Rammstein + Deathstars, live
@ 02 Arena, Dublin, 27/02/12
(review and photos copyright Joe Donnelly)
Believe me I've waited a very longtime for my opportunity to see "Rammstein" live, and as the last week had a significant personal meaning to me this show couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. Yeah, I've heard all the fascist accusations levelled at the band and its never put me off, and that shite that all german acts sound like Hitler ranting, well 'Nena' didn't sound like Hitler did she? lol. 'Rammstein' are a marmite (you either love them or hate them) band who definitely don't conform to the norm , equal parts taboo performance art & outrage and definitely not for the easily offended. Their live sound is immense , Paul H Landers & Richard Z Kruspe provide the massive riffs that power their industrial electro soundwave which at times resembles a tank rolling (crap! I'm even doing it now ) over the audience, as for the bombastic vocals they're very misleading . 'Rammstein' are sick puppies with a very twisted provocative no limits tongue 'n' cheek sense of humour, which I like. Kerrang mag etc embrace the band as one of their own, but theres no way I would call "Rammstein" a heavy rock / metal band, jeez they even have east german left wing punk rock roots . Yeah! their music is big & bold and in your face ,and their shows are magnificent pyro packed ott theatrical spectaculars.
A 'Rammstein' live event is one of the wonders of the music world, all your senses are required & heightened, its an amazing audio / visual experience. There was so much heat being generated inside this venue that I honestly thought for a moment that we might leave with a tan, or at least a bad sunburn by the the time the show ended, and I'm confident my eyebrows will grow back again sooner or later lol.
I don't think I've ever witnessed a better stage show or will again in the future, I've seen "Kiss" strutting their stuff in full on mode , and they're the only band in my opinion that could come anywhere near to the onstage spectacle & excitement created during this surreal night in Dublin.
On with the show
I like the "Deathstars" they remind me of a glammy industrialised "Sisters of Mercy" , only not as great as the real thing . "Deathstars" did put on a pretty good show, even though they had a non existant light show which meant they were playing in near darkness most of the time and the songs unfortunately all sounded the same, though thats not always a bad thing. No "Cyanide" but the new tune 'Metal' was excellent. In the end "Deathstars" were repetitive & disappointing, but probably a lot better to see live in a much smaller venue than the O2.
Believe me I've waited a very longtime for my opportunity to see "Rammstein" live, and as the last week had a significant personal meaning to me this show couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. Yeah, I've heard all the fascist accusations levelled at the band and its never put me off, and that shite that all german acts sound like Hitler ranting, well 'Nena' didn't sound like Hitler did she? lol. 'Rammstein' are a marmite (you either love them or hate them) band who definitely don't conform to the norm , equal parts taboo performance art & outrage and definitely not for the easily offended. Their live sound is immense , Paul H Landers & Richard Z Kruspe provide the massive riffs that power their industrial electro soundwave which at times resembles a tank rolling (crap! I'm even doing it now ) over the audience, as for the bombastic vocals they're very misleading . 'Rammstein' are sick puppies with a very twisted provocative no limits tongue 'n' cheek sense of humour, which I like. Kerrang mag etc embrace the band as one of their own, but theres no way I would call "Rammstein" a heavy rock / metal band, jeez they even have east german left wing punk rock roots . Yeah! their music is big & bold and in your face ,and their shows are magnificent pyro packed ott theatrical spectaculars.
A 'Rammstein' live event is one of the wonders of the music world, all your senses are required & heightened, its an amazing audio / visual experience. There was so much heat being generated inside this venue that I honestly thought for a moment that we might leave with a tan, or at least a bad sunburn by the the time the show ended, and I'm confident my eyebrows will grow back again sooner or later lol.
I don't think I've ever witnessed a better stage show or will again in the future, I've seen "Kiss" strutting their stuff in full on mode , and they're the only band in my opinion that could come anywhere near to the onstage spectacle & excitement created during this surreal night in Dublin.
On with the show
I like the "Deathstars" they remind me of a glammy industrialised "Sisters of Mercy" , only not as great as the real thing . "Deathstars" did put on a pretty good show, even though they had a non existant light show which meant they were playing in near darkness most of the time and the songs unfortunately all sounded the same, though thats not always a bad thing. No "Cyanide" but the new tune 'Metal' was excellent. In the end "Deathstars" were repetitive & disappointing, but probably a lot better to see live in a much smaller venue than the O2.
_All of a sudden the lights went down and the bridge which was
suspended above us cranked into life, it began bellowing out huge puffs
of smoke & spitting fire and brimstone in rhythm to a thunderous
marching drumbeat. The teutonic flag waving torch lead procession to
the stage through the crowd certainly won't help 'Rammstein's' case in
the eyes of their detractors / non fans lol, but its a weird and very
effective intro.
Eins Zwei Drei Vier Fünf Sechs Sieben Acht Neun 'Aus'
'Sonne' was such a brilliant start to this show , the crowd went crazy as the very impressive circular lighting rigs lit up the dark stage in a myriad of vibrant colours. The setlist (see below) was excellent from start to finish and the unbelievable stage effects just kept coming, complementing each song perfectly without totally over-whelming it. We had pea soup clouds of smoke , sparks from the lighting gantry & a longbow , then there was regular fire, green fire & even more fire from the floor , the ceiling, mic stands , face masks , flame throwers , the band members arms and even a fake human heart.
