DEPECHE MODE IN ROME, ITALY, OLYMPIC STADIUM, JUNE 16, 2009
It was my second time in Rome, so I knew exactly what to expect. I am not going to bother you with details about the ancient city. Go see it, but take my advice: better focus on the architecture and historical sites than on the people.
I am going to tell you just a few things related to the Depeche Mode concert in Rome:
1. the Olympic Stadium was 30 min walking distance from the Vatican. Nice stroll. The Olympic Stadium (Lazio shares is with some other team, I cannot remember which one) was very impressive. The stadium lies in a huge park with outdoor stages, a lot of trees, statues and nice alleys. Sitting on a bench in the twilight, waiting to enter the actual stadium to see Depeche Mode again (the second time this year, after Tel Aviv), I had the strange/strong feeling that I was hanging in the sky while the whole nature stood still, just to prepare the grand entrance of the Kings. I had that feeling most probably because of the huge plane trees that seem to be carved in the sky, never moving and seeming to protect the whole city of Rome.
2. as we were getting closer to the stadium, the piles of dirt, the number of people already partying loud, and the quantity of fake Depeche Mode merchandise started to increase.
3. I tried to pay for one of those T-shirts with a 50 Eur banknote, and the seller refused it informing me: “it is fake… you know, with this Depeche Mode concert, many fake…”. I started yelling at him as I felt hurt and humiliated. Now I understand what he meant… He was selling fake T-shirts, so he probably expected everyone to have “fake” something on them… Including money!
4. after the concert, on my way out (but still inside the stadium, not outside) I bought a T-shirt for my daughter. The only place where I could find a size that suits her… Surprisingly, the T-shirt was also a fake. So they were allowed to sell that crap even inside the stadium…
5. we had a good laugh with the waiters in a restaurant on our way back to the Vatican, after the concert, reading what was written on the back of my daughter’s T-shirt. The list of cities where DM were having concerts contained 2 misspelled words: BUTAPEST (instead of Budapest) and ISTABUL (instead of Istanbul).
6. for hours on end, before and during the concert, hundreds of people sold 5 Eur worth .33l beer. Not the price bothered me. The fact that the sellers kept walking so slowly through the crowd, sometimes laughing at the people who were dancing or screaming, bothering everyone constantly with their mere presence really upset me. Maybe this is the way it always is in Rome, but even in Bucharest, if you want a drink during a concert, you buy it from a booth. Sometimes we have some guys deliver the drinks from a tank they carry on their backs, but they sell legally…
7. there were no people singing Depeche Mode songs before the concert. No phones ringing Depeche Mode tones…nothing. People did not know the lyrics that well and sang along less than in Tel Aviv and Budapest (2009) and Bucharest, Romania (the country who learned English listening to Depeche Mode!) and Istanbul, Turkey (both in 2006). There was less joy after seeing Depeche Mode in Rome than anywhere else. This is just a personal opinion, so do not get angry if you felt something else! Just take the time to write about it, and send me a link.
8. I also remember I was not feeling well and the sound was bad and I could not stand the smell of marijuana on the stadium…
The setlist was (no Jezebel this time as you can see, and no In Sympathy):
1. In Chains
2. Wrong
3. Hole To Feed
4. Walking In My Shoes
5. It’s No Good
6. A Question Of Time
7. Precious
8. Fly On The Windscreen
9. Little Soul
10. Home
11. Come Back
12. Peace
13. In Your Room
14. I Feel You
15. Policy Of Truth
16. Enjoy The Silence
17. Never Let Me Down Again
Encore:
18. Stripped
19. Master And Servant
20. Strangelove
Encore 2:
21. Personal Jesus
22. Waiting For The Night
The Olympic Stadium (Lazio shares is with some other team, I cannot remember which one)…
Let me help you:)
AS ROMA
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