This performance does not match the brilliant Devotional, or even the choppy 101. This is DM in the post-Alan era, Dave has cleaned up and the show is stripped down to the bone (heh). Dave is not in the best voice, and the show lacks the excitement and drama of Devotional.

I love DM, just want to turn the clock back to 1993.

Depeche Mode - One Night in Paris (The Exciter Tour 2001) is a must have for any Depeche Mode fan, period. First of all let me say that this is so different from any concert DVD I have ever seen.

I watch tons of concert DVDs. I also go to tons of concerts. I have seen Depeche Mode in concert at MSG among other places. I can say without a doubt, this is the first DVD that truly made me feel like I was at the concert. I was totally excited and blown away by the experience of watching this.

For starters, there's no fluff on that first disk. Just right into the concert. You have no warning on the included liner book. Some nice pictures and artwork, the usual production notes. But you don't even know what songs they are going to play nor in what order they will play them. You are experiencing what it's like to be at the concert. And they are an amazing concert band.

The Exciter Tour is by far one of the more pivotal moments in Depeche Mode's musical history. They were at a cross roads, with their popularity firmly cemented and going in many new directions. In fact, having abandoned some of the synth backgrounds for a more universal feel, this almost feels like at points it could have been a U2 concert. Still, this is Depeche Mode and it's not at all U2.

Their mix of songs are great. In fact, they do play some old songs, but it's the mix with the new songs that I really love here. They move freely between old classics, newer hits, obscure B sides and a cover or two here. I don't want to ruin the surprise elements of this DVD so I won't list all the songs in the order they are performed. But the use of audio visuals and the big screen is really awesome too, and when you do get to the point of the water drops in the background the concert really starts to take hold.

Another point that is awesome is the seamless way they alternate between the David songs and Martin's songs. Martin really sounds amazing here, but then again he always does. Singing live is really hard. Even though David isn't as flawless as Martin, it's still an amazing live performance in my opinion. Of course some of those songs would of been much better if all the group was there to perform it. Such is life. This is DM in 2001 and it's still vibrant and compelling. And the drumming of Christian Eigner cannot be praised enough. It is very hard to come in and play with a group that is as tight as DM.

My personal favorite moments surround the transitions around 'Walking In My Shoes.' Simply brilliant. I have to take issue with the implication that this concert was mostly songs from Exciter, but you judge for yourself as you watch it.

Some people will complain about some of the missing members, the deterioration of skills with age. Yes it's true, David's vocals have a different tone than normal, some would call it strained some would call it over the top. I think that's all irrelevant. This is a beautifully staged event. Remmber what I said about them being in transition, which they clearly were in 2001.

For those who feel like this isn't David Gahan at his best or just have a very rigid set of songs in mind, you may want to check out their other concert DVDs as well or instead of this one. Also for those who doubt how good they are live, pony up and see for yourself! For me, I'm totally satisfied with this DVD set and I can't wait till the next live concert!

If you are a DM fan, this MUST be in your collection.

Enjoy.

Let me start by saying Depeche Mode are absolutely one of my favorate bands & have been for a good 15 years. I have almost all of their CD's & love most of them but, I never had the chance to ever see them live. I picked this concert DVD due to such great reviews on here. I must admit I was pretty disapointed in watching/listening to this DVD. Dave Gahan's singing was like listening to nails on a chalkboard at times & very pitchy. The music/audio just didn't seem to mesh well. Martin Gore just seemed to stand in one place at all times, often with his back to the audience as if he didn't want to be there & they really didn't show to much of the other band members. The song list was wonderful, all my personal favorates. I tried to give it another go & watch it again, but got bored halfway through the DVD & shut it off again. I'm going to buy a different one of their DVD's & hope this one was just kind of a "stinker".

1. depeche mode... music that everyone knows captured incredibly by anton corbin in a great concert. how can i not give this 5?

To the uninitiated this concert video will probably take you by surprise and open a world to you that you might not of thought ever existed. This concert from the first moment to the very last is entirely enthralling.

To the Depeche Mode fan that may have seen all the other concerts that they've put out and the videos and the bootleg documentaries ... this concert will probably stick out and be recognized as their best without any argument.

The songs on this go back to the very beginning of their career and lead all the way up to 2001. The surprising thing to realize is how far ahead of a lot of other bands that were made famous by the sound created and harnessed by Depeche Mode, long after DM had already graduated and moved away from it. This fact is actually quite chilling as their sound is sometimes years ahead of everyone else.

My favourites on this are:

Dream On
When The Body Speaks
In your Room

If you happen to watch this on a big screen HDTV with surround sound, this will floor you and everybody in the vicinity as both the picture and sound are masterful. What's more surreal is the large HDTV behind the band that sometimes displays black and white film, a fish tank, water drops ... you name it.

This is a must own concert DVD for anyone who listens to music at home.