Poe. That’s the whole sentence. Poe is the most awesome, exciting performer I have discovered in a long time. She only played five songs in her hourlong set, all from her then new album Haunted and she was simply entrancing the entire way through. She brought out her brother for a spoken-word rendition of “Hey, Pretty” (it’s also the one released to alt. rock radio stations) and weaved through the crowd and let members of the audience sing into the mike during “Haunted” then racing off down another aisle seconds later with her camera man and lighting guy in tow. She also hit on “Control” and “Wild” either of which could have satisfyingly been singles on their own merits.

I immediately went out and bought Haunted and to my delight, it has been in my regular rotation of cds since. She was dropped by Atlantic during the great purge that also moved Tori Amos to Epic, and has since not released any new music. She started her own label and hopefully will somehow manage to put out some new tunes in the next year.

08.11.2001 Depeche Mode Coors Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA
Opener: Poe
Overall, the setlist for the Exciter Tour was pretty in line with what I wanted to hear, and Depeche Mode turned in a fine performance. The stage was pretty minimalist, they are big fans of black and white contrast and played off with shadows more than color during the set. Some of my favorite Depeche Mode songs come off a wildly disliked album Songs of Faith and Devotion. But the fact that it was so reviled is at least partly due to the simple fact that it was the next album after Violater, their wildly successful mainstream, chart-climbing album. Maybe releasing a live version of Songs also didn’t help, but guess what? I digged the live tracks, too. I planned this concert with my long-time friend Laura who lived in San Diego and had seen Depeche Mode 10 years ago on the Violator Tour. So this was a reunion of sorts. We trekked out to the middle of nowhere, California, near a reputed garbage dump of epic size (supposedly you can smell it if the wind is unkind.) Coors is an outdoor amphitheatre that suffers from the same affliction that Tweeter Center in Mansfield does (and for some reason, a lot of outdoor venues suck like this) the parking lot has one entrance and one exit. So getting out takes hours!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Among the highlights of the show for me were the dozen or so songs from Violater and Songs of Faith and Devotion, particularly “Walking in My Shoes” and “Enjoy the Silence.” But there were some fine performances sprinkled in, Martin Gore’s solo take on “Sister of Night” and the sing-along favorites of “It’s No Good” and the main set closer “Personal Jesus.” The encore hit upon a few songs from their rather vast catalogue; I can’t say I would have objected much if they had played a few more of their older tunes. It was a satisfying show all around, and the band somehow managed a very personal feel in an enormous venue. We were up in the general admission grass, but close to the front. A good, eagle-eyed view.

Setlist
Easy Tiger / Dream On – Intro
The Dead Of Night
Sweetest Condition
Halo
Walking In My Shoes
Dream On
When The Body Speaks
Waiting For The Night
Sister of Night
Breathe
Freelove
Enjoy The Silence
I Feel You
In Your Room
It`s No Good
I Feel Loved
Personal Jesus
Encore
Home
Clean
Black Celebration
Never Let Me Down Again