Depeche Mode @ Staples ♥

Depeche Mode 2013

When: Saturday, September 28, 2013
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Accompanied By: Gabs
Genre: New Wave, Alternative

Set List: Welcome to My World, Angel, Walking in My Shoes, Precious, Black Celebration, Policy of Truth, Should be Higher, Barrel of a Gun, The Child Inside, But Not Tonight (acoustic/Martin), Heaven, Sooth My Soul, A Pain That I'm Used To, A Question of Time, Enjoy the Silence, Personal Jesus

Encore: Home (acoustic), Shake the Disease (acoustic/Martin), Just Can't Get Enough, Never Let Me Down Again

Tai's Flickr Photo Set of Show

It doesn't seem like five months have passed since seeing Depeche Mode at The Troubadour, but that is exactly how long it's been.  There have been a lot of shows between then and now (21 in fact), but the anticipation of experiencing this show from 3rd row had been in the forefront of my mind since winning the tickets from The World Famous KROQ back in April.

This time I was prepared. I had the camera, extra batteries and THREE memory cards. After the Troubadour fiasco with being so close and discovering I had left the memory card at home, I certainly wasn't going to let that happen again. And while I made sure to "enjoy the silence", I put my trusty Canon S120 to work. 

More Photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taifoo/sets/72157636001307626/

So many great songs, so many fun photos. Dave Gahan is a dancing queen and Martin Gore, in all his glittery goodness, has the voice of an angel. Of course, it was the old Depeche Mode that made me the happiest, but the new album, Delta Machine, is absolutely fantastic and Soothe My Soul is completely sing worthy. 

2013 has proven to be an amazing year. I owe much of my happiness to KROQ with their spectacular ticket give aways...which helps alleviate the stress of having to cover the mortgage while feeding the live show obsession.  Ken caught me perusing the Ticketmaster website the other night and exclaimed, "what show are you going to now? What's left? You've seen everybody there is to see..."  Oh silly rabbit, that's just not true. After all, "I can't stop, The desire in me, I'm not waiting, Patiently...There's only one way to soothe my soul..."

Paul McCartney Takes Over Hollywood Boulevard

When: Monday, September 23, 2013
Where: Jimmy Kimmel Live - Hollywood/Highland, Hollywood, CA
Accompanied by: Mark Ward
Genre: Icon legend; Rock -N- Roll

A week or so ago, 1iota announced that Jimmy Kimmel would be closing down Hollywood Boulevard for two nights - Monday, 9/23/13 for Paul McCartney - and - Tuesday, 9/24/13 for Justin Timberlake.  The only way to get tickets to this event was through a lottery system.  I won't lie...I really wanted tickets for JT. Don't judge me. Regardless, I put in a request for both shows and waited. Last week I received the email letting me know that I was chosen for priority tickets for two for the McCartney show. Absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to attend...but even more happy because I knew that my friend Nicole really wanted to go and I was going to be the most awesome friend ever for taking her.

Due to life and things, Nic called me and sadly told me that she would not be able to go. No fault of hers. Shit happens. I totally get that. I made a few phone calls and email inquiries and decided that I would fly solo.  I figured I'd make new friends once I got there. Fate had other plans when I saw a message from my friend, Kathryn. She explained that her business partner's husband was a HUGE McCartney fan and had been trying to find a way into the show.  Would it be okay if she passed along my number. Absofreaklutely!!  Mark called around 1:00 and within an hour, we were on our way to Hollywood!!  As were thousands of other people.

By 4pm, we managed to determine where we needed to be. The upside of being there that early was being able to enjoy the sound check which helped take our minds off the blazing sun. Over the course of an hour, we saw paramedics tend to two girls who had passed out from heat and dehydration. (Note to self: if you're gonna pass out, pass out in Hollywood. The paramedics are absolutely gorgeous.)

And let me tell you, if you can get priority tickets from 1itoa, take advantage of them!!  I had no idea what that meant and as we discovered that it allowed us to bypass the miles and miles of people lined up, it was apparent that we had the golden ticket.  As groups of fans were placed into select corrals, our group was escorted directly to the front pit area. I looked back at Mark with the "OMG" face and a huge smile.

