Music
A Band Without a No. 1 Hit Is Outselling Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran
- Formed in 1980, Depeche Mode playing to more people than ever
- Synth-pop group takes cue from Grateful Dead on fan connection
An old New Wave rock band that’s never released a No. 1 song in the U.S. is selling more concert tickets than the biggest pop stars in the world.
Depeche Mode, the British synth-pop group formed in 1980, is having one of the most remarkable tours in modern music and its most-successful concert run ever. The band sold 1.27 million tickets through the first nine months of 2017, more than Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber or Bruno Mars -- much younger pop acts at the peak of their fame.