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This year's South By Southwest featured some of the greatest musical performances in the history of the festival. In case you think I'm exaggerating, I'm here to say I'm not, I assure you. From Prince closing the festival with a lengthy show that featured so many encores and so many hits it would've made my head spin, to Justin Timberlake's "surprise" performance, the legends were everywhere in Austin, Texas.

For those of us who weren't fortunate enough to have a front-row seat to these SXSW 2013 shows, I thought I'd hit a few highlights from some of my favorite bands of all time.

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode is, without question, one of my favorite bands of all time, so I was eager for any and all information about their March 15, 2013, set at SXSW. I wasn't disappointed. Thank you, YouTube, because I'm thrilled to say there are several decent fan-uploaded videos circulating of the band's 45-minute SXSW set, including this one:

2013 SXSW Depeche Mode Personal Jesus

Yes, that is the one and only David Gahan, swiveling his hips and offering up his best as the South By Southwest crowd goes nuts for "Personal Jesus." Depeche sounds perfect. The harmonies are there, the driving, sexy beat...just all of it. For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be industry types, thankfully we can get an idea of the quality of the show thanks to reviews and the videos. In short: Depeche Mode tore up the Brazos Theater.

In case you're interested (and if you're a fellow fan, you probably are): Depeche Mode did perform several new cuts from their upcoming album, Delta Machine, including "Should Be Higher," "Heaven" and "Soothe My Soul."

I'm totally down with the new tunes, but I must admit that I was more excited to see the performances of the older hits, including my favorite Depeche Mode song ever, "Enjoy the Silence." The band closed out their South By Southwest set with this song, and the enthusiastic audience was more than happy to join in. Seriously, check out this video of Depeche's "Enjoy the Silence" and tell me that you're not getting pumped up for the tour and the new album!

2013 SXSW Depeche Mode Enjoy The Silence 

David Gahan, I love you. Depeche Mode, by the way, did announce a North American leg to their tour recently, with most tickets going on sale early next month. Despite my love of this band since high school, I've never seen them live. Let's hope 2013 is finally my year.

All the information about Depeche Mode's tour dates, including both North American and worldwide dates, can be found on the band's official website. Things kick off in the states in Detroit, Michigan, on August 22, 2013.

Green Day

I'm happy to say that Billie Joe Armstrong is alive and well, having just completed a stint in rehab. The band ripped through a stellar set at South By Southwest's music festival on March 15, thrilling the crowds with several older hits and some newer music. The lengthy setlist included "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Jesus of Suburbia" and "Stay the Night," among others.



One report indicates that yes, Billie Joe Armstrong looked and sounded great, feeding off of the incredible energy from the boisterous crowd. He was described as "focused and playful," which is why I think he's one of the best live musicians around. I'm thrilled that Armstrong is OK and apparently back and better than ever.

The Smashing Pumpkins

I'm not sure how all of these SXSW attendees managed to keep their wits about them, with so many awesome heavyweight musicians and bands performing in such a short period of time. When The Smashing Pumpkins were added to the South By Southwest lineup, I remember thinking there was just no way it was possible to have that many huge bands playing in the span of a few days. Austin: You did things right.

The Smashing Pumpkins ripped through a great set at the Red Bull Sound Select: 120 Hours stage, playing for two hours. The setlist from Billy Corgan and company included "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Tonight, Tonight," a cover of Bowie's "Space Oddity" and "Ava Adore." Here's a little taste of the show: "Starla." You're welcome.

Smashing Pumpkins - Starla (Live at SXSW 2013)

My sincere thanks to everyone lucky enough to be at this year's SXSW and who took the time to shoot some videos for those of us who couldn't be there.

Photos courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter and EW.com