By 5pm, we were situated and ready to wait. And wait. And wait some more. At least by now, the sun was no longer beating down upon us. But the body heat was a whole other element to contend with.  Didn't matter...everyone was happy, friendly, and civilized. And the people watching provided endless entertainment.  And the fact that Mark had amazing stories to share made the time pass by quickly.

It's now 7:20 and after a gazillion "cheer" practices for the camera, the night was about to get real. Sir Paul McCartney took the stage and the next hour became an absolute blur. The man is 71 years old. SEVENTY ONE!!!  But proof that age is just a number. I can only hope that I am graced with such an abundance of energy and humor when I am that age.  I'm not a big McCartney fan, but the magnitude of what I was witnessing was never lost on me. FIFTEEN songs over the course an hour and some change, I felt like I had just seen a piece of history. And for Mark...well, according to him, if it wasn't for Paul McCartney, his life would be much different. His turning point was the night he saw The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show and he knew that a life in music was his calling.  I'm thinking that was probably the case for many.



What a night. What an experience. In fact, it was so amazing that it made me feel less sad about not being chosen for the next night with JT.  Not 100%, but pretty darn close.

Nine Inch Nails @ The Troubadour

A lucky fan's set list

When: Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Where: The Troubadour, Los Angeles

Accompanied by: Anthony

Genre: Industrial Rock

Set List: Somewhat Damaged, The Beginning of the End, , Terrible Lie, March of the Pigs, Piggy, The Line Begins to Blur, The Frail / The Wretched, I'm Afraid of Americans, Gave Up, I Am Sanctified, Disappointed, The Warning, Find My Way, Came Back Haunted, Wish, Survivalism, Burn, The Hand That Feeds, Head Like a Hole, 

Encore: La Mer, The Day the World Went Away (was on the set list but not played), Hurt

NIN Troubadour Sign

I had never seen Nine Inch Nails before this night. Not once. And truth be told, I probably would have been better off had I had at least one larger show under my belt because this show...this tiny ass little show...a venue with less than 400 people...has ruined me. And left me wanting more in ways that cannot be described.  It's been about 3 days since this life changing  show occurred and the restlessness I feel has got to be what it's like when someone is jonesing for a fix. Yeah, it's like that. Roll your eyes all you want, it's the truth.

I know enough about this band and am familiar with their music enough to say that I am a fan. But holy crap... the FANS, the super fans, they are on a whole other level. Part of me felt like I was treading in forbidden territory and at any moment a spot light would shine down on me and I'd be exposed as some impostor and quickly escorted out. But, it never came down to that. A girl, a superfan, standing next to me asked me if I was a "huge fan". I responded that I was a fan, but not a "huge" fan. She thanked me for my honesty. It seemed odd, but by the end of the night, it made sense. 

I needed another rock shirt like a hole in my head.

I knew, without a doubt, how lucky I was to be there. Earlier in the week, when KROQ announced the contest - be caller 9, every hour, blah, blah, blah and win a tix to see NIN @ The Troubadour - I immediately texted Anthony to let him know it was going down. He is one of the biggest NIN fans I know (next to Lara), and I was pretty sure he wouldn't mind the early morning disturbance with this kind of news. I told him that if I won, I would take him...in return, he made the same pact. I thought for sure, it'd be me that would win and I'd be deemed the most amazing person on the planet...but dammit if 3 hours into the contest, he didn't win!! Go figure. I still tried as much as I could for my own win...but it just wasn't meant to be.

I've been lucky enough to see some amazing shows at The Troubadour...Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders, Depeche Mode...but hands down, this night was quite possibly the most perfect show in the history of shows (next to Foo @ Paladinos, Dec. 2010).  Nearly 2 hours, 21 songs, a shitload of sweat, and surrounded by some of the most amazing dedicated fans I've ever seen. What more could a girl want for  her first NIN experience?  

I just wanted to be close enough to see arm sweat...I never imagined it'd be like this.

Now I just have to wait until November to see them again. But this time it will be in a venue of 20,000. Not nearly as intimate, but I plan on enjoying it with the same level of enthusiasm. It would be impossible not to.

Side Note:  Monday, 9/2/13, Fingerprints Records was hosting a CD release listening party. They handed out a raffle ticket to everyone who attended for a chance to win a signed copy of the Hesitations Marks LP. So, while I didn't manage to win tickets into the show, I somehow was lucky enough to win this sweet little gem:

Thank you Fingerprints for this amazing prize!!