Depeche Mode in Milan, January 29 or " in his room"

We woke up in the late morning and had breakfast together in a small cafe. Then we walked through the city, a whole day long on foot.
Enjoy my pictures. First and foremost I travel because of Depeche Mode, but I love exploring cities and I like to come back to a city to really explore it to the last corner.

" Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II"

Duomo

you have to eat ice-cream in Italy

always addicted to Depeche Mode

Naviglio Pavese. the canals of Milan

Santa Maria delle Grazie

here you can visit the " Last supper" by Leonardo da Vinci

don't miss the " Aperitivo"

Milan at night

The day ended with two bottles good vine in our wonderful hotel lobby.
Next morning we had breakfast again in the "Pasticcheria Scaringi".

Then we went by one of the small trams to the "Cimitero Monumentale", an old imposing  graveyard. But it was closed on Mondays.....

We had a last great lunch together. We ate near by the "Corso Como", a shopping and dining complex in Milan, where many Italians eat their lunch, so it is worth to go there only for lunch.

We spent a lazy afternoon in our hotel room and drove again in the early evening to the "Mediolanum Forum" . As we came out of the subway the arena was shrouded in fog....spooky.
We met friends of Switzerland in the Food court and then we walked in the arena.
I had a seating place right beside the stage. It was an interesting view. I saw the audience a little bit like the band do and I can tell you, it is an amazing view but if I stood in front of the crowd and knew, I have to deliver my best ...... Respect!

I saw again how hard Mr. Gahan have to work. He moves in 2 hours more than most people throughout the day, it os high-performance sports.
We were so close and near by his small black camp beside the stage, where he spent the time while Martin sang his songs. We could see through a small gap how he quickly changed his clothes and then put on new make-up. He was completely alone there, a woman handed him his fresh clothes and took the sweaty things with her. Only Mr. Eigner went briefly to him. I felt like a spy, I looked into his room.
We saw Mr. Kessler. he came always out to receive the band when they left the stage.

I like most that I didn't see the screenings from my place. My attention was only on Dave and I saw his wonderful performance to " In your room".  He danced with his microphone stand as if this one was a woman. So wonderful. The screenings distracting from Dave and he has to work more because nobody can see him from the higher places....The same happened every evening while " Walking in my shoes". I'm tired of this film, I want to see Dave and so it was a successful evening for me because I saw every move he made.
" Policy of truth" came for " Where is the revolution" and  I went crazy as I saw how Dave danced like a stripper or pole dancer with his microphone stand. Ouch.

Martin sang again " I want you now". The Milanese were happy. It was an amazing mood, so much better then the first concert, the same phenomenon as in Berlin, but really amazing because it was an Monday evening. With " I feel you" and " Personal Jesus" an incredible show came to its end.

Video taken by Michael P. 

Thank you, because I'm not able to do anything else than dancing and screaming while " Personal Jesus"

picture taken by "Black Cat Net"

picture taken by " Black Cat Net"

I was so happy after the show, I'm lost for words. I know now only 5 winter shows left, really hard.
We went back to our hotel and spent a while together while drinking red wine.

Ciao Milan, it is not easy to say Goodbye to one of my favorite concert places. Will I ever come back to see Depeche Mode again here in this city? I don't know and so I'm so happy to write this blog because then I can remember this wonderful time in Milan.

Depeche Mode in Milan, January 27 or "the beautiful sound of Mr. Martin L. Gore"

My journey to Milan started with a very good day before the concert.

I was with my doctor, did the last vaccinations for the upcoming journey to South America.

Then in the office a had a job interview because I want to change the department within my firm.

It is an opportunity for advancement for me and later at the day I became the commitment for the new job. 

So I was really happy  as I met two friends for dinner in one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Cologne, Maki Maki Sushi. With one of them, Dani from Munster, I flew the next morning very early to Milan.

We arrived to early in Milan to move into our hotel, so we started with a great breakfast in a small pasticcheria near by our hotel, where we tried typical italian biscuits they made specially for the carnival time, they called "Chiacchere", what is an italian word for conversation.
I know this kund of biscuit from my hometown Cologne, we have the same in the carnival time, it is called "Mutzen".

 Then walked through Milan, visited the Castello Sforzesco, the Parc Sempione included a ride on the Branco Tower ( an extraordinary steel tower with an amazing view over Milan) and the Arch of Peace ( made of marble and built to honor Napoleon) and had a very good italian lunch.

Then we rested a while in our nice and stylish Ibis Hotel.

Later we took the tube to the Forum in Assago, where Depeche Mode played every winter tour.

Meanwhile you can go with the tube to the Forum, a few years ago there was only a bus and it was always a problem to going back to the city.

In the tube we spoke about Dave's chicken dance because he danced as intensively as a chicken at the last concerts. I said " soon he will lay an egg".

And then we arrived in Assago, left the tube and the first thing we saw was a bird nest with an egg ( it layed on a trash can)..... Please tell me, why happened things like this ?

We had a beer in the Forum Food Court, met a few of our friends and went all together in the very good filled arena, where we found a place near the catwalk on the right side. 15 minutes later Depeche Mode came on stage.

Dave looked amazing, he wore a new blue waistcoat and I could see that he had great expectations of the Milanese. After the last tour, he said in an interview that he particularly loves concerts in Milan.

It was a very good concert but not in my top ten list. Setlist like always.

"Cover me" was a highlight, before his break Dave managed the audience to get up.

Martin sang " Insight" and " Home" and like in summer the Milanese started singing after " Home". And they sang a long time after Martin ended. The typical "ohohohooooo". Tears ran from my eyes, I didn't know why but it touched me deeply.

Dave said " the beautiful sound of Mr. Martin L. Gore" and yes, so true.

No further surprises. I watched a lot to Mr. Fletcher this evening. He looks so good, has lost a lot weight, and always makes funny typical slightly arrhythmic moves. Andy, I have to say, you won my heart on this tour.

Dave wore after the break a new golden vest. Shopping paradise Milan, funny.

I saw a few tiny details like the gaze of Dave to Martin when Dave sang to him " let me show you the world in my eyes" or later how he showed us his golden shoes at " Walking in my shoes".

Every evening I asked me, how could he turn all this pirouettes? I would not be able to.

We have heard new rumors about his alleged return to alcohol. Okay, you little storytellers..... try to put on a show like Dave does every night and then drink a bar empty. Good luck.

After the concert we made a picture together because for my friends Manuel and Sabine was Milan the last concert until summer. They cancelled the rest of the shows until the summer. I was sad about this.

In our nice hotel we drank a good bottle of wine together.I love the red wine of the Piemont, you can buy it in Milan for a small money in every supermarket.Our hotel had a big lobby with many nice places to seat and so we sat a while together before we went happy about this perfect day into our beds.