Cake to the Ear

This is Pnzr’s report from Katowice:

The Spodek (“Saucer”) is an iconic venue for Polish Rammstein fans. With a capacity of 8,000 during concerts, it was Rammstein’s go-to venue in Poland, where the band played four concerts from 1997 to 2009. It was hard to imagine even just a few years ago that Till Lindemann‘s solo concert would gather a sufficient audience to fill the hall. However, it did, especially because the previous incarnation of Till’s solo endeavours, backed by Peter Tägtgren’s band Pain, omitted Poland from their 2020 tour schedule, to the disappointment of many fans who were forced to go to Prague (like myself) and other cities abroad to witness the show.

Till’s fans, eager to get the top spots in the front row, waited in blistering cold wind and minus temperatures since early morning. It was a real challenge to queue in such conditions, so congratulations to everyone who endured. The crowd gathered more and more around 17:00, an hour before the doors opened at 18:00. Something went wrong shortly after that when it comes to the organization, as not every gate was opened at 18:00, and for whatever reason, the organizers decided to wait another 30 minutes before the other gates were opened, which was heartbreaking for the fans who had been waiting since the morning.

After getting the right bracelet and a short sprint to the pit, the almost 2-hour-long wait began until the start of the concert. It’s worth noting that it was very cold in the venue itself despite being crowded, and the dimmed red lights on the stage created a somewhat sleepy atmosphere until the support bands started to play.

Phantom Vision was the first band to enter the stage at 20:00, a relatively unknown band to most of the audience judging from the comments of the concertgoers. Their mix of gothic rock and darkwave got most of the crowd going, and the band received a warm welcome from the Polish audience.

Aesthetic Perfection succeeded in warming up the audience even more before Till’s concert. The band took the Polish audience by storm with their short but captivating set. You could hear comments about how awesome this band is live. It’s hard not to draw parallels between this band serving a similar role as Combichrist, who supported Rammstein in Spodek back in 2009. Through that, they got to introduce their industrial/electronic music to a broader audience.

Side note: the lights on the support acts were literally blinding the audience in the first few rows, and I wished that I was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Trying to watch the concerts with your eyes squinted for almost an hour, and trying to cover your eyes with your hand isn’t one of the things that should happen at a concert.

As the lights dimmed around 21:15 and the anticipation in the air reached a fever pitch, the iconic Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, played host to a night that will be etched into the memories of the lucky attendees. Till Lindemann and his band took center stage for a solo performance that transcended everyone’s expectations.

Till and his entourage emerged onto the stage all dressed in red leather and latex. Lindemann, clad in his concert opening signature cap and carpet-like jacket, was a commanding presence that immediately seized the attention of every soul in the venue, especially since everyone was there for him. The energy in the air was electric, and it was evident that Lindemann and his band were here to deliver a performance that almost nobody in the audience had seen before. With the first sounds of the opening song Zunge, the band received a loud round of applause. It was clear that the band did not expect such an audience and a warm welcome. I must note that the extra guitar harmonies in the song’s chorus (absent from the album version) played by Emily Ruvidich lifted the song to another level. After the song ended, Till welcomed the Polish crowd by shouting out loud “Katowice, kurwa!” and the crowd went wild.

The setlist was a carefully curated journey through Lindemann’s solo discography, featuring tracks not only from his albums made with Peter Tägtgren, Skills in Pills and F & M, but also his newest and first “real” solo offering, Zunge. Each song was a sonic onslaught, accompanied by a visual feast of dazzling lights and intense visuals on the giant screen behind the band that complemented the themes of Lindemann’s music and lyrics.

The Polish crowd did not disappoint. The audience was constantly singing along to the songs, headbanging, and having fun for the duration of the band’s set. At times, it was even rowdier than at this year’s Rammstein concert in July!

