Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal – 26 June 2023
«I was happy I didn’t have to go through this», writes our guest reporter C. from @wasichliebe about the entry for Rammstein’s show in Lisbon, Portugal. While the show was great, the entry was pretty much a disaster to the point where lives were in danger.
By KidArctica, C. from @wasichliebe (Guest Reporter), Daniela (Guest Reporter), Anna (Guest Photographer)
Estádio da Luz, or officially Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, was opened in October 2003. The well-known football club Benfica had needed a more modern venue, and furthermore, Portugal was to host the UEFA Euro 2004, which meant that they needed multiple huge stadiums. This new Estádio da Luz replaced the original one with the same name, which had a massive 120.000 seats. Even though the new venue ‘only’ has a seating capacity of around 65.000 people, it is still one of the biggest capacity stadiums in Europe.
The stadium is nicknamed “A Catedral” (The Cathedral) by Benfica supporters. In English, it is called “Stadium of Light” which could be considered slightly misleading. Luz does actually not refer to the word light, but to the neighbourhood in which the stadium is built, Luz, which is located about eight kilometres north of the city centre of Lisbon.
Not that many concerts have been held at Estádio da Luz. In 2007, ‘Official Declaration Ceremony of the New 7 Wonders of the World 2007’ was hosted there, with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Chaka Khan, and Jose Carreras. Ed Sheeran had two concerts there in 2019. This year, it was Rammstein’s turn , and next year, Taylor Swift will fill the stadium with music fans rather than football fans.
As Rammstein’s Lisbon show was another one that our blog crew did not attend, guest reporter C. from @wasichliebe was kind enough to provide us with a report also from this show, this time with a little help from a friend, Daniela.
After Madrid came Lisbon. After the seat, the Feuerzone. Madrid really surprised me in a positive way, which made me very curious about Lisbon.
It was already very, very warm in Spain, but even higher temperatures were forecast for Portugal. As I had already struggled with the heat before, I decided not to queue and to stand further back in the Feuerzone. Said and done. Squeezed into a far too crowded subway and arrived at the stadium at around 7 pm. Unfortunately, the stadium is a bit difficult to reach on foot as it is surrounded by an expressway. So I drove back one subway station and then followed the mass of Rammstein fans. Crossed a bridge and then through the turnstile.
At an inconspicuous little table in the back corner you should then get the wristband for the Feuerzone. If I hadn’t asked beforehand, I would definitely have walked past it. Once I walked through the whole interior, I discovered a merch stand there. In the middle of the interior. I’ve never seen it like that before.
Once in the Feuerzone, I positioned myself further back, to the left, to the side of the stage. A short time later, my friends came to greet me and told me the horror stories of the entrance. I was shocked, and I’m glad they were all okay afterwards. Lisbon, you can do better! People were put in danger here!
My friend Daniela has the following to report:
Even in the early morning hours, you could already meet with other fans, patiently waiting to be let in, chatting, having fun, and also sleeping of course.
The organisation of the whole event by local security was much less nice, on the other hand. Whoever you asked about anything, the answer was “I don’t know.”, even after the entrance had already started.
But to start from the beginning, the initial information was that doors of the stadium side would be opened at 1 pm, so fans could already go to the next set of barriers. This would have been a blessing because there was shade there, but 1 pm came and went, and with it the information that the doors would open at 2 pm. After that, the still patiently waiting crowd was told the main gates would open at 6 pm, the initial time of the entrance.
All of a sudden, around 5:30 pm, they opened about 1 metre of the 7 metre entrance gates and let people in. Because of the small space, a lot of people were pushed forward by the approximately 400 people in the waiting line, into the gates where they were crushed with little space to get out and into the stadium grounds.
After that, a small run over a bridge, where security stopped the approaching fans to wait another 30 minutes. A rope was brought out to avoid running and pushing through, which in thought was a good idea, but with about a 30 metre length of fans and only 4 security guards, it was doomed to fail from the start.
When the official “Go!” sounded, everything happened at once. People in the back pushed forward so hard that people in the front tripped, and since there were only 5 gates to get through, the pressure was intense. Standing in the front, security and police tried to hold off the crowd to stop the pushing, but to no success. People were almost crushed, barriers fell over from the sheer pressure of being pushed forward, many people were starting to have panic attacks, and the rope was still entangled in the crowd, to the point where one fan was almost strangled by it. Security check didn’t really happen because staff members were literally overrun.
