par dave1er » 15 Aoû 2006, 08:47
TOURING THE ANGEL: LIVE IN MILAN (DVD PREVIEW)
Main Feature
As the intro kicks in we’re presented with a very simple title treatment, and a very effective mix of shots of the stage and the band getting ready to go on stage. As the band takes to the stage, amidst shots of the crowd waving balloons, the howling start of “A Pain That I’m Used To” begins. The overwhelming red lights fade to shades of gray, leaving the track to play mostly in black and white, with dramatic changes to colour at strategic points during the song.
This is clearly something entirely different to what Depeche Mode fans have become accustomed to in the band’s long standing relationship with Anton Corbijn. This video is clearly the work of a director who’s not afraid to embrace more MTV-esque effects, and confidently and unapologetically puts them to tremendously good use.
“John The Revelator” looks by-and-large exactly like it’s promotional clip counterpart, albeit sans the animated Mr. Feathers. The performance is energetic, and the camera work and editing adds to the energy perfectly.
One thing you quickly notice when watching this performance is how much emphasis has been placed on interaction – between the individual band members on stage, as well as the band and it’s audience – like when Dave goes out on the catwalk, and starts playing around with the green balloons thrown to him by the crowd.
The nuances are varied, vivid and beautifully clear, interspersed by the occasional artsy effect shot. “A Question Of Time” is dominated by cool shades of turquoise and grey, with some highly effective shots from behind both Christian and Dave showing the crowd going absolutely mental. This is goosebumps material!
Fans who attended the two shows in Milan, which makes up the bulk of this DVD, will have a field day trying to spot themselves during songs like “Policy Of Truth”, which features a veritable plethora of shots of the crowd… especially the first few rows. The track stands out as being a relatively boring watch. Musically and visually it brings the DVD to a grinding halt, and the loss of pace isn’t fully recovered until towards the end of “Precious”, a track that never really got the live treatment it deserved and is here presented almost entirely in black and white, again switching to full colour for dramatic effects at key points in the song.
An extreme close-up on “the communicator” (aka the ball) spreading the cheerful message of “PAIN” in big red letters mark the beginning of “Walking In My Shoes”, which sounds nothing short of awesome here. Despite being an unmastered mix, the throbbing electro bass is clear throughout the mix, and the performance is stellar with a very energetic crowd getting to sing select portions of the song. The combination of sweeping crane shots and close-ups makes this the most enjoyable live performance of “Walking In My Shoes” yet captured on a home video format (the other two being on “Devotional” from 1993 and “One Night In Paris” from 2002).
Blue Leach continues his flirtations with various effects during “Suffer Well”. On paper the idea of using stills during a live performance video may seem absurd, but whether it works to the songs advantage or not is another debate entirely. Personally the song never did it for me, and at least the weird effects brought something interesting to the table.
Up next is a wonderfully electro-throbbing performance of “Macro” with Martin on lead and Dave doing the backing vocals. This literally gave me the chills. Utterly beautiful! The duet-esque performance is dark, brooding and oddly sexual in a way that will easily rival “Brokeback Mountain”. The revamped version of “Home” is highly effective, and the crowd’s reaction to the liberation of “The Floof” is easily one of the funniest moments caught on a Depeche Mode live video. I wonder what would have gotten the biggest cheer that night – Robbie Williams stripping naked or Martin Gore revealing his peroxide bleached blonde locks. I’m betting the latter. It certainly brought one female fan, sporting a New York Yankees baseball cap, to tears… if you’re reading this: yes you made it on screen! As did a rare glimpse of Dave – backstage – rocking along to the song! This is simply precious.
“I Want It All” looks and sounds a mess, and is perhaps the only real letdown on the entire double DVD set. Only towards the end when Christian gets to add some much needed bollocks and Mart and Dave starts harmonizing does the track pick itself up from the pits of instantly forgettable performances and makes an impact.
But the band easily makes up for it on “The Sinner In Me”, which is hands down one of the highlights of the show. This should have been a single! The visuals perfectly capture the atmosphere and mood of the song, with shaking shots of Martin looking like a semi crucified monster. And underneath all the seriousness and the darkness, Christian and Dave still manage to crack up laughing. This is one of the finest Depeche moments caught on celluloid – ever!
Now, with seven tracks from “Playing The Angel” and a good handful of the band’s less energetic hits over and done with, cue the hit-parade starting with the electro-rock-stomper “I Feel You”. Now this song have always been very hit or miss for me. It always seemed to be lacking on record and too long when performed live. Now, I don’t know if they changed it drastically, or it’s just the naked girl projected onto the screens during the song, but it’s certainly an entertaining seven minutes. And just to make up for the fact that there’s a hot chick on the screens, Dave takes off his vest… a little something for the ladies!
Now, if you’re only ever going to watch one song from this DVD, “Behind The Wheel” should be it. This is Blue Leach at his finest. The colours, the camera work, the editing… everything just comes to together! Thrown in a nothing-less-than-stellar performance and you’ve got yourself another highlight. The crowd is obviously into it, and it shows. One of my favourite shots of the whole DVD is when Dave goes to the very end of the catwalk and holds a girls hand – a moment caught from a bird’s perspective using a crane shot.
