"Berlin, Berlin, we’re going to Berlin!" echoes from the car, which has begun the long journey from Wolfsburg to Berlin. The destination is the O2 Arena, which barely exists somewhere near the Kreuzberg district and is just waiting to welcome two overweight individuals, a crazy person, and a relatively calm drunkard. And quite strangely, I was also part of the group. Normally, I categorize the band Rammstein in the category of "bands that are way too expensive for me and therefore I will probably never see live" and would thus skillfully avoid any of their concerts. However, since my companions decided to give this poor soul a little something because I "absolutely had to be there," it happened that I also found my place among the fan ranks of the Berlin band. Right between my travel companions Ecki, Makram, and (Vomit-)Olli.
So here we are, right in the middle of Berlin's traffic. Confusing road directions, people and cars everywhere, dreary surroundings, and of course, no clue where we are actually supposed to go. The noise in the background wasn’t particularly helpful either. Unfortunately, it was "Deathstar," who were supposed to be the opening act. On record, they sounded a bit like Rammstein. For the poor. From Sweden... but still in English. Quickly, the sound system was turned off, a new beer (Oettinger, delicious!) was opened, and off we went.
Finally, we stood in the middle of the hall. After all the stress at the cloakroom and in the restroom, we could finally relax and wait for the concert to begin. During the waiting, several conversations arose between us and other visitors, who first approached me (since they were HSV fans) (St. Pauli shirts are something special!). There was plenty of discussion material, even if it was all less serious. But even the best conversations come to an end, and now it was time: Deathstar took the stage! Hopefully, they are a bit better live than on CD...
The first impression is oppressive. About as oppressive as the clothing worn by the musicians of "Deathstar." Anyone who doesn’t immediately think of the words "leather and latex" at this sight must have quite a bit of experience in the BDSM scene to be that desensitized. That must hurt quite a bit in the crotch! At least that’s how the second singer sounds, who also plays the bass. He seems to be new to the club of pain lovers. Additionally, there are four more similarly styled figures, each found at the drums, microphone, and two guitars.
The sound and singing of the band were pleasant to the ear and were a whole different world than what we perceived on record. Especially the singer deserved a special mention because his voice was not only strikingly distinctive but also his performance. His appearance was a mix of Tokio Hotel and Marilyn Manson, paired with some deliberately placed homoerotic movements and dances. Through the darkness on stage and the violet colors, it was almost creepy! However, the voice was fully convincing. It wasn’t screaming or yelling, but rather a blend that could best be placed somewhere between Rammstein and Marilyn Manson again. It sounded somehow "cool." Unfortunately, I find it quite difficult to provide a more precise description, as you simply have to hear something like that. The riffs were all quite similar, but that neither bothered nor stood out significantly. It sounded fat, for sure! Since parallels to Rammstein were also recognizable here, they were referred to all day as "The Rammsteins from the North." It’s just a pity that they could only convince live. It was also strange that the band stopped playing after about 45 minutes and left the stage. Oddly enough, to my knowledge, the bands my colleagues have seen at the last concerts played much longer than the ones here today. I’m not too bothered by it; I’m curious about what the upcoming Berliners have in store for me...
The beginning is already promising: From "behind," the musicians came and made their way through the crowd with torches and strange clothing to the center of the hall, where usually all the electronics and sound equipment are stored. A kind of metallic bridge slowly descended from the ceiling and stopped about 2 meters above the heads of the audience to allow the Rammstein members a way to the stage. The six rockers trudged forward at a slow pace. Barely had Rammstein secured a cozy spot on stage when they kicked off with the title "Sonne." Hot! Flames and fire erupted from the ground and encircled the singer Till, who sang the lyrics in an officer's posture (hands clasped behind his back) and with an almost eerie calm. The keyboardist had it less comfortable, as he was almost busy walking on a treadmill throughout the concert while pressing the keys. Was that intentional? I don’t think so. It must have been a construction error... or a cruel joke by the guitarists and the bassist, who had it quite cozy and just stood around.
The show continued tirelessly. "Tirelessly" is quite accurate, as there were no real speeches from the band. Ecki thought he shouldn’t be "talked at because he preferred to listen to music," but I still find it nice when there’s some kind of contact with the band. Anyone who has seen smaller bands play live will know what I mean.
I was also preoccupied with the question of whether I was at a concert or a stage show. It really exploded and banged with almost every song. Be it fire fountains, fireworks, foam cannons, moving stage elements (e.g., huge ventilation systems that were lowered), inflatable boats in the middle of the audience, or small to large flamethrowers: there was a bit of everything on offer, and not in short supply! Even the instruments eventually caught fire and were played right in the middle of the stage before being disposed of. They even offered burning and fire-breathing angel wings that the singer wore during the last song "Engel," thus ushering in a worthy conclusion. Awesome action!
Instrumentally, it was also quite powerful: the hard and dull style of the band came across beautifully live and was played true to the CD originals, without any major experiments. This naturally created a great atmosphere. There were flailing idiots, wild headbanging, and all the other rocker movements that occur at large concerts. It was just a pity that there wasn’t any pogo in the classic sense. There was some shoving and pushing, but I did miss the classic "punk rock pogo," with the crazy people in the middle and the non-dancers around them. That was somewhat unfortunate, but I was anyway more focused on what was happening on stage.
Phew, what an evening! It was really something different from the concerts I’ve attended so far. A truly spectacular and unique performance! Especially considering that I didn’t even have to pay the full price. However, for those who enjoy fire, well-staged (fiery) stage shows, and strangely dressed people, and are also willing to pay a bit more, a visit to Rammstein is definitely worth it.
I probably won’t dare a second visit, as it would otherwise get too expensive for me. Besides, I particularly enjoy going to concerts because I like the music, want to dance, and want to beat out every feeling from my body. But it was still pretty cool to see a "larger band" of a different kind live.
In that sense: Oettinger cheers and hot greetings!