Head for Hollywood
Saving money on entertainment usually means watching unknown bands in dive bars — but not tonight. World class band Depeche Mode will play a free concert on Hollywood Boulevard tonight to promote their new album “Sounds of the Universe.”
No money? No problem
It’s true, you won’t need cash advance payday loans or cash of any kind to get into this show, which will shut down a section of the famous boulevard for several blocks. Fans of the British band are used to paying top dollar for the honor of seeing Depeche Mode live. In fact, if you want to see them at upcoming music festival Lollapalooza, you’ll have to shell out at least $190.
Tickets to Depeche Mode’s Madison Square Garden show in August start at $50 for the nosebleed section and go up to $130. This free concert is a rare and wonderful opportunity.
Why so generous?
Though Depeche Mode lovers will be able to attend the show for free, that doesn’t mean the band isn’t getting paid. Besides promoting the album, Depeche Mode will be playing near the under-construction W Hotel complex. The project cost a whopping $350 million, so developers are hoping to get some attention.
More show info
Depeche Mode’s free concert is tonight on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine. You can pick up free tickets if you want to be able to get close to the stage, or just show up and enjoy.
About the band
Depeche Mode started in England in 1980. Wikipedia calls Depeche Mode “one of the longest-lived, most successful and influential bands to have emerged from the New Wave era.” Electric and Musical Industries Ltd. reports that Depeche Mode has sold more than 75 million albums. I guess that explains why they can afford to play a free concert.
Moneymakers
Members of Depeche Mode didn’t spend much time as starving artists. The band got a song on the UK Singles Chart about a year after its formation, and shortly after losing a band member. By mid-1981 their single “Just Can’t Get Enough” broke into the Top 10, and from there the musicians continued to skyrocket to fame.
Depeche Mode became popular in the U.S. and the world over in 1984 with the release of single “People Are People” from the album “Some Great Reward.” The band continued to release moneymaking singles and albums through 1997, with the release of “Ultra.”
Things change
After four years without releasing an album, “Exciter” hit the shelves in 2001. But with a new band lineup and a different sound, it appeared the band’s heyday was over. Nonetheless, event promoters expect 10,000 attendees at Depeche Mode’s free concert tonight. The band also is going on a world tour, playing all over Europe and the United States at large venues and festivals.
Depeche Mode may not be pulling in the same amount of dough that it used to, but it still has a solid, loyal fan base. Who knows, maybe it will even garner some new fans who love free stuff tonight.
Los Angeles based fans of Depeche Mode shall no doubt rejoice. Most of the bands I’d love to see wouldn’t play a free concert, or wouldn’t anywhere close to where I live. Either that or at least one member is dead. Still, a free performance of the new record should leave fans wanting more, that’s for sure.