Finally inside, there were no waypoints or descriptions whatsoever, and the first lucky fans to arrive at the front gates to the Golden Circle (Feuerzone) were told they wouldn’t get in without a bracelet. After asking where they were handed out, the by now familiar answer was “I don’t know.”
So the already beat, crushed, and hurting lucky ones in the front had to run back to the main entrance point, were a small table was standing at the wall, with two staff members checking tickets and handing out bracelets. By this point, the table and staff was already swarmed and almost crushed into the wall by the at this point desperate and increasingly aggressive crowd. When lucky enough to get a bracelet quickly, a run through the entire stadium and towards the front row was necessary, only to see security guards down in the pit giving out bracelets as well, despite denying having any earlier.
To say the entire organisation and handling of the crowd was poor is a grim understatement. It felt (and for some people it was) life threatening, fans arrived in front of the stage bruised and in tears, questions of any kind were left unanswered because apparently no information was given to the security staff.
Shocking, right? I was happy that I didn’t have to go through this.
The stadium slowly started to fill up. I was able to move forward a bit and had a very good view of the stage. At 8:30 pm, Abélard started. As in Madrid before, they were greeted very warmly by the audience. After the two pianists left the stage, it was fortunately not long before Rammstein entered the stage.
At 9:30 pm, Music for the Royal Fireworks played and the Rammstein logo appeared on the big screen. It was already quite dark at the beginning of the concert in Lisbon, so that all the effects came into their own much better. Till Lindemann took the elevator down, his mouth was glowing, and the crowd started to cheer. As soon as the rest of the band members entered the stage, you couldn’t stop the crowd – understandably. It’s been 14 years since Rammstein played in Portugal!
Rammlied sounded and the crowd gave everything! Despite the heat! It was just so warm there. I’m just not made for these temperatures. Links 2-3-4 and Bestrafe mich followed. I think I already mentioned how excited I am for the latter song to be included this year. FANTASTIC!
After Giftig, Mein Herz Brennt and Puppe, finally came Angst. Till always had difficulties with the lyrics at previous concerts. But as in Madrid before, he was also confident with the lyrics this time in Lisbon. The song was very well received by the audience. There was clapping, singing, and headbanging, as it should be.
Then the first sounds of Zeit were heard. This song had an incredible effect on the audience. Except for the last verse, Till sang the song flawlessly.
Richard Kruspe then took the elevator up and performed his Deutschland RMX while the other band members danced on stage as stick figures. This part of the show is either hated or loved by many fans. I really like it! However, in my opinion, Deutschland could still be removed from the set list. I personally like the song better on CD than live. Till changed one verse again to “Man kann dich lieben und uns nicht hassen” (One can love you, and not hate us).
The next songs were played as usual. During Du hast and Sonne the whole audience gave more than 100%! The mood was great. The band left the stage and re-entered the B-Stage to perform Engel. After that, the band sailed their boats across the audience to the main stage. Christoph Schneider was given a Portugal flag on the way, which was then allowed to decorate the stage for a while.
Ausländer and Du riechst so gut followed. The last one is among my favourites. How can you not sing along to the song? Impossible!
The concert was slowly approaching the end. Ohne dich made me cry (again) when Till repeated changing one verse to “Ohne dich kann ich nicht sein, ohne euch!” (I can’t be without you [singular], without you [plural]).
After that I was looking forward to one of my absolute favorite songs – Rammstein. This song is unbeatable live. Although I would still wish that Till would wear the burning coat again. But this wish will probably remain unfulfilled.
Ich will and Adieu completed the setlist. In the latter, Till changed a verse to “Am Ende bist du ganz allein, keiner wird bei dir sein” (In the end you are all alone, no one will be with you). Which made me cry again.
The audience did their best to say goodbye to the whole band before they entered the elevator. Another concert came to an end. I had a lot of fun and I am already looking forward to the concert in Padova.
