In 1988, moody synth pop band Depeche Mode had managed the remarkable feat of becoming a major draw in the United States without the benefit of mainstream radio play or more than token exposure on MTV, and as the band was gearing up for a show at Pasadena's Rose Bowl they were being followed by a camera crew led by famed documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker. At the same time, Pennebaker's associates were focusing on a group of Depeche Mode fans, who, after winning a contest to see their heroes, traveled by bus to California as they debated the finer points of the band's music and dealt with the daily minutia of their lives. Depeche Mode: 101 cross-cuts the daily adventures of the group and their fans, climaxing with the band's Rose Bowl concert.


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