"Mein Teil" was one of the shows many highlights ( in truth there was no lows) ,everyone was waiting on it and we all knew what was coming our way as the blood splattered cannibal chef "Til" came up the ramp pushing the oversized cooking pot with 'Flake' inside. Look who I'm having for dinner !!!,rare , medium or well done flame-throwered to perfection. "Flake" escaped in one piece and was soon running around the stage with his back alight. After that near death ordeal 'Flake' went for a spot of crowd surfing in his silver glam rock dinghy, he cruised above the sea of heads in the crowd for a while then managed to get back to the stage without fully capsizing.
The one tiny moan I have about this show came after the memorable sight of the "Buck Dich" Tranny S&M dog walking sevice going for a stroll, because unknown to us the band were actually making their way back across the bridge to a small platform to perform three songs. Due to the "O2" arena layout no-one in in the balcony other than the punters in the front few rows could see what was actually happening on the tiny stage below, but it didn't spoil the gig for the rest of us. After that intended distraction it was back to the now rejiggled main stage where it was business as usual as flames & sparks were ignited from Til's customised chrome 'Engel' wings, and there was still more to ahem! cum (quite literally).
Other bands are happy to shoot from the hip , so "Rammstein" push the boundaries of good taste and take it to the extreme with a motorised dick shooting an ocean of foamy toxic jizz all over the audience. What better crowd pleasing way was there to end this show other than a face-full of 'Til' lol. And yes! I know the "Stones" did the inflatable / confetti thing sometime in the late 70s, but this was way better and a hell of lot funnier than old Micks flaccid effort.
What an amazing show !! a reported 28 trucks of fun. If I never see another live gig after Monday nights perfect "Rammstein" performance in Dublin, I wouldn't be disappointed. The bar is set so high now, I doubt I'll ever attend another live show that will even come close to bettering it. Everyone should experience a "Rammstein" show at least once in their lives, you really don't know what a treat you're missing .
The question now is how do I get Belfasts best new band 'VX' up to those dizzy heights were 'Rammstein' reign supreme? .
"Goodnight Dublin", we love you!.
Joe Donnelly. Belfast. 29.2.12.
Eins Zwei Drei Vier Fünf Sechs Sieben Acht Neun 'Aus'
'Sonne' was such a brilliant start to this show , the crowd went crazy as the very impressive circular lighting rigs lit up the dark stage in a myriad of vibrant colours. The setlist (see below) was excellent from start to finish and the unbelievable stage effects just kept coming, complementing each song perfectly without totally over-whelming it. We had pea soup clouds of smoke , sparks from the lighting gantry & a longbow , then there was regular fire, green fire & even more fire from the floor , the ceiling, mic stands , face masks , flame throwers , the band members arms and even a fake human heart.
"Mein Teil" was one of the shows many highlights ( in truth there was no lows) ,everyone was waiting on it and we all knew what was coming our way as the blood splattered cannibal chef "Til" came up the ramp pushing the oversized cooking pot with 'Flake' inside. Look who I'm having for dinner !!!,rare , medium or well done flame-throwered to perfection. "Flake" escaped in one piece and was soon running around the stage with his back alight. After that near death ordeal 'Flake' went for a spot of crowd surfing in his silver glam rock dinghy, he cruised above the sea of heads in the crowd for a while then managed to get back to the stage without fully capsizing.
The one tiny moan I have about this show came after the memorable sight of the "Buck Dich" Tranny S&M dog walking sevice going for a stroll, because unknown to us the band were actually making their way back across the bridge to a small platform to perform three songs. Due to the "O2" arena layout no-one in in the balcony other than the punters in the front few rows could see what was actually happening on the tiny stage below, but it didn't spoil the gig for the rest of us. After that intended distraction it was back to the now rejiggled main stage where it was business as usual as flames & sparks were ignited from Til's customised chrome 'Engel' wings, and there was still more to ahem! cum (quite literally).
Other bands are happy to shoot from the hip , so "Rammstein" push the boundaries of good taste and take it to the extreme with a motorised dick shooting an ocean of foamy toxic jizz all over the audience. What better crowd pleasing way was there to end this show other than a face-full of 'Til' lol. And yes! I know the "Stones" did the inflatable / confetti thing sometime in the late 70s, but this was way better and a hell of lot funnier than old Micks flaccid effort.
What an amazing show !! a reported 28 trucks of fun. If I never see another live gig after Monday nights perfect "Rammstein" performance in Dublin, I wouldn't be disappointed. The bar is set so high now, I doubt I'll ever attend another live show that will even come close to bettering it. Everyone should experience a "Rammstein" show at least once in their lives, you really don't know what a treat you're missing .
The question now is how do I get Belfasts best new band 'VX' up to those dizzy heights were 'Rammstein' reign supreme? .
"Goodnight Dublin", we love you!.
Joe Donnelly. Belfast. 29.2.12.
Rammstein Setlist.
Procession / Bridge /Intro Sonne Wollt Ihr Das Bett in Flammen Keine Lust Sehnsucht Asche zu Asche Feuer Frei Mutter Mein Teil Du Riechst So Gut Links 2-3-4 Du Hast Haifisch Audience Platform Buck Dich Mann Gegen Mann Ohne Dich Ist Encores. Mein Herz Brennt Amerika Ich Will 2nd Encores. Engel Pussy |