Finally, a few moments from Lisbon:
Schneider made a heart with his hands during the Puppe cam, and also during the post-Sonne bow. During Zeit, someone had blown up a condom and threw it towards the stage, but it never reached the actual stage before it was punctured. Paul and Richard both circled in place during the Mein Teil intro. Till played with the stage hand like he has done before, both by stepping on the pot lid to prevent him from getting it, and also by at some point, when the stage hand was setting up the microphone and cleaning Till’s foot rest, Till started ‘grabbing’ him. After the cannon, Till’s microphone was stuck for two lines, and Till had to bend down to sing into it. Paul pretended to be ‘pushed back’ by the audience’s loud singing during Du hast. Till headbutted the stage during the intro to Sonne. During Du riechst so gut, Till was up by Flake Lorenz‘s keyboard, humped him a bit, and then rested on him during the actual freeze. Afterwards, he made fun of him by walking next to him while Flake was walking on his treadmill.
26.06.2023
- Rammlied
- Links 2-3-4
- Bestrafe mich
- Giftig
- Sehnsucht
- Mein Herz Brennt
- Puppe
- Angst
- Zeit
- Deutschland RMX
- Deutschland
- Radio
- Mein Teil
- Du hast
- Sonne
- Engel
(Piano version with Abélard) - Ausländer
- Du riechst so gut
- Ohne dich
- Rammstein
- Ich will
- Adieu
KidArctica is a RammWiki editor who has been part of the website for years, working in the background with edits and content. Fun Fact: C. has appeared in several of the photos of fans that Rammstein have posted in their social media this year.
We also had a lot of chaos on the tiers. When we reached our seat we were told by a security guy that the seats were unmarked and people could sit where they want. It was chaos- people fighting for seats and the security just shrugging away from any responsibility. We flew in for the show from South Africa, you can imagine our frustration and disappointment when we could not get our seats. We ended up standing on the stairs. A woman standing behind us (also without her seat) fell down the stairs during the show and got hurt.
But, having said that, we had a great time. The fans around us were responsive and sang along beautifully. We missed finer details on stage because we were far from the stage, but we got an lovely overall view. We will definitely fly in again for the next tour.
Hi there,
I am so ‘happy’ and surprised i just saw what you snet concerning the Lisbon concert of Rammstein as you hardly see anyting concerning the lack of arganisation there was !
I hardly post anything but what I experienced at the Rammstein gig in Lisbon was unbelievable
(and with all due respect, I’m 57 and have been going to concerts for over 40 years… )
I’ve been following Rammstein live since their performance in Belgium on 28/11/1997… even when my kids were little, i’ve been taking them to Rammstein concerts. . Since my kids grew up, we don’t do summer hollidays anymore, we try to combine a city trip with a Rammstein performance, so we have been able to see them in Barcelona, Prague, Lille, Helsinki … (of course together with their performances in Belgium in Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Leuven, Graspop Dessel, Rock Werchter … )
Rammstein played a very good performance in Lisbon, the boys seemed to be looking forward to it + the first aid people and security in front of the stage did everything they could to assist the fans and provide them with water or evacuate them if they became unwell due to the heat ( good job guys ! )
But for the rest of the so-called ‘security’ and the lack of organization I have nothing good to say !
Last year we were lucky enough to get tickets for the FIREZONE in Lisbon through LIFAD Germany (for me, my wife and my 2 adult children)
We have recently experienced the thrill and exitement of the FIREZONE experience , so we try to get as close to the stage as possible. That is why we arrived early on the day of the performance (+- 8:15 am)… there were about 35 people in front of us and we waited from +- 8:15 am to +-6:00 pm in about +- 34° Celsius at the entrance gates.
In the course of the day more and more ‘fans’ arrived who were not honest and didn’t take it that seriously and so to speak looked for a shady spot and then lined up nicely in the first rows several hours later (in front of fans who had been waiting in the heat for several hours )
So let’s say that at 06:00pm there were +- 80 – 100 people before us
Behind the gate stood 3 or 4 ‘security’ who did nothing and who, in the shade of a parasol and enjoying a cold drink, smiling, enjoyed observing the rising tensions between the waiting fans.
