Rammstein on stage at the LG Arena in Birmingham, UK
So let's start with Rammstein! I know you've heard some of their music because your parents listen to them. They're Jay's favorite band. This was his seventh time seeing them live, and my first. I had some idea what to expect. I'd seen videos of them... and I'd been to big rock concerts before. There is no feeling in the world like being at a rock concert. And when it's a band as big as Rammstein you can guarantee it's going to be pretty epic. Before the show started I was nervous about having floor tickets. I hadn't been on the floor for a concert in years. But once the band began playing, once the crowd of fans pushed forward and organized havoc started... well, quite simply, it was RAD!
I knew from Jay that they would put on a good show and that they liked on stage theatrics, but boy howdy! I was feet from the stage when the show started. The band members emerged from the middle of the crowd as a platform lowered from the ceiling of the arena, setting off the crowd and causing a buzz in the room I could feel in my skin. They marched on to the platform one by one, over the heads of much of the audience, including Jay and me. They were stone faced and quiet while everyone cheered and chanted. When they finally took their places everyone was in a frenzy and the first note struck caused a crush from the crowd as hoards of people pushed forward to get closer to the stage (Jay and I had to wrap our arms around each other so we didn't get separated). Rammstein certainly didn't disappoint their fans. The music was so big and so loud I could feel every kick from the double bass drums thumping a manic rhythm that made me feel quite like I was having the most gleefully thrilling heart attack of my life.
These guys are probably the last of a dying breed: Rock Stars
Hoo-boy! do they love to put on a show.
I didn't know many song lyrics because, when they're all in German... but every time I looked over at Jay he was singing along (or at least it looked like it because, to be honest, it was so loud in there I couldn't even hear myself when I shouted). I knew some choruses to songs like "Du Hast" or "Amerika," but mostly I spent the entire time jumping up and down, head-banging and shouting "WOOOOOO!!!!" whenever something cool happened on stage.
Speaking of cool things on stage... HOLY MOLEY do they like FIRE! They shot giant fireballs twenty feet or more over the audience. I swear I almost got a sunburn from all the fire they used! They weren't just your standard flame throwers either. They loved every kind of flame thrower you can imagine, including one that they strapped to their faces like a mask! Fire would go shooting out over the audience while they sang in to what I can only assume are some very flame retardant mics... can you imagine how hot that would be!? It was crazy! I loved it! I have a feeling they would love spending 4th of July with us in Costa Mesa, and would probably make the best bonfires down at Balboa ;)
You need really strong deodorant and a pyrotechnics license to play with these.
It wasn't just the fare that made it all so spectacular. Their set felt like you were inside the dismembered organs of a monstrous space ship and they looked like futuristic cyber-punk pirates. I definitely recommend seeing them... *ahem* when you're both older, of course. Actually I think you'd both like just about any rock concert really. Trust me, you'll love being at a big concert like this one, with a wall of sound hammering your senses, tens of thousand of people chanting and screaming song lyrics, the excitement of watching musicians who seemingly have the power to hypnotize with their thrashing, adrenaline fueled anthems... It's one of the best feelings in the world!
And the rest has to be continued...
Love you both!
~Auntie~
There is no way I would allow those monsters to ever go to a Rammstein concert. I let them listen to them because they can't understand what they're saying. If they spoke German I'd have to listen to them when the kids weren't around. Thankfully they don't, though there are some songs I have to skip. Too many English words so you get an idea of what they're singing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to experience one of their concerts. They really are an amazing live band. If you came home a few weeks earlier you could see them again at the Staples Center. And holy crap! I bet the people watching was almost as amazing as the concert itself. =)
Couldn't do much people watching from the floor. we were crammed in there pretty tight. It was hard to see anyting but the stage. But I had a similarly epic experience at the Muse concerts I've been to as well, that's why I recommend doing that sort of thing. Nothing like it! Actually, now that I think about it, I was surprised at the age range. I swear I saw some kids about Avery's age there, maybe even younger, and also some people in their fifties, sixties and seventies... i was kinda shocked.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Rammstein in the US, but i get the feeling more people in the UK would be singing along. I definitely heard a lot of people speaking German as we were walking out. Plus there's the added bonus of seeing them in Birmingham, the birthplace of heavy metal. Pretty sure that was on my bucket-list.. see a metal concert there. Still think the best venue for a big concert is Wembley Stadium, though not many bands could sell that place out.