For Your Weekend Listening Pleasure: Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode at Bronco Bowl

By Robert Wilonsky Fri., Jul. 22 2011 at 6:35 PM

So far on this apparently never-ending jaunt down Amnesia Lane we've visited the Bronco Bowl a handful of times, dropping in on the Clash, Squeeze, the Cure, the Replacements and Bruce Springsteen. But there are still myriad memories from the Fort Worth Ave. haunt I'd like to chase down, among them: U2's June 13, 1983, visit during the War tour, which I worked as a Golden Horseshoe usher at the far-too-young age of 14; Adam Ant on May 18, 1983, during which I stood next to a few Pretenders in the Golden Horseshoe (they were playing the next night); Big Country in March of '84; R.E.M. a few months after that; the Smiths in September '86.

But there is, at last, one flashback I can stop looking for: Depeche Mode's March 27, 1985, Bronco Bowl stopover in support of Some Great Reward, the band's fourth record and one of which I remain incredibly fond. I'd been trying to find this for a while, and there it was today, all by its lonesome -- mismarked, of course, as having taken place at the "Arcadia Ballroom."

Can't say I recall much of that night; I blame it on the Blue Nun, which was our rather embarrassing choice of beverage. Went with a Hockadaisy who was profoundly into the hits: "People are People," "Everything Counts," Just Can't Get Enough" -- all of which hold up quite well on this well-preserved account of a rather giddy jump-up-and-down night. ("Master and Servant" too -- wow.) Now excuse me while I push up the sleeves on my suit jacket and finish this bottle of Liebfraumilch.

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Montemalone

Just can't get enough master and servant.

Sherman, let's hop in the wayback machine.

Darryl

depressed mood always sucked.

Mike

No you do, loser.

LaceyB

it almost sounds, from those first few sentences, that you don't much care for writing FYWLP. Why so? One of my favorite weekend items.

LaceyB

Gawlee. Somebody had an AWESOME childhood--going to concerts gratis, which I pay $60 for the cheap seats today, hitting the bong hard, dating, and drinking (shit) liquor.I thought skipping town, when it got too unbearable, and going to screenwriting school at 15 was OK as it gets. Again, shamed. And, punished by the music that I grew up with (think 10-15 yrs after all the AWESOME bands had broken up or moved on). Will there ever be another cool decade that isn't dominated by bad rap and unintelligible lyrics?

Bigjondaniel

I believe your picture is in the dictionary next to the entry for "self-involved".

LaceyB

C'mon now, BJD...that ain't nice. You aren't one of my usual ass-atoid spammers. Why start now? My childhood actually kicked rocks. Like most everyone else's. Except those who want to relive high school over and over again. Those people I pity.

huaqian

tinyurl.com/3oqxhvp

ura

Did depeche mode come just before post punk power chords or am I mixing that up as I usually do?

Jack E. Jett

still missing that bronco bowl. would have loved to have seen DM there.

MushMouth1

Blue Nun wasn't the only embarrassing part of that evening for you... Depeche Mode?

But since you are my Bob Dobbs I will cut you the ultimate amount of slack.

Jordan

Clearly you have no idea how brilliant they continue to be. And continue to have a MASSIVE fanbase. They pioneered electronic music, and blurred the line between rock/pop/electro.

Gary

Neither Robert nor anyone should ever have to explain their fondness for DM.

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Daniel Hopkins

That 1983 U2 would be solid, although I'd love to relive their 2002 stop at Reunion -- best concert I've ever been to.

Robert Wilonsky

Boom.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.co...

Though, actually, it's '85, '92 and the two '01 shows. Still. Those 2001 stops were amazing. And the 85, boy howdy.

http://www.u2start.com/shows/2...

LaceyB

The '01 U2 Elevation Tour broke my "concert cherry" at the Frank Erwin Pavillion in Austin. They had a red-outlined, heart-shaped stage. It was a love-in, by all accounts--I think the first time U2 had played Austin in 10 yrs. at that time.