Depeche Mode performs at SAP Center in San Jose on March 25, 2023. Steve Carlson/STAFF.

SAN JOSE — Iconic electronic music group Depeche Mode chose San Jose on Saturday for the second stop in its tour supporting a just-released new album.

The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees struck a perfect balance of hits from their extensive catalog while showcasing a few songs from LP Memento Mori, which the duo released just a day earlier. The Latin term means “remember you must die,” a fitting title given the unexpected death of longtime Depeche Mode bandmate Andy “Fletch” Fletcher at 60 in 2022. While frontman Dave Gahan dedicated “World in My Eyes” to his friend, showing a photo of a young Fletch on the video screen, the band didn’t address the matter much further. Gahan did say that Fletcher wouldn’t want so many songs about death in the set.

But much of the new record focuses on mortality, as do some of Depeche Mode’s biggest hits like “Enjoy the Silence,” so the theme fit regardless.

A synth built up with heavy distortion and pulsating lights to a crescendo as the band took the stage. Martin Gore, shrouded in darkness, raised his hand and Gahan, in a shiny suit jacket pointed outward. They were joined by multi-instrumentalist Peter Gordeno and drummer Christian Eigner.

Depeche Mode performs at SAP Center in San Jose on March 25, 2023.

Depeche Mode kicked off with the industrial “My Cosmos Is Mine,” the first track from their new album. Gahan strutted with confidence, grabbing his microphone stand like a cane. The band remained shrouded in a moody shadow as a white “M” was etched out on the screen behind it. On “Wagging Tongue,” another new one, Gore harmonized with Hagan; there didn’t appear to be any backing tracks at hand for these rock hall members. 

Gahan soon lost the jacket and stuck to his signature vest. He said few words other than the standard pleasantries, and there was maybe a combined total of 30 seconds of silence between the songs all night.

Gore, who started the night playing a keyboard, then switched to the guitar. The large “M” screen behind the band turned blood red as the first notes of “Walking In My Shoes,” from 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion, rang out. The song had a harder rock feel, and Gahan’s flamboyant performance was fitting, akin to James Brown and Prince. Then, on “It’s No Good,” from 1997’s Ultra, Gahan ran and danced around both sides of the stage. Perhaps because of all the cardio, his vocals were the slightest bit pitchy here, especially in the odd minor notes peppered within the melody.

Depeche Mode performs at SAP Center in San Jose on March 25, 2023.

The band then went into a moodier segment. Gahan’s dancing was particularly dramatic during “Sister of Night” (Ultra) and “In Your Room” (Songs of Faith and Devotion). But by the time Gore, Gahan and co. got around to “Everything Counts,” from 1983’s Construction Time Again, the energy of the roughly 19,000 at SAP Center (it was a sold-out show) noticeably increased. A lengthy buildup included Gahan stalking the stage and a catwalk that extended outward into the crowd, though the band didn’t use it much other than at the start of the encore. A fun sign language interpretation of the song by a white-gloved, mime figure played in the video behind the band, while fans loudly accompanied the chorus, “Everything counts in large amounts…”

The band moved to more downtempo grooves with “Precious,” from 2005’s Playing the Angel, and Memento Mori song “Speak to Me.” The crowd gave a much more boisterous reaction to 1986 hit “Question of Lust,” off Black Celebration. Here, Gahan left the stage and Gore sang lead, again backed by the crowd. Gore’s voice was strong and indistinguishable from the recording, on which he sang decades earlier. Gore then launched into a melancholy rendition of new song “Soul With Me.”

Overall, Depeche Mode covered five of the songs from the new album, including single “Ghosts Again,” and saving the biggest hits for the end of the show, including fan favorites like “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Never Let Me Down.” “Enjoy the Silence” closed the main set, and “Personal Jesus” brought things to a boiling point in the encore. The set list was identical to the tour opener in Sacramento two days earlier, and the band performed like it was in mid-tour form.

Kelly Lee Owens performs at SAP Center in San Jose on March 25, 2023.

Opener Kelly Lee Owens performed solo, presenting a riveting 30-minute set of electronica. The Welsh-born singer, songwriter and producer hit the stage hooded, wearing an orangish-red shirt and matching floor-length skirt. Flanked with synthesizers and other gear, she kicked off with an instrumental cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi.”

Most of the rest of her set came from her 2019 album, Inner Song. “Re-Wild,” was hauntingly clear and amplified with effects. Her curly black hair shook to the beat from track to track, along with her animated movements. She arranged the songs, with included “Lucid,” from her 2017 self-titled debut album, in real-time. Kelly Lee Owens also dedicated “Jeanette” to her late grandmother, whom she called “Nana.”

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow photographer Steve Carlson at Instagram.com/SteveCarlsonSF and Twitter.com/SteveCarlsonSF.