The tour takes its name from the title of DEPECHE MODE's forthcoming album EXCITER, due out May 15 on Mute/Reprise. The journey launches June 15 in Montreal, Canada; reaches the United States June 19 in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a summer-long run of arenas and sheds; touches down overseas August 28 in Tallin, Estonia; and concludes October 30 in Istanbul, Turkey. This marks DEPECHE MODE's first concert tour since 1998's "The Singles Tour," where they played to over 1,000,000 fans in 18 countries.

Testifying to the vitality and growing popularity of DEPECHE MODE, the tour will bring the pioneering band, who've sold over 50 million albums, to such countries as Ukraine and Turkey for the first time. Says GORE: "We consider it our good fortune that our concert itinerary has expanded. Performing in front of new fans for the first time is an added bonus and inspires us to keep pushing forward creatively."

"EXCITER TOUR" will again feature the innovative stage design of their longtime artistic collaborator Anton Corbijn. "Always weird, very Anton" is how GAHAN describes the unique visual element that Anton--who's photographed and created classic videos for the band--brings to their stage show. "Anton is someone who doesn't merely listen to our music, he gets inside of it and interprets it in a way that always surprises us."

From their 10 studio albums, DEPECHE MODE started with a list of 100 potential songs to perform, "narrowing it down to 25," reveals FLETCHER. Classic DEPECHE MODE songs will mingle with various songs from EXCITER, which signals a new era of creativity for the band. Working for the first time with producer Mark Bell (best known for producing Bjork's Homogenic and Selmasongs), they've come up with an album where the sounds (electronic and acoustic) are strikingly varied, the songs are emotionally rich, and GAHAN's vocals are even more resonant than before. Which songs from EXCITER will make the set list? "We're actually wrestling with that decision right now," says FLETCHER.

For the upcoming dates, DEPECHE MODE are welcoming the return of the musicians who accompanied them on their last tour: Christian Eigner (drums), Peter Gordino (keyboards), and Janet Ramus and Jordan Bailey (backing vocals).

Meanwhile, the release of "Dream On" to radio will be followed shortly thereafter by the debut of the Stephane Sednaoui-directed video, shot in February in the desert near Barstow, California. Expect a video that will be as mysterious as the song itself, which contrasts skittering beats with acoustic guitars and lyrics like "It sucked you in, it dragged you down/To where there is no hallowed ground/Where holiness is never found." Fans anticipating EXCITER have been logging into the band's website (www.depechemode.com) to hear 30-second snippets of various songs from the album.