One of the standout moments of the night was undoubtedly Allesfresser, a song that took on a new life in the live setting due to the infamous cake throwing by the band. Some people in the front row (myself included) came prepared with raincoats, but that didn’t prevent Constance Antoinette Day nor Jes Paige from throwing the cakes at them. On the contrary, four out of the total of ten cakes thrown from the stage landed on the people with the capes. The cake onslaught was successful after all, as the cake found its way not only to my hair, but also to my ear. So remember, don’t try to cover yourself from the things the band throws at you; it will only make things worse! On the other hand, the capes were helpful to stay dry during the opening of Blut, where water is being poured from the stage onto the audience.

During Platz Eins, Till was being carried through the audience led by keyboarder Constance to the delight of the fans in the back, who had a chance to be closer to the man of the evening. Meanwhile, his band brought the party to the main stage with colorful blinking glasses and overall engagement with the front rows. Guitarist Emily seemed to have genuine fun on the stage for the whole concert and frequently came to the right side to rock out with the audience, as well as Danny Lohner who took the spotlight during his bass solo towards the end of the song, giving time for Constance and Till to come back to the stage.

Till Lindemann’s live band shone the whole night. You just couldn’t take your eyes off Constance, constantly teasing the audience, making faces at them, or when she was dancing on her pole (did you know she’s a trained ballet dancer?), playing her keyboards, and headbanging to the songs. You could catch Jes with a big grin on her face when she was pacing around the stage and rocking out to the songs with the audience. Joe Letz (dressed as Sandy Beaches) on the drums is always a joy to watch live; he knows how to put on a show and play powerfully at the same time.

The musicians are really second to none and they know how to pull off a live show; the band plays tight, the songs are played very well, and it’s wonderful to watch such a strong band live. The backing vocals from Emily, Jes, and Danny were also noticeable, it seemed that they really enjoyed doing them. Till’s vocal shape was also great as he carried through the night effortlessly. While the Lindemann live band from 2020 did a fine job since most of them are seasoned musicians with years of live stage experience, the current Till Lindemann’s live band is on another level, surpassing the previous one in every way.

Fish on, another song infamous for fish-throwing during live performances, saw Till not only tossing fish from the bowl but also introducing his newest toy, the fish cannon, which delivered fish to the audience further away. A friend of mine in the front row failed to catch any fish Till threw towards her, so he decided to throw the fish straight from the bowl. Thankfully, he chose not to pour fish water on her, but she mentioned smelling like fish for the entire evening, even after taking two showers after the concert. Her “Evil German” Rammstein hoodie smelled more like a “Evil German Fisherman” after the performance.

What the band members completely didn’t expect was that the Polish audience threw the fish back at the band after catching them. They were forced to dodge the fish thrown back at them from the audience. While Constance was loading the fish cannon, she got a fish thrown at her leg which led to her visible outrage, another testament to how wild the audience in Poland can be. At the end of the song, Till did something unexpected – he grabbed one of the fishes in his teeth and wiggled it like Gollum in a crazy, headbanging move before dropping into into the audience.

Lindemann’s stage presence was as magnetic as usual. His interactions with the audience were a perfect blend of intensity and intimacy. The moments when Till looked people in the audience in the eye while singing, or when he stretched his arm out during the bridge of Ich hasse Kinder, where the fans could almost touch him, will stay with them for a long time.

As the final words of Skills in Pills (“I have a last one, and I say goodbye, Katowice…”) reverberated through Spodek, Lindemann and his band bid farewell to the ecstatic crowd by taking a bow at the top of the stage, leaving the crowd dumbfounded. It was clear that the audience wasn’t ready for such an abrupt end. Many people thought that they will play another encore, but Home Sweet Home playing from the PA speakers and the technicians that began to dismantle the stage equipment put that hope to rest. The echoes of the concert lingered in the air, a testament to the mark left by Till Lindemann’s solo performance in Katowice.

It was more than a concert; it was a visceral experience that transcended the boundaries of music, leaving an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to be a part of this unforgettable night. Let’s hope it wasn’t the first and the last one in Poland.