Depeche Mode 2001 are a curious beast - part the rock gods of their stadium-straddling late 80s/early 90s incarnation, part electro/techno mutants and part high camp. This much is indicated from the off with Exciter's 'The Dead Of Night', which sees Dave Gahan beginning his night's work of strutting, leaping and audience teasing to a soundtrack of throbbing synths and thunderclap drums, while Martin Gore is revealed clad in a black T-shirt with what looks like a giant spider perched on his shoulder.
The opening half of the show features a handful of tracks from the current album interspersed with some classics. 'Walking In My Shoes' is suitably dark and atmospheric, but the skittering drums and bluesy guitar of 'Dream On' are lost in the need to fill the arena with sound. Some very cheap-looking fairy lights descend for the 'Exciter' ballad 'When The Body Speaks' but the song just about manages to transcend them.
Gore assumes centre stage for his statutory couple of tracks, although both are instantly forgettable, particularly the banal 'Breathe' which seems to go on for days. Thankfully Gahan returns for the gentle and moving 'Freelove' and then a titanic 'Enjoy The Silence' which sees the crowd erupt.
Next it's 'I Feel You', transformed into a seething juggernaut of guitar, synths and drums, although the same treatment serves to ruin Gore's haunting guitar lines on 'It's No Good'. The main proceedings close with thousands of hands reaching for the sky and a mass recital of the chorus of 'Personal Jesus'.
The encore sees Gore redeem himself for his earlier mundane efforts with a plaintive version of 'Home', followed by a sublime 'Condemnation' with Gahan and Gore's vocals being lifted to a higher plane by the two female backing singers. Things come to a fitting close with old faves 'Black Celebration' and 'Never Let Me Down Again', as Gahan laps up the adulation from every section of the crowd.
While it was good to see the vocalist in such fine vocal fettle and seemingly not believing his luck to still be doing this, the show was not without its flaws. The downbeat nature of the 'Exciter' material is in marked contrast to the power and euphoria of many of the band's greatest hits. Consequently the former were often beefed up to compensate, losing some of their subtleties in the process. The lighting also left a lot to be desired - if the designers were aiming to blind the audience during certain songs they nearly succeeded. Add in Gore's mid-set interlude and you have a good show prevented from being a great one.
