Depeche Mode at The Hollywood Bowl

   Depeche Mode at The Hollywood Bowl, Monday Aug. 17, 2009 – It amazes me everytime how fit Depeche Mode looks and feels, tour after tour, both musically and physically. Considering Dave Gahan lost his voice only a few nights before the weekend, he jumped and spun and hit those notes impressively. Martin Gore did nothing less, being glued to his star-shaped guitar with that “dig-this-riff” look. His soulful solo “Question of Lust” just hypnotized the entire audience.  DM hit the stage with two new songs from their latest album “sounds of the universe,” and then dove into the hits and nothing but. Hard to say which was the highlight of the night, the 2 encores or the dazzling visuals coordinated so creatively with each song, featuring round shapes and utilizing the “global” theme of this DM’s “Tour of The Universe” concerts. Just as I thought the boys may end the night with “waiting for the night,” they returned one last time and rocked the bowl with an all out performance of “personal Jesus.”