Depeche Mode played to a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Nov. 22 performing 25 years of songs describing love, pain, sex and dancing.

The England-based band had their beginnings in 1981 with their light, peachy dance music, and later matured into dark, synth-pop and lyrics.

Depeche Mode recently released their 11th full-length recorded album, “Playing the Angel,” in October of this year. The band played songs from their 12-track disc along with several previous hits. Depeche Mode’s set list for their American tour has remained fairly static.

Purple, red and white lights showered the stage throughout the show, shining to the beat of the music.

The stage had a large black backdrop with the image of their album cover, an angel made of feathers. Three silver space-like rings were placed several feet apart from each other, and a large round “time-bomb” on the left of the stage hung from the rafters. The silver rings were the homes of keyboardists Andrew Fletcher, Martin Goreand touring keyboardist Pete Gordeno.

The large globe appeared to be a time bomb because numbers counted down rapidly as show neared an end.

The time bomb was attention grabbing. Throughout the concert, at the top of the sphere, crimson-colored capitalized words began to appear, such as love, pain, angel, sex and regret. At the center of the orb was a black window of white text running from left to right. Lyrics of the songs played that night appeared on the globe.

For first-time music fans, the concert was an integral part in enjoying the band’s music.

Arriving at the Staples Center and waiting for the doors to open seemed like an eternity.

Once the security crew approached the glass doors of the venue, fans raced to the front of six doors, waiting for their cue to enter.

Depeche Mode’s previous hits played and enticed fans who waited in line, making them sing and sway along.

Entering the center, taking my seat and then standing to catch a glimpse of some noise-makers was a whole other experience. It is almost like you have to pinch yourself to know it is for real.

Most of the audience members were dressed in black, however, some were also dressed in suits, ties and plain t-shirts and jeans. The demographic of the fans has changed over the years, along with the fans who were old and young who were seen dancing, singing along and clapping to the music.

Depeche Mode has an energy all its own that is sure to grab anyone’s attention. Gahan, the singer, hopping, running and dancing on stage made for a great performance. He appeared in a jacket and a black open vest, which was later taken off, exposing numerous tattoos and an impressive build considering he is well into his early 40s.

His command of the audience with clapping and singing was instantly contagious, as most everyone in the venue were throwing their hands in the air and voicing their approval.

The flamboyant Gore was no surprise with his black angel wings, glittery eyes and mouth and a black Mohawk-like beanie a fan of his made him in New York. He took turns at the keyboards, guitar and vocals. Fletcher was toned-done as always, keeping quiet behind his keyboard with his vibrant red hair and his thick-framed black glasses.

The highlights of the show were Depeche Mode’s performance of “Home,” “Everything Counts,” “Just Can’t Get Enough,” and “Behind the Wheel.”

Cynthia Ramos can be reached at cynthia.ramos.838@csun.edu.