Memento Mori: Mexico City

デペッシュ・モードのメキシコシティ・フォロ・ソル・スタジアムでのライヴを収録した『Memento Mori: Mexico City』

1980年のバンド結成以来、精神的支柱でありDMサウンドの要であった”フレッチ”ことアンディ・フレッチャーが2022年60歳の若さで突然この世を去ったことで、失意の底に沈んだデペッシュ・モードの創設メンバーのデイヴ・ガーンとマーティン・ゴア。悲しみを受け止め2人は、”FLETCH”への想いを重ねた”初の2人体制”によるデペッシュ・モード最新作『メメント・モリ』を2023年3月に発表し、アルバムを引っ提げ”FLETCH”のいない初のワールド・ツアー「メメント・モリ・ツアー」をスタートさせることとなる。欧州/北米南米/カナダのスタジアム／アリーナを廻り、世界112公演で300万人以上のファンを魅了したワールド・ツアーは、まさしく”フレッチ”へのレクイエム・ツアーとなった。

本作は、2023年9月21日、23日、25日の3日間で、20万人以上のファンで埋め尽くされたメキシコシティ・フォロ・ソル・スタジアムで行われた公演から、2時間以上に及ぶライヴ音源を収録した『Memento Mori: Mexico City』。このコンサートは、2025年6月にトライベッカ映画祭でプレミア上映された映画『Depeche Mode: M』のために収録されたもので、「Enjoy The Silence」「Personal Jesus」「It’s No Good」といった名曲の数々が、2枚組CDに収められている。それに加え、『メメント・モリ』のセッションからの未発表4曲をボーナス・トラックとして追加。
更に、ライヴ写真が掲載された16ページのブックレットを封入。

The live companion of Depeche Modes 15th set Memento Mori was released two years after the album, documenting a massive world tour of over 100 shows that kept Dave Gahan and Martin Gore on the road from 2023 to 2024. Their first jaunt following the death of Andy Fletcher, the tour had a bittersweet air to it, but also one that celebrated life and all that they had done together. For Gore and Gahan, that spirit of life and death was particularly strong in one of their stops: Mexico City. A three-night stint in the Mexican capital was filmed for this release (and was also used for the film Depeche Mode: M, directed by Fernando Frias). The 24-song set list spans the bands decades-long career, giving rightful focus to Memento Mori songs, which easily flow among their usual standards and some fan-favorite surprises, such as their early synth pop classic "Just Cant Get Enough," Ultras "Sister of Night," and Violators "Waiting for the Night." The build-up to (and comedown from) "Everything Counts" is a cathartic rush, especially with the audiences palpable excitement, as is the guaranteed thrill of "I Feel You." The inclusions of late-era favorites from Playing the Angel (an explosive "Precious" and the throbbing Jacques Lu Cont version of "A Pain That Im Used To" are standouts) and Sounds of the Universe (the underrated "Wrong") are a welcome bridge between the older classics and new songs. As usual, Gore gets his time to shine at the midway point of the show on "Home" and a touching piano-forward "Soul with Me." For a band thats been together since the mid-80s, this is yet another masterclass in how to put on a live show, with Gahan the ever-consummate showman, crooning and snarling his way across the stage, and Gore the foundation that everything is built on. With the satisfying mix of tone-appropriate tracks from throughout the catalog, Memento Mori: Mexico City is one of the stronger live sets in their discography since Devotional, buffered by the strength of the songs on the tours parent album and the choice to include so many beloved crowd pleasers. [As a bonus, four studio recordings from the "Memento Mori Sessions" are included once the show is over, all of which are better-than-B-side quality, especially "In the End," which really should have been on the album proper.] ~ Neil Z. Yeung