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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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 Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 12:51 pm
This is a review of the concert and After Party by me. If you want to skip the concert review and see the after party, jump below the Mistakes list.
For me, the whole experience started when I joined the line for the pit. There was already 50 people there waiting when I showed up at noon, seven hours before the concert doors opened! I joined Anne at the front, but the bracelets were numbered so there wouldn't be any cutting in line, so no one cared if I stayed up near her. As the people who waited started to talk, you could feel a buzz of excitement around you. No one was in a bad mood even though the wind kept kicking up dirt in our eyes and the sun burned us, it didn't wipe the smiles off any of our faces as we waited.
During my time in the line I made friends with many of the others fans, even a special kind of friend you only meet once in a lifetime in Florence, a French woman who has been to many of the Rammstein concerts. Her and I both expressed love for Paul and decide we would be in the pit next to each other near Paul for the show. The security guard in front of us was very nice and chatted with us, and a family of fans that surrounded us were very sweet Russian fans. The father, standing behind us as the pit filled in, which came in handy when the crowd started to push, he would push them off of us. Very sweet man that took a beating that night to protect the girls in the front!
After waiting, suddenly the music started up and CombiChrist entered the stage. I had not even heard of them until they started opening for Rammstein during last year and I surprised myself by knowing almost all the lyrics to set they played. I do not remember the exact order, but they played 'Get your Body Beat', 'Trail of Blood', 'Throat Full of Glass', and two others I didn't know. If it wasn't for the bass being cranked up the full volume, I could probably remember better. Joe, the fantastic drummer, was as amazing as usual. His antics of pouring water on the drums, kicking them over, and tossing out drum sticks to the waiting audience kept everyone's eyes glued to him for a good portion of the set. Andy, the lead singer, looked like he was having a ton of fun running around stage and smiling as creepy as possible at the audience. It was a shame about the bass being up too loud, but other than that, their portion was surprisingly entertaining! So much so that when I came home from NY, I bought a VFIM pass to their show in my city so I can see them perform a whole set. They are worth getting the venues early to watch. Even if you aren't a fan, there is a certain energy they bring that just makes it good. Well worth the time to see them!
When CombiChrist had finished, complete with Joe smashing his drum kit, the set was cleared. The stadium, which at this point only the pit was filled, started to finally look like a real concert. Everyone crowded in and you could easily tell when 9 o'clock hit. The whole crowd went insane! Screaming and chanting loudly. Not 30 seconds later, the beginning to 'Rammstein' started and the lights dimmed down. Paul and Richard smashed through a black wall to enter the stage just as flare in the middle of the stage started to carve out a doorway. Till kicked in the metal and walked on, waving his arms to get the crowd to cheer. After three times of getting everyone to scream, he finally approached the mic, the lights dimmed, then Rammleid started playing.
The concert felt like it went incredibly quick while being in the pit! The wait time between each song felt less than it did at Madison and the songs sounded crispier in the Izod, much to my surprise! Though, like with CombiChrist, the bass was up a bit too much and drowned out the vocals every once in awhile, but that didn't take away anything from the songs luckily!
The set list was the same as Madison Square and pretty much the same routine as Madison. But, unlike Madison Square, it seemed like the band was having a very good time with this concert! There seemed to be an energy about the band, which made even the mistakes of the night seem normal and just part of the good time they were having.
This is a basic rundown of each member.
Till was even making sounds as the explosions went off, playing with the audience by shaking his finger, or making faces at them if they didn't do what he wanted. He even added in a few English words to the songs just for the audience. It was a surprise to see him so happy on stage when he is usually very moody. Two of the parts I remember most were Keine Lust when he cursed after the first chorus saying '********' for humor and 'p***y' when on the canon he said “I have a d**k, see!” and patted the canon at the audience with a smile on his face.
Paul was all smiles during the concert as well, even when his flares didn't work for 'Du Riechst So Gut'. When they didn't go off, he just glanced at his arm, shrugged his shoulders, and made a face like he was trying very hard not to laugh. He then bounced back and forth a bit, playing off that his flares didn't work. Richard's luckily, were functional and he seemed to try really hard not to look over at Paul's.
Oliver was unusually shy this night though and stayed in the back more often than not. Usually he comes forward on a song or two. He did, but just for a minute and didn't seem to be into the audience as much as the others were. He did have a moment where he finally let loose a smile on stage when Paul said something to him.
Schneider seemed to be having fun as well, though from my angle it was hard to see him most of the time. The beats were perfect as usual from him and he really got into it during the beginning of 'Links 2 3 4'. You could tell he enjoyed himself, getting the crowd to march with him.
Richard finally went back to the spiky hair (YAY) and was very business like during this concert. I didn't have a great view of him from where I was and some of the time he was blocked by guards from my view. He seemed to be his usual self though and I did see a bit of his circling the mic that he has been doing when he gets bored. He also missed the beginning of 'Du Riechst So Gut '. He also made his way through the whole front line of fans in the pit to give them all high fives. It was fantastic to see him do the WHOLE line instead of just a portion like he usually does. It just shows his love for the city.
