Alan Wilder shocked Depeche Mode fans around the world tonight, joining his former band onstage for the first time in 16 years to accompany Martin Gore on piano during a performance of “Somebody†at a Teenage Cancer Trust charity concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
We’ve got several different videos of the brief reunion posted below — one of them is actually a two parter, strung together — as well as clips of several other songs from the Royal Albert Hall show, plus the full setlist. (See video after the jump.)
Wilder explains the reunion on his official site:
“Dave (Gahan) contacted me a few weeks back and asked if I’d be willing to join them on-stage. He assured me that everyone in the band was into the idea. I was very happy to accept, especially as it was all in a good cause and we were long overdue some kind of reunion of this sort. It was great to see everyone again and catch up a bit, and it was also the first time I have actually ’seen’ Depeche Mode perform!â€
Be sure to visit the link for all the details. This is so cool. I wonder if it will lead to any future collaborations with Wilder? We can only hope. I also found this official soundcheck video in glorious 1080p on YouTube thanks to Helen Sventitsky for sharing this.