June 18th, 1988-- Pasadena, California --75,000 people pack the Rose Bowl, for the one-hundred-and-first show of the band's latest world tour. The Depeche Mode band has scored eight top ten albums in eight years in the UK unaccompanied. Their last nineteen singles have gone top twenty. The famous filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker has just completed a main documentary on them. The band is Depeche Mode.

The Rose Bowl concert date was a long way from the days in 1980 when Depeche Mode was a completely unknown band supporting Fad Gadget at the Bridge House pub in East London.

In February, 1981, Depeche Mode -- then composed of Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher, Martin Gore and Vince Clarke (now of Erasure) -- free their first single, "Dreaming Of Me." It made figure one on the UK self-governing chart and No. 54 on the UK national chart. Depeche Mode released their next single in June, 1981. It shot straight to the top of the UK self-governing chart and made No. 11 in the national chart, putting them resolutely on the map.

The third single for the Depeche Mode, and the third Vince Clarke composition, established Depeche Mode as the most sought-after band on the scene and Vince as a main song writing talent. At this vital stage in the group's career, Vince left the group due to rising tour commitments, preferring the studio environment. The first LP, Speak And Spell, released in October, 1981, hit the UK Top Ten album charts.

Since the configuration of the band, Martin Core had written a steady stream of fine songs, the evidence of which can be found on Speak and Spell. After Vince Clarke's departure, the three residual Modes went into the studio to record a song ("See You") written by Martin. Released as a single in January 1982, "See You" not only reaches No. 6 on the UK nationwide chart but was critically acclaimed as Depeche Mode's finest work yet. Alan Wilder replaced Vince on keyboards, and Depeche Mode played their primary major UK tour culminating in two sold out nights at London's Hammersmith Odeon.