When a German fan asked when they planned to open the entrance gates, an answer came like ‘ we and only we will decide on that … maybe at 6 pm, maybe later )
A little before 6:00 pm, hundreds of people had gathered in front of the entrance gates, so that the gates could no longer be opened normally … the gate was therefore opened ajar so that 3 or 4 people next to each other could squeeze through the opening
This was followed by a stampede to a kind of courtyard / assembly area where some security were standing with a tensioned rope behind which the masses had to wait… so we stood next to each other with 75 to 100 people and before us 6 to 7 gates were made for us with nadar fences where we had to be searched. Instructions were shouted (only in Portuguese)… luckily a few Portuguese fans wanted to translate
The ladies had to use the 2 gates on the far left, as a female security was standing there, the men had to take the other entrance gates
I said that this was going to cause problems as the crowd was going to mix and cross each other while running on their way to a correct gate
Obviously there was some pushing and pulling behind the tensioned rope and suddenly a few who had taken place on the corner could ‘escape’ and started to run toward the first control point, after which the crowd set in motion … I was able to reach a gate (5 people in front of me) and was checked (then I would lost sight of my wife and daughter and would only see them again after midnight)
They didn’t want to send me a message on my gsm regarding what had happend to them because i would have been too upset
Later that evening ( after the concert past midnight ) I heard from my daughter and wife that they were carried away by the crowd. My daughter tried in vain to get into one of the two left gates for women, but the crowd pushed her into the third gate (for men only ) … a security agent told her to continue queuing (he saw the crowd that had to go through this bottleneck, just too many people arrived in too small an area) … in the middle of the ‘waiting line’ my daughter recieved orders from nother securty agent to leave the line because she was in the wrong line … my daughter explained in English that she was unable to to reach the left gates and that the crowd had pushed her into this gate and that the people behind her were pusing and she could not get out of the waiting line. The security then pushed her on the chest to force her backwards (which fails due to the pushing people behind her). The security was annoyed and pushed a second time, this time on her head and since this has no effect my daughter is DRAGGED OUT OF THE ROW BY HER HAIR AND PUSHED HARD AGAINST A WALL. There were girls/women crying in complete panic watching it … My daughter was filmed crying by Portuguese TV
I was not aware of what was going on on the left and was in an entrance gate to the far right for the control … when I passed the first control I heard a noise and looked back … to my left some gates had given way due to the crowd … the fences were pushed over, people were lying underneath, women were crying, young people were calling for help under the fallen fences … I looked for my wife and daughter but could not find them … I could not help anybody because the crowd pushed me further into the courtyard of the stadium (I immediately had to think of the Heysel disaster in Belgium in the 1980s)
The riot police intervened with the shield at the ready to push back the crowds to free the people from under the fallen fences…
I saw my son in the distance and together we ran down the steps from the grandstands to the standing areas and the FIREZONE. Once we arrived at the FIREZONE we are stopped by some ‘security guard ‘ and we are denied access as we cannot show a FIREZONE bracelet
(NO ONE GOT IT BECAUSE NO ONE HAD GIVEN ENTRY BRACELETS !)
We had to go back to the starting point to get a FIREZONE access bracelet … when we got there it was of course total chaos… when we finally got hold of a FIREZONE access braclet it was impossible for us to get into the front rows of the FIREZONE anymore …
You have been waiting from 08:15 to 18:00 in the heat and in the evening you have to settle for a place in the 5 th – 6 th row in the fire zone BECAUSE OF A TOTAL LACK OF ORGANIZATION ! (in all that pushing and pulling, 2 of the t-shirts I bought in advance for my wife and children have also been snatched from under my arms)
It was a great performanceby Rammstein but with a bitter aftertaste… as my daughter later said ‘security should make you feel safe but I have never felt so unsafe at a performance as now’
When I see how the Lisbon concert was ‘organized’ as opposed to the Helsinki concert where everyone, security and fans and organization were disciplined and organized, I really don’t know if I will ever buy tickets for Rammstein gigs in the south again, and think I rather only try to buy tickets for Belgium and the Scandinavian countries
Strangely enough I hardly read anything on social media about this total lack of organization in Lisbon (and again 99% of the domestic and foreign fans + the people who were responsible for the security in front of the stage were great … there were just some security people feeling powerful and not being organised / prepared for what was coming … If you treat fans waiting in the heat as animals for hours, don’t be surprised you can not controle the masses lateron anymore
The German and Swiss fans who kept me company the whole day and night were stunned, NO ONE had ever seen anything like it (and it could have ended a lot worse)