The Singles Tour

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

1. "Painkiller" (Intro)
2. "A Question of Time"
3. "World in My Eyes"
4. "Policy of Truth"
5. "It's No Good"
6. "Never Let Me Down Again"
7. "Walking in My Shoes"
8. "Only When I Lose Myself"
9. Song performed by Martin Gore
   • "A Question of Lust"
   • "Sister of Night"
10. Song performed by Martin Gore
    • "Home"
11. "Condemnation"
12. "In Your Room"
13. "Useless"
14. "Enjoy the Silence"
15. "Personal Jesus"
16. "Barrel of a Gun"

    encore 1

17. Song performed by Martin Gore
    • "Somebody"
18. • "Stripped"
    • "Behind the Wheel"
19. "I Feel You"

    encore 2

20. "Just Can't Get Enough"

Tour dates

Support acts

• Purity (September 2–October 17, 1998)
• Stabbing Westward (October 27–December 22, 1998)
• Tim Simenon (DJ set) (September 2–October 17, 1998)

Personnel

• David Gahan – lead vocals
• Martin Gore – guitar, keyboards, lead and backing vocals
• Andrew Fletcher – keyboards

• Peter Gordeno – keyboards
• Christian Eigner – drums
• Jordan Bailey – backing vocals
• Janet Cooke – backing vocals

References

External links

• Official site
• Depeche Mode on Myspace