With a three-from-one Violation-combo, consisting of “World In My Eyes” (with the obligatory introduction of Fletch, and Dave grabbing his crotch), “Personal Jesus” (in all of it’s sing along galore, and improvisational ending) and “Enjoy The Silence” (complete with sing-a-long, sweeping crowd shots and all-round party feel – not to mention Christian going absolutely bonkers behind the drums), the band neatly ties up the main portion of the set. Yes, that’s an understatement!
The encores are kicked off with a stripped down rendition of “Shake The Disease”. Now, these acoustic performances with Martin on lead and Peter behind the keys are not for everyone, but if nothing else you can certainly enjoy Martin gettin’ jiggy wit it… a little of that well hidden African heritage shining through perhaps? Funny thing is that you barely even notice that yet again colours are left entirely to the imagination.
Picking up the pace, the band turns the Fila Forum into the biggest gay disco in all of Europe, if not the world, as they dust off 1981s “Just Can’t Get Enough”. It’s good to see the band embracing their history and having fun with it. It’s still a shite song though. Added points for the extended ending… largely thanks to a crowd that is more than willing to play along.
More retro 80s disco in the form of “Everything Counts” – a track that’s been sorely missed on the band’s setlists since the 1993/94 Devotional tour – ends in an emotional sing-a-long where – YES – Mathia The King can be spotted, sporting his fab Enjoy The Silence costume. The band leaves the stage - again - only to return moments later for the climactic “Never Let Me Down Again”, but not before introducing Peter and Christian. Blue Leach once again makes some interesting effects choices that will undoubtedly draw criticism from some, but will probably thrill many more. This is Depeche Mode anno 2006. Personally I don’t think “Never Let Me Down Again” have ever looked or sounded better. If you thought the obligatory “waving of the hands” looked good on previous concert films, you’re in for a real treat! It’s the perfect way to end a show. Only it doesn’t end there.
Now, I always thought “Goodnight Lovers” was a weird way to end the show. A nice and emotional novelty, but oddly misplaced at the shows. On film it’s no different. Sure, it looks and sounds beautiful, but why oh why not do it earlier and end on a high? Oh well…
Summing up the main attraction of “Touring The Angel: Live In Milan”, I will say that this is Depeche Mode as you’ve never seen them before. A dramatic departure from the Anton Corbijn style, and for this reviewer a welcome one. I remember watching “One Night In Paris” a few years ago, and then comparing it to Placebo’s “Soulmates Will Never Die”, wishing Depeche Mode would be willing to out on a limb and do something more along the lines of “Soulmates”. Well, they’ve gone above and beyond.
In terms of sound, this promotional disc only features an unmastered stereo mix. Recorded and mixed by the same people that has brought us loads of crispy recordings from the latter parts of the tour via Live Here Now, it sounds fantastic, even in this early form, and the cover promises that the final version that will appear in stores will feature 5.1 dolby and DTS soundtracks along with a stereo mix.
Bonus Features
On disc one we find two bonus tracks – the alternate songs performed by Martin for his solo spots – “A Question Of Lust” and “Damaged People”. The former of the two is shot entirely in sepia tones, and despite being very close to the performance we’ve known so well since the mid 80s, it would have been a better choice than “Shake The Disease” for the main feature, simply because it’s a better performance.
“Damaged People” is a beautiful song live, and Blue Leach has here opted for mostly extreme close-ups of Martin. It creates a very intimate atmosphere, and compliments the performance well.
TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT
A heavily abbreviated version of the press conference helt in LTU Arena in Dusseldorf in the summer of 2005, announcing the tour. It’s basically just a highlights of the press conference with a few fun moments thrown in. For the HOME crowd there’s a few glimpses of board members (I spotted Phantomaz for instance) and even of yours truly! Clocking in at just over three and a half minutes, it’s a fun but ostensibly easily forgettable feature.
PLAYING THE ANGEL EPK
This is something most of us will have seen before, but it’s included here for archive purposes, which is nice. Mostly interviews with the band and the people surrounding them. Runs at just shy of twelve minutes.
TOURING THE ANGEL SCREENS
This feature is an attempt at recreating the onstage screens in a TV format. It works well, and is an enjoyable series of alternate edits to those on the main feature. But they are just that… alternate edits. It’s a bit of a mystery why these songs were chosen. There were a lot more dedicated projection style things going on during “I Feel You” or Martin’s solo spots for example.
TOURING THE ANGEL DOCUMENTARY
Now this is the dog’s bollocks. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, that’s a good thing. Interviews with the whole band (including Christian and Peter), Blue Leach, Anton Corbijn, Lee Charteris, Jonathan Kessler, Daniel Miller and several others combined with live footage and off-stage footage captured on the tour.
It’s an interesting look at how a tour like this is put together – everything from stage design to Mart’s weird outfits - and what goes on on tour away from the spotlight. We’re brought on board their private jet, see them checking in at airports, meeting fans, the trucks rolling into a freezing, snow filled Moscow and the few tense seconds before going on stage. The only complaint is that at twenty minutes, it could easily have been twice as long.
"Le rock français, c'est comme le vin anglais." (John Lennon)