Flake was one that seemed to be doing his usual routine. His dance at Weißes Fleisch never fails to amuse me, though the crowd didn't seem to be as responsive as they usually are to it. During 'Ich Tu Dir Weh' the crowd DID cheer loudly for Flake getting out of the tub in his Ziggy Stardust suit! He did have a mishap in the boat though. When they went to get him out of the boat and onto the stage, there wasn't enough security on hand to hold both Flake AND the fan that had jumped in with him, so Flake ended up falling out and hitting his head. Till said Flake was ok though, but he certainly wasn't happy about that.
Mistakes
Du Riechst So Gut – Richard missed his queue for 'Der Wahnsinn' and Paul's Flares did not go off.
Haifisch – Flake was dropped from the boat.
Engel – Only half of the angel wings' flares worked.
After they had bowed out for the final time, a man approached Florence, the French woman who I became friends with and asked if she wanted to go to the after party. She said yes, and when he walked away, I gave her a huge hug and congratulated her. Paul had kept smiling and looking at her all night, so I was sure that was why. I had asked her if she would mind asking if I could get in, she said sure. She told the man I was her sister and he let me in the after party was well. We had to wait at the end of the venue for about twenty minutes until the fans cleared enough for guards to lead us to the after party. This is an important note for those that keep thinking Joe from CombiChrist chooses who gets in and who doesn't... he does NOT have any control over that. It is actually a manager for Rammstein that gets the final word.
In the after party, CombiChrist's Joe, Trevor, and their stage man Bobby was back there. Joe was fun to chat with and thanked me for showing up for the concert. He also gives very good hugs. I did not get to speak with Trevor past him saying that he supports me giving Joe a shark over a Unicorn, when I handed Joe my shark toy. Joe and I chatted for a bit about tattoos and he honestly likes Florida, which is where I am from. He even knew who I was from Twitter, which made me think he truly cares about his fans more than people think. After him, I chatted with Bobby for a bit. He is fun as well and I would've liked to have talked to him more but I didn't want to take up all his time.
Right when I parted ways with Bobby, Paul walked in. He went straight for Florence and gave her a hug. I didn't want to intrude, so I kept my distance waiting for Paul to open up from people so I could chat with him too. But, he dodged out of the room quickly. Florence told me to stay next to her for when he came back. I had asked her if she personally knew Paul at this point, and she apparently had been to many concerts over the years and has been back stage for a lot of them. She is also one of Paul's biggest fans, and he knows that so he always makes sure he gives her a hug for coming. Such a sweetheart of a man!
After a little while, Oliver shows up but is instantly surrounded by people. I felt it would be rude to join the group and stayed back. I could see from a distance he was uncomfortable with it. Just a few minutes after he showed, Schneider came in and sat down near him. They quickly started talking and laughing. Still, I thought it would be rude to go up and ask for anything while they chatted.
Till finally showed up with Paul in tow. They quickly joined in the party and started talking to fans. Till stayed near the doorway though and was texting away on his phone and was taking phone calls. They only thing that irked me about the girls was they followed him when he went to the bathroom on the phone. One of them came out and said he locked himself in a stall to finish his conversation, then he came back out when he was done. Paul, on the other hand was acting like a goof, and dancing, and giggling with everyone. Schneider and Ollie stayed in the corner for the most part, but Schneider got up and talked with Trevor from CombiChrist.
Florence finally convinced me after ten minutes that the Rammstein boys wouldn't think I was rude if I walked up and asked them something. She suggested I get my shark toy signed. She found someone with a pen and pushed me towards Till.
I waited until Till looked over at me before asking if he would sign the shark. He didn't think it would work, but he quickly took it and tried. He tried to scribble on it, but it wasn't working. He started laughing at it, and said something like, it would be easier to spear the shark than sign it. He then tried to spear the shark toy with the pen, but the pen broke when he did it. This made him and me laugh. I started singing a bit of 'Reise Reise' with the spearing of the fish, and he smiled at me for it. He handed the shark back, saying he was sorry. I told him it was ok.
He asked me what the shark was for, and I explained that since I couldn't go to the concerts, I was trying to hand it off to a friend who would take it on the tour for me, so the shark would go to all the concerts. I told him I take pictures of all the fans that wait for the concert, with the shark. He then said that I should get a picture with him and the shark too. I agreed. Florence, my life saver, pulled out her camera and took a picture of Till, the shark, and me. He pointed the shark at me and said something like the shark was attacking. I grabbed it and pointed it towards him and told him if it was going to attack, it better be pointed that way. He laughed. Him and I talked some more about the shark and that my ORIGINAL plan was to have someone dressed up as a shark, crowd surf during Haifisch, and chase Flake in the boat. Till then got a sour face and told me that Flake fell from the boat today. I was unable to see that because of my view from the pit. Till said “The stupid security. Flake fell and hit his head.” I asked if Flake was ok, he said he was, just not very happy.
