many it was their introduction to Depeche Mode thanks to the success of the songs "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy The Silence." For others it was the next step for a band who had just about 2 years earlier had put on the concert of a lifetime at Pasadena's Rose Bowl with the 101st show on their Music for the Masses tour.
By the time Violator was released in 1990, I had been listening to Depeche Mode for 6 years. My introduction to their music came in 1984 with the song "People Are People." I still remember going to the record store and buying Some Great Reward on cassette. Soon after that came the purchases of Speak & Spell, A Broken Frame, and Construction Time Again, where I learned that I had also heard "Everything Counts" and "Just Can't Get Enough" on the radio long before PAP. I just never knew who sang them and was, I guess, too young at the time to have really formed a deep connection. But I soon became a devotee. Walls that were once covered in posters of Duran Duran became covered in posters of Depeche Mode. My first live show was on May 2, 1988 at the Seattle Center Coliseum on the MFTM tour.
I eagerly awaited the release of the follow up album, but I will confess that the first time I heard "Personal Jesus" I was less than impressed. It took me a few listens to warm up to it, but once I did, I was hooked. When Violator was released I was working at a record store so I was able to buy it right away. I was also able to play it when I worked - over and over. And over and over again I did. I loved this album. From the opening beats of "World In My Eyes" to the closing notes of "Clean" there was something special about Violator. The only song that didn't wow me was "Policy of Truth" - which to this day is still my least favorite song on the album. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't touch me in a way the rest of the songs do. Three of my Top 10 DM songs are on this album (Halo, Enjoy The Silence, & Waiting For The Night) with two others (Blue Dress & Clean) creeping in depending on my mood.
I wish Violator a very Happy Anniversary. It will always be a special album that will fill my life with incredible sounds and fun, exciting, and emotional memories. The subsequent tour found me traveling to both Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR to see them perform, and again, I was not disappointed. They remain, to this day, one of the greatest, yet most underrated (to non-fans) live bands around. And 20 years on, "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy The Silence" remain concert staples - with occasional appearances by "World In My Eyes," "Policy of Truth," and "Halo" - always crowd favorites.

If you want to visit the original blog, you can go here:

https://rdwnggrl.blogspot.com/2010/03/sweetest-perfection-violator-at-20.html

Thank you for reading!