Preaching to the Crowd

The Zenith in Munich proved to be an interesting venue, starting off with the fact that it simply doesn’t look like you’re at the right place when Google Maps tells you you’ve reached your destination. It presents itself as an old warehouse – industrial, run-down and pretty inconspicuous. If not for the big crowd already waiting in line in front of the venue, one could have almost began looking in other nearby streets for something more arena-like. Originally built as a railway hall in 1918, the Zenith is being used as an event venue since 1997, and it is under monument protection today. With a capacity of 5.880 people, it is not one of the biggest venues of the tour. It is certainly an interesting one though, as it lacks any kind of seating and therefore the entire audience stands level, making it feel more vast than it actually is.

As we only arrived in the afternoon that day, the queue was already very long, so we knew front row probably wasn’t an option this time around. Upon entering the venue, it became clear that the pit was divided by a wavebreaker and you’d have to join another quickly forming queue at the barrier gates to receive a white bracelet that granted entry into the part of the pit right in front of the stage. Seeing the amount of people already inside, we decided to go all the way to the back of the front pit and enjoy the comfort of more space and a barrier to lean against.

The time flew by and it was time for the opening acts. As always, Phantom Vision brought out the stripey pants, the sunglasses, the fairy lights, and of course the stage antics. With their entertaining energy, they got the crowd ready to pay attention and in the mood for an evening of good, moving music.

After Phantom Vision, we excitedly awaited Aesthetic Perfection as always, and when their once again German intro started sounding through the venue (which was actually voiced by drummer Mike Schopf by the way!), the loud cheering made it clear that the crowd was just as ready as us to give them a warm welcome. Standing further back does nothing to hinder the band’s amazing energy from reaching you and making you jump. And scream. We gave it our all to make the band feel the good energy from the crowd and motivate the people around us to join in. Their set ended way too soon, but that also meant that it was almost time for the main act of the evening!

At this point, a drawback to our standing spot at the wavebreaker became apparent. While there was more space close to the barrier, it was also the preferred way for people to use when trying to get in and out from the crowd. That meant people constantly wanted to walk past us and especially me, and I had to stop my dancing and jumping to let them through, which became progressively more annoying throughout the show. Nevertheless, the mood was great and the lights finally dimmed.

It has got to be said that – at least to me – the sound further back actually seemed a lot better than way up front. Now, that doesn’t mean a place in the back would be preferable to a place in front row, but it is very nice to get a more clear sound. The instruments and the singing seem to blend together a lot more when being so close to the speakers. Unsurprisingly, this meant that all the songs hit like fully loaded trucks. In Zunge, Emily Ruvidich‘s guitar melodies came across beautifully. Many people have mentioned how the song is elevated by this extra guitar and it cannot be understated.

Schweiss, Fat, and Altes Fleisch form a trio that is almost too groovy and at the same time heavy to be allowed. Especially the verses in Schweiss and Altes Fleisch have a groove to them that just makes you want to dance, to then hit you with a chorus that makes you bang your head or just jump off the ground.

The passionate singing along to Tanzlehrerin got brashly interrupted as Till unexpectedly began singing the last chorus a tick too late. This resulted in him being quite out of sync with Jes Paige‘s guitar until regaining the rhythm just in time for the last “ach ist das schön” to end the song. It made us both chuckle and feel slight discomfort at the same time, but it wouldn’t be Till without moments like this.

Another quite funny scene played out during Platz Eins, when Danny Lohner suddenly appeared sporting a white and gold pope hat that had previously been spotted on someone in the audience. Turns out you don’t have to travel to Rome to get an audience with the Pope – an old railway hall in Munich will do just as well, and with an epic bass solo to boot. Danny the Pope was preaching to the crowd from his ego riser and the crowd loved it.