Our conversation lasted about five minutes and during this time, two girls who were polished to a shine where trying to butt in and kept creeping closer to get between Till and I. Till, being the perceptive man that he is, had his hand on my back the whole time and kept maneuvering me in such a way that the girls couldn't get between us. I didn't even notice him doing it until it was pointed out to me later.
I could see that other people were gathering around and I didn't want to hog his time anymore, so I smiled at him and stepped aside to allow other people to get closer to him. I then held out my hand and said “Thank you so much, it was a pleasure meeting you.” Till grabbed my hand, and instead of shaking it, brought it to his lips and kissed it, then noticing I had fishnets over my hand, pulled me in a bit and stroked my cheek. He said “Happy to meet you too”, then something that sounded like 'sweetie' but I couldn't catch it because another girl started talking to him.
Florence hugged me and told me I was 'cute' with him and that she hadn't seen Till in that good of a mood in a LONG time. That, plus my meeting with him made me melt for the man even more. Florence then pushed me to talk to Schneider and Paul. With Schneider I merely asked for a photo with him, the shark toy, and myself. He agreed and smiled, but didn't seem to want to talk. He was also sitting down and was chatting with Ollie so I went to move away when Paul stepped between Schneider and I.
I asked Paul if he would mind having his photo taken with the shark and myself, he agreed with a smile, wrapped his arm around me and grabbed the shark. He kept playing with the shark, and giggling at it, it was by far one of the cutest sights I had seen in a long time. I also told him I was giving the shark to fans to take on tour so he should see it again. He said he'd like to see it again. I then told him the shark squeaks too, and he looked very confused. I then squeezed the shark so it squeaked. He jumped a little, then giggled. He grabbed it from my hand then attacked the back of Schneider's head with it, shoved it back into my hands and acted like I did it when Schneider turned around! That little prankster! Schneider looked at Paul and knew in a second it was him, and just laughed. Paul gave me a half-hug and thanked me for coming.
I had worked up the courage to ask Ollie if he would have his picture taken with me, but he declined. I smiled to let him know it was ok with me, and he nodded back, looking a bit relieved that I didn't cry I think. The man is very shy sometimes, so I knew he would most likely say no.
After all that, Till was being directed around the room by fans and Paul decided it was dance time. He showed off a few dance moves, smiling the whole time. I swear the man is full of joy. His moves make everyone in the room smile and laughing with him.
The party was soon over though, and within twenty minutes the room was cleared out. It was near two in the morning. I didn't see Till sneak out, but he was gone before Paul and Schneider. Ollie had left with one of the German crew members. Unfortunately, Richard and Flake did not show up to the party. Richard most likely because he wanted to spend his last night in NY with his girlfriend and Flake because he had an injury from the concert.
All in all, that was by far the best experience of my life. I couldn't have dreamed it better, and in all honesty, all of the Rammstein boys look much better in person than they do in pictures. Till looks deceptively small in person with his skinny jeans, black shirt and leather jacket. His eyes also light up, and the only way to put it is, like he is thinking something naughty. Paul is just as much fun as you would imagine him to be, and there is something about his smile that makes everyone around him smile too. Ollie is very cute in person and has amazing eyes that I have never seen expressed properly in photos. Schneider is all smiles as well and looks like the rock star he is in person. Richard, I was lucky enough to be at the bars when he passed by the pit, and the only way to say he is different from his pictures is to say his features are softer in person. In photos he looks like he has sharp features, but in person they are softer and fit together better. I'd say he looks more muscular in person too and just better.
Overall, the boys are much better looking in person than they are in photos. And that, is saying something.
Currently, I am awaiting the photos to be sent to me from Florence, who went to the concert in Montreal CA. Once I get them, I will add them to this report. I cannot wait to see my sunburned face next to the Rammboys. I'm sure at least they will look pretty.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 6:29 pm
I am so jealous that you got to meet all of the members after the show. I can only wish something like that will happen with me at the Chicago show on Tuesday - that is, if I am even able to go. gonk
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 11:15 pm
Im so jealous, I would have stayed around and hung out but I was ready to pass out, I had to get a ride from my friend home because I would have blacked out otherwise.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 4:43 pm
I was trying to talk as much as I could to the boys without being rude so I could report it back to everyone. I know how RARE it is to actually get back stage so I wanted an in depth report of how they actually are so everyone knows. Thank god they are sweet and nice guys. I was surprised with how willing Till was to just take abuse from the fans that night! He was dragged around that party by girls for most of it. Paul was bouncing around too much for anyone to get a hold of though.
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Herr Till Lindemann Captain
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 7:14 pm
KalteSonne Im so jealous, I would have stayed around and hung out but I was ready to pass out, I had to get a ride from my friend home because I would have blacked out otherwise.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:03 pm
omg luck <3 tell me how u did this that would be A-mazing just to even see one in person : O no idea how lucky you are would love to see the pics when you get em :3 thanks for sharing this.
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