Written by Backstage Bruce
Thank goodness for alternative radio and the underground network! Every major metropolis has one. For the NYC listening area that station was WLIR 92.7. The station wasn't even located in any of the five boroughs of NYC but rather 16-miles away in Garden City, on Long Island. WLIR's motto was "New Music First" and they proved it. They were the first station, in the world, to play U2, Madonna, Prince, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Nine Inch Nail, Nirvana, etc... It was the "gateway to America for young artist".
The original programming director, Rosie, would drive to JFK airport (12 miles) on Thursdays and she would meet the international flights. Returning to the radio station, the DJ's would start unpacking all the new vinyl. Everyone waited in anticipation, the DJ's and the listeners alike, for the new records. It was like Christmas every week.
They were the only station to play Depeche Mode. There was a network of about 10-dance clubs, that all spun WLIR music. The DJ's from the radio station would also DJ at these clubs. One, in particular, comes to mind, was Donna, Donna with her "spotlight dance" contest at The Loop/ Malibu Tuesdays. If the spotlight stops on you, you win that week's prizes; cd's, tickets, etc...
Depeche Mode started getting really popular in the clubs and the alternative radio stations. Once their videos broke onto MTV they became famous overnight worldwide. The name Depeche Mode was taken from a French fashion magazine, it means "hurried fashion" or "fashion dispatch' according to Martin Gore, principle songwriter and founding member.
In fall of 1987, the band released their sixth studio album, 'Music for the Masses' and embarked on a worldwide tour. It was scheduled for Brendan Byrne Arena on June 1st, 1988. I was lucky enough to work that show. I get there, like normal, at 5:00 a.m. and get started. I plug in the coffee machine and get that going. I get the entire dining room area set up by 6:00 a.m. before the trucks start rolling in. So after feeding the crew breakfast, I clean up and set up for lunch, real regular day.
During lunch we all heard this loud scream. While erecting a wall of speakers, apparently a few of the speakers tumbled down and landed on someone's leg, so it wasn't a head injury or worse, thank goodness. The ambulance pulled right up to the back of the stage, then whisked him away up the loading ramp. That was a first for me seeing one of the crew leave in an ambulance. Everyone got back to work, the show must go on.
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| Alan Wilder, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher & Dave Gahan |
After lunch, I set up the dressing rooms. I have to have them done by 2:00 p.m. because that is when the band arrives. I just get finished stocking Dave Gahan's (lead vocalist) dressing room and I'm going back to the kitchen so I can get more supplies to stock Andy Fletcher's (keyboardist) dressing room next. As I am walking I pass two gentlemen standing there talking. I am a caterer, I am not allowed to speak to anybody backstage unless, of course, they happen to speak to me first.
I see that one of the gentlemen standing there happens to have a WLIR backstage pass. I said "WLIR! I love that station." And he (turned out to be the current Programming Director Denis McNamara, who also did the 2:00 p.m. radio show.) said "You know WLIR?" We got to talking, we introduced ourselves. I told him what I did and where I lived, normal chatter. He asked me if I would like to tape a quick radio spot so I did. He pulled out a recorder and I said "Hi, this is BC, I work backstage at The Brendan Byrne arena where Depeche Mode is playing tonight. When I am home in Long Beach, I listen to WLIR, 92.7, new music first." That spot ran a couple times a day the entire summer of 1988. Everyone told me they heard me.
Later on during dinner service I hit up one of the crew to put me on the guestlist for the Jones Beach show, which was two days away. He agrees to, I write down my name and number, fingers crossed. I am just running around backstage having a blast, I am not suppose to be asking for tickets and I am definitely not supposed to be doing radio spots but whatever. Showtime, the audience is dressed quite Gothy, not full on Gothic, but definitely Gothy, a lot of black. The title of the band's previous album is 'Black Celebration'.
The show starts and they sounded great. They had tremendous energy and really gave it their all. The stage looked sleek in design and the lights were synced perfectly with all their different colors. Everyone danced. The band played just everything: 'Behind The Wheel', 'Strangelove', 'Blasphemous Rumours', 'Black Celebration', 'Master & Servant', 'A Question of Time', 'Never Let Me Down', 'A Question of Lust' 'Just Can't Get Enough', 'Everything Counts', plus a few others. The show comes to an end and the band leaves the building. I finish cleaning up the dressing rooms and I am out of there for the night.
