The openening band, Conjure One, stuck out like a soar thumb as it lulled many in the audiece into an early bed time. But things kicked off when Alan Wilder came onto the stage and intoduced Daniel Mayer of Architect. He gave a high energy set that gave an awesome homage to Depeche Mode with an amazing remix of 'Behind the Wheel'. The crowd cheered loudly as Architect finished his set.
The crowd was now pumped for whatever Recoil had to offer. Having never toured as Recoil, the audience waited anxiously to witness the genius of Alan Wilder at work. As soon as he stepped on stage with producer Paul Kendall, the crowd erupted as Wilder dove into 'Prey'. The energy continued to build as Kendall and Wilder created a web of sound that had most of the crowd dancing along to every perfectly crafted beat. The audience cheered in ecstasy as Wilder mixed in some Depeche Mode classics, such as "Never Let Me Down Again', which saw the crowd doing the classic arm wave, much to Wilder's amusement. 'Walking in My Shoes' and 'In Your Room' were also mixed into Recoil tracks, which truly showcased what a master of the craft Wilder is. After coming back for an encore, Wilder left the audience in sheer bliss as he catapulted into an electrifying remix of the Depeche Mode classic 'Personal Jesus', which saw the audience "reaching out and touching faith" as prompted by Wilder. Recoil's set seemed to go by in a flash as it's non-stop energy left the audience wanting more and completely in awe of Wilder's talents.
With the promise of a DJ set by Martin L. Gore this show sold out almost immediately. Yet, Gore's set was not the highlight of the evening. And to be completely honest, Gore's set was somewhat a disappointment, as he stepped onto the stage without acknowledging the crowd and immediately starting his DJ set and then promptly stepping off stage once it was over.
Nevertheless, the evening was full of energy and spirits were high. Recoil were definitely the highlight of the evening as the crowd cheered endlessly for Wilder, who reminded all in attendance what an impact he had in creating the Depeche Mode sound. Alan Wilder is truly a genius.