POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Depeche Mode Wisely Gets Back to Electro-Beat Basics

It was a night of improvements all around when Depeche Mode played the Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion on Saturday. They’re subtle improvements, but steps in the right direction for both the band and the venue, which is beginning its second season. In each case it’s a matter of efficiency--a streamlined, warmer presentation in one case, better traffic flow and parking in the other.

Having made a special effects-laden tour last fall, the English quartet is now stripped down to its electro-beat basics, such as they are. If singer David Gahan’s sexy gyrations are ever more incongruous alongside the band’s essentially cold sound, they’re also more human, as are the increased use of real guitar and--best yet--real drums! It’s not exactly the Rolling Stones, but every bit of warmth counts as progress.

Trying to be exactly like the Stones is sometimes the problem with second-billed Primal Scream. Formerly an intriguing mesh of Stonesy roots and psychedelic techno, the group has leaned heavily toward the former on its new album. But the show retained enough of the heady blend of rock, soul, gospel and techno-dance--and frontman Bobby Gillespie is evolving into a personable enough leader--that the band seems poised to forge a distinctive style from its identity crisis.

As for the amphitheater itself, the addition of a temporary extra freeway exit (a permanent one is scheduled for next year), a more thorough traffic management team and steps to reduce dust levels in the dirt parking lot are all signs of progress, though there were some traffic jams inside at the restrooms and food service windows.

The real test will come next month when the Eagles perform, inaugurating the facility’s new expanded capacity, doubled from 16,800 (the size for the Depeche show) to 35,000.