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| Ticket stub from that night |
Two days later I go to pick up my tickets and they were waiting there for me, at will call, like clockwork. I go with my friend Tony Radna. I was able to actually sit and watch the show this time. Everything was as impeccable as the prior show: sound, stage and lights. The four members take the stage, Dave Gahan on vocals, Martin Gore on guitars and keyboard, Andy Fletcher on keyboard and Alan Wilder on synthesizer. I think the drum sound was coming from Alan through the synthesizer. It was fantastic. This show was outdoors at an amphitheater so there was a nice, fresh breeze all night long right off the ocean. The setlist was the same 18 songs they played two nights prior. It was great, my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A highlight for the band is that during this tour, just 15-days later, June 18th, they would perform at the Pasadena Rose Bowl to more than 60,000 people. It really was 'Music For The Masses' just like the title of their latest album. In 1990, they did a music video for the song 'Enjoy The Silence'. It was filmed at the WTC, it featured the four of them performing on top of the South Tower.
'ENJOY THE SILENCE' music video
I have now seen them twice, once in New Jersey, once in New York, it's time to see them again, this time Vegas. August, 2001, and Depeche Mode is playing at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It is sold-out. I am visiting and do not know anybody in that town: no one at any radio stations, no one at any of the casinos or clubs, etc... no one that could hook me up. I did make a few friends. I asked this new friend of mine if she wanted to go try to see if we could get in. Our only plan was just to walk up to the box office and ask if there happens to be any last-minute cancellations, it happens all the time.
We get there, walk through the casino, to the showroom. We see it, we start to walk towards it. There were two huge security guards standing outside the entrance door. We were just hoping that there would be tickets available for purchase, at the box office, and as we were getting closer, I kid you not, these two security guards parted like the Red Sea. My friend and I never broke stride, I whispered "Just keep walking". We walked right between the two of them and nodded, they nodded back and we walked in. It was an absolute miracle, I don't know how it happened. This took place on August 8th, 2001, just 34 days before 9/11. Security was so much more lax then.
The band was no longer a quartet, Alan packed up his synthesizer and went home. At that point, DM had been 6 years as a trio. That night they sounded terrific. The music didn't sound like anything was lacking or missing. Martin can now make the drum beats out of his synthesizer.
They looked good, like seeing old friends, a little bit of wear, like all of us. Their energy level was up. The three played 20 songs plus for over two hours. They really gave it their all. The Joint was really packed, not many people were dancing because there really wasn't that much room to dance. I guess if the security was letting just anybody that walks by in, the place was going to get pretty packed. A real memorable moment from the concert was when Martin pulled out an acoustic guitar and played 'Sister of Night'.
My visit to Vegas was over, I was back in New York working at a bona-fide dive bar, Siberia. It was like CBGB's on the westside, every single night there would be about four or five different bands, one night a week there would be comedy. Musicians would spray paint the walls, they would also plaster their stickers everywhere.
That place was great, it's gone now in a changing New York. The multi-level bar made a perfect set design for an interview or photo-shoot. One of the MTV shows would periodically book the place to do interviews during the day. They just needed to light the place and start filming, no staging required, very simple.
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| Latest pic of, during 2020's Hall Of Fame induction ceremonies, via Zoom |
Quite a lot of musicians did interviews for MTV there: Pink, Chemical Bros. Sebastian Bach, Dave Gahan, etc... to name a few. I have catering experience so I took it upon myself to set up a mini-Kraft table for the musicians for when they would arrive. By doing this I made a reason for me to be there.
I would stop at the fruit stand and get a bag of fresh fruit, stop at the doughnut store and get a couple dozen plus a carton of coffee. I would set out a table cloth on the bar and do it up, wash the fruit, put it in a bowl plus add in a dozen bottles of water and we were good to go. It looked nice, they did not expect that hospitality in a dive bar, always smiles. The musicians loved having the water there and the crew loved the doughnuts.
After I set everything up, I would go behind the bar, before the crew even arrives, and I would stay there the entire time. That is what I was told to do, to stay out of their way, 100%. So I do, I want to be there and watch the interview live. After the initial hello to greet them, I am to keep absolutely quiet while they film. One day in 2004, Dave shows up for his interview. It went great, he looked good. It came to an end and the crew was packing up. Dave was very cordial and waved bye to everyone as he made his way to the door.
He gets there and his car is not there yet to pick him up, which worked out well for me. I brought one of my Depeche Mode CD's and asked him to sign it, he did. Then I asked for a photo with, he obliged. He was really nice and friendly with us bar staff as he waited for his ride. Five years later Depeche Mode would go on to headline the Lollapalooza Tour 2009, not bad at all for a band with an alternative radio start.
