Lifting London Spirits

Entrance:
I entered by the SE (South East) Entrance, which is on the left hand side of the building. I arrived there at about 5:20. I did make a bit of an embarrassing faux pas: Usually at this venue, the side doorway that opens straight into the foyer for the SE entrance marks the start of the queue, and the back of the queue goes down the side of the venue towards the rear. For this event, this wasn’t the case. Cue some embarrassment when I got to the “back” and stood there, only to be told by the other people that it was, in fact, the front. Oh dear!

No harsh words and everyone was polite, although I did receive a few discerning stares as I did my walk of shame to the proper rear of the queue. Ah well! The vibes were good and the atmosphere was friendly as more people joined the queue, and I spoke to fellow Rammstein fans – many of them who had only seen Rammstein one time and this was their first Till Lindemann concert. As I recall, the doors opened at just about 18:15 and we were soon in, with little delay or fuss encountered. A smooth and pain free experience.

Place:
After having a quick look at the merch, but not purchasing anything (the newer shirts really are a tight fit, which is a bit embarrassing for a large chap such as myself) I made my way into the floor standing area. And waited. I noted that the rear of the arena, which also normally has seats, was curtained off: a reminder that this wasn’t a sold out event. I conversed with many fans, some who had come from abroad for this gig, as they managed to get tickets for Wembley but the shows closer to them had sold out in silly time. I was at a reasonably close position to the stage, and I was satisfied with this. I liked seeing some fans in older tour shirts, including from the LIFAD tour in early 2010, the first and only time Rammstein played this venue and which also served as my 4th time seeing them. Ah, memories!

Opener:
After what felt like quite a while (probably because so many of us had got in early on this work evening, so the wait felt longer), it was time for Aesthetic Perfection. Just as the last time they supported Till here back in December 2023, my main takeaway from this act is that the singer Daniel Graves‘s stage craft is very much Manson-esque with his poses, facial movements, singing style, and in how he is getting the crowd going. Indeed, he kind of resembles Mr. Manson in many ways, albeit wearing a bucket hat. (Coincidentally, that icon himself is due to play this very venue on Friday, for which I shall be in attendance for). Whilst their music isn’t really for me as such, the band is successful in warming up the audience for the main act, they bring energy, good vibes, and enthusiasm, and they go down well with the majority of those watching them. A most suitable starter for the main course.

Band:
Once Aesthetic Perfection are done, it’s the wait for the man that we have all come to see. Till’s band seems to be playing well and locked in, even at this still early stage of the tour. This being my one and only date seeing them, I cannot compare it to past performances. Reading some of the blogs for the other dates I sensed that others felt the band still had to have time to get together. But tonight, I didn’t sense this at all: they seem to be a cohesive whole.

The line up has seen some changes since the summer, with the new additions of Kristin Kaminski on bass and Brynn Route on keyboards. Danny Lohner is now on guitar duties alongside Emily Ruvidich, and Joe Letz still on drums. All musicians are highly proficient for each instrument, for me the standout members are Kaminski with her excellent bass skills and Joe Letz being the usual total monster on drums as he always is. Together as one band they were incredibly tight and rocked fiercely throughout the night. And, of course, Herr Lindemann himself on top form throughout the evening, enjoying every moment and interacting with the front rows with his trademark humour as we have always come to expect from him in recent years.

Music:
The set list was strong, and taking on a few newer numbers that were included into the Zunge 2025 edition (Prostitution and Und die Engel singen). I did note that during a few occasions the sound got slightly muddled on a few numbers (I forget which songs these were), but otherwise it was mostly clear and loud throughout, giving an extremely powerful performance. It does seem to take the crowd a short while to bring some energy, but this finally emerges during Golden Shower when a mosh pits opens up and this remains throughout most of the rest of the performance. However, there is clearly a lot of love shown from the audience to Till, and this is endearing. I personally have no complaints regards the set list choice, and it’s brilliant hearing my very favourites such as Altes Fleisch and Sport Frei, as they pack such a powerful punch. But really, the entire set list itself does this. It’s all brilliant!

Favorite moment:
There were many new additions to this tour which I thought were fantastic. I loved the performance with the dancer in Tanzlehrerin, Till really getting into the moment! Seeing him in the disco ball for Platz eins, and the stage lights and the bass solo with Kaminski on the rising platform was awe inspiring. The overall stage production was also impressive, with the dancers adding an extra touch at various times throughout the songs.

Overall, for me this whole production is a massive step up from the 2023 show and I preferred the new outfits and overall tone. The set list was strong, with some of the newer songs. But my absolutely favourite moment was during Blut. When Till goes into the chorus, water comes down from the ceiling, like rain. With the red stage lights and the backing screen showing Till in some bloody contortion, the effect is supposed to resemble that of blood falling into the audience. But really, for me, it didn’t have grotesque connotations of any type: it really was beautiful seeing and feeling the light rain poor down during that chorus and hitting the audience. Stunning! Simple, yet oh so effective. Now, when I listen to that song it’s something I will always associate it with, this night.

Total experience:
A fantastic night in the presence of this icon and his brilliant band. I loved the changes and the aesthetics behind the Meine Welt Tour and the changes since last time in production, personnel line up, and costumes (I never was that keen on the previous red outfits) were in my opinion, all for the better and personally fitted my tastes more. What could improve it? The audience at times was a bit slow to get into it and show their appreciation, but this soon changed. But that’s a minor point, because really in all ways Till once again gave us a show and production that lifted everyone’s spirits on this dull and grey Tuesday evening, and we all left afterwards feeling the better for it. It was a brilliant evening and I can’t wait for him to return to our shores again very soon. Thanks, Till! Icon.

8/10