The Singles Tour
| Concert by Depeche Mode | |
 Poster advertising the Depeche Mode concerts held in Sweden. | |
| Associated album | The Singles 86>98 |
|---|---|
| Start date | 2 September 1998 |
| End date | 22 December 1998 |
| Legs | 2 |
| Number of shows |
65 33 in North America 32 in Europe |
| Depeche Mode concert chronology | |
The Singles Tour was a 1998 concert tour by English electronic band Depeche Mode in support of the act's singles compilation album, The Singles 86>98, which was released in September 1998.[1]
The tour, which was officially announced in Cologne, Germany in April 1998, was the group's first since the Exotic Tour/Summer Tour in 1994. A year prior, the group opted not to tour in order to promote Ultra, their ninth studio album, after issues surrounding the band following the lengthy tours in support of Songs of Faith and Devotion. This was the first tour without keyboardist Alan Wilder since he joined the group in 1982; Wilder left the band indefinitely in 1995 citing an "imbalance in the distribution of the workload".
The tour began with a European leg, kicking off in Tartu, Estonia in early September and culminating in San Sebastián, Spain in mid-October. Later in the month, the band commenced a tour of North America, beginning in Worcester, Massachusetts. The eight week jaunt included an appearance at the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles. Billy Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins, performed the song "Never Let Me Down Again" with Depeche Mode at this concert. The tour eventually wrapped up in Anaheim, California in late December.
The tour marked the debut of two of the group's backing musicians: keyboardist Peter Gordeno, who replaced Wilder, and drummer Christian Eigner, who previously performed with the band in 1997 for two Ultra Parties concerts.
Setlist
- "Painkiller" (Intro)
- "A Question of Time"
- "World in My Eyes"
- "Policy of Truth"
- "It's No Good"
- "Never Let Me Down Again"
- "Walking in My Shoes"
- "Only When I Lose Myself"
- Song performed by Martin Gore
- Song performed by Martin Gore
- "Home"
- "Condemnation"
- "In Your Room" (Zephyr Mix version)
- "Useless"
- "Enjoy the Silence"
- "Personal Jesus"
- "Barrel of a Gun"
- encore 1
- Song performed by Martin Gore
- "Somebody"
- "I Feel You"
- encore 2
- "Just Can't Get Enough"
| Note: | Setlist additions featuring multiple songs are options which were rotated between dates. |
Tour dates
- Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
- A KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas
Support acts
- Purity (2 September – 17 October 1998)
- Stabbing Westward (27 October – 22 December 1998)
- Tim Simenon (DJ set) (2 September – 17 October 1998)
Musicians
Depeche Mode
- Dave Gahan – lead vocals
- Martin Gore – guitar, synthesizers, lead and backing vocals
- Andy Fletcher – synthesizers
Backup musicians
- Peter Gordeno – synthesizers, backing vocals
- Christian Eigner – drums
- Jordan Bailey – backing vocals
- Janet Cooke – backing vocals