Pleasant Party in Portugal

Entrance:
The entrance to the show is like all concerts at the MEO, which is well organised as usual, with a single queue leading to the pit and another queue leading to the stands. People organise themselves in an orderly manner without barriers to share the experience.

Place/seat and view:
It turns out that the concert hall was divided in two to make room for only half of the entire hall. I suppose there weren’t enough ticket sales to fill three-quarters of the hall. The seats are very comfortable in the stands. The concert hall is very clean and convenient, with refreshment stands located below the stands.

Opener:
The concert opens with aesthetics and perfection. They have been performing alongside Till Lindemann for several years now, a rather dynamic band with vocals reminiscent of Marilyn Manson.

Band:
Both bands were very energetic that night. Till Lindemann’s opening act is surprising, with unexpected music called Fat that dresses the dancers in uniforms that make them look much more voluptuous. Danny Lohner came down to interact with the audience in the front row several times, as did Till, who came down right after Platz eins to high-five the people in the front row. The girls performed their song to perfection.

Music:
In terms of music, the sound quality was pretty good. I’ve had experiences that were much worse than this one. If I had anything to say about the set list, I’d say that a few iconic songs are missing.

Favorite moment:
My favourite moment is when Till dances with the one of the dancers from The Sinderellas to the song Tanzlehrerin. This tender moment reminds us that Till can also be full of emotion and endearing.

Total experience:
Overall, the concert went very well. For me, the Portuguese crowd was quite pleasant. No one was pushing, there was no pogo dancing. Just headbanging, which is very enjoyable when you want to appreciate the show for what it is.

Morgana

Entrance:
I traveled by bus in a designated transportation just for the concert so I arrived early to the venue (at about 14h30 I was already there). At that time, there were probably around 10 people there and the venue staff hadn’t even arranged the grids for the queuing system yet – doors would open at 19h. When they finally decided to do that, they made us readjust our standing spot twice or thrice, until we were actually forming 2 lines. The few people on arrival (and in general, up until gates opened), even though I was already expecting it to be much calmer than a Rammstein concert queuing, gave us a general idea of what we would encounter, in what general attendance would concern (but I’ll get there).

Even though I was in the queue up until pretty much opening time, entrance was a bit different for me, as I, by some mysterious planet-alignment way, ended up being one of the lucky ones to win the Meet & Greet raffle for that concert, which made me and a friend I took with me, have to go to the guestlist counter to pick our wristbands at opening time and then go back to the same queue to enter the venue. Even at this point, everything went smoothly and fast. There were, I believe, three different entry points – one for standing tickets and two for seating ones – and everything was easy to find through the map the promoter had posted on social media, because, for early arrivers, nothing was completely set up at the time (and not at all for standing seats).

Place/seat and view:
My ticket was for the standing area and, with all the logistics, I still managed to get a good spot in second row on the right side, in front of Emily Ruvidich and Brynn Route. The spot wasn’t exactly a deliberate choice, we basically were looking for the people we met outside and they were the first we saw, but, still, I actually wanted to be able to have a good view of Brynn and her contortionist moves and pole dancing, so it ended up being perfect.

Returning from the Meet and Greet, in a backstage area, which was pretty much right after Aesthetic Perfection ended, I was able to go back to the same place  and ended at the frontline (thanks to the lovely people I met in line that secured us our spot).

Opener:
I knew Aesthetic Perfection as openers to Till Lindemann; that Constance Day and Joe Letz were part of the band before; the front man’s name and that he wears a funny hat and that was about it. I heard their playlist a few days before the concert and, to be honest, wasn’t much into Daniel Graves’s voice, but ended up being pleasantly surprised with the few songs I was able to enjoy in the back – they sounded good and had great energy on stage (the ponytails girl – I apologise for not knowing her name – looked like a lot of fun to watch). Wasn’t able to watch their entire show though, as the Meet & Greet happened during their set (sorry guys).

Band:
The venue changes in Spain and the constant spam with ads to the concert on social media, pretty much until concert day, predicted that tickets did not sell so well. Which, unfortunately, ended up being confirmed.

Unfortunately, this was noticeable as soon as we entered and realised that the stage was set a bit more than halfway across the room, considerably reducing the capacity of what is our largest national performance venue.

On a personal note, I was left with the feeling that the promoter wanted to capitalise on the ‘Rammstein vocalist’ angle and the success of his concert at Evil Live, ultimately biting off more than they could chew. They could have chosen the room next door (Sala Tejo) – smaller, but which, in this context, would have been full – and eventually upgraded if necessary. Of course, this is just speculation from someone on the other side of event organisation, and there may have been other factors involved in the choice of venue, not to mention that Till Lindemann’s band obviously has a name and a show capable of filling MEO Arena, but unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

Despite this, they kept the venue, albeit with a different layout, I don’t know if this was due to the unavailability of changes or so that the band could have all their equipment. I must say that I was a little envious of our Spanish brothers who were treated to such an intimate concert at Razzmatazz (a once in a lifetime experience), but at the same time, I was happy to be able to see the show in all its glory.

And what a show it was! A true feast for the senses, without exception.

This was Till’s second solo visit to Portugal and also my second time seeing the band – the first and only time with the Meine Welt Tour. With Lindemann, they never crossed paths with our country. The previous concert at the Evil Live Festival (June this year), still on Zunge‘s red tour, surprisingly, in its uncensored version, left me curious about what would this invitation to Till Lindemann’s world bring us.

Although I avoided all online videos as much as possible, to try to absorb everything live for the first time, I had obviously already seen the new costumes beforehand and couldn’t help but notice how Meine Welt Till is 2022 and 2023 Rammstein Till’s teenager kid with an attitude; how there were Flake female-like suits worn by the dancers and even treadmills. Considering that in his solo project Till always seemed to make a point of keeping things separate (how many times have we seen the Till-Hammer appear solo or in Lindemann, for example?) and knowing his artistic side, which rarely leaves anything to chance (if ever), I wonder if there isn’t an intention of satire to the usual comments and comparisons with his work in the band.

But I digress. The band was as fun to watch as in last June, even though Till seemed a bit more off at times. I went to this concert with high levels of curiosity to check how The Sinderellas would come together in the whole Till circus, as well as Brynn’s contortionist and pole dancing and, thankfully, it did not disappoint!

The choreography fits perfectly with the music and adds a sensuality and uniqueness to the show that seems to tie the whole concept together in a perfect bow, delivering this visual gift to the audience. However (and I say this not in a negative way, just as an observation), particularly for those watching from the front rows, without the full view that a spot further back or in the balcony can provide, it can become overwhelming at times, as there are moments, such as in Platz eins, when there is so much happening on stage that it is difficult to know where to focus one’s attention.

I really enjoyed the female energy of the band. They all delivered a great energy in their own particular way.

Music:
Although there were some changes in the order and inclusion of new singles, the setlist did not bring us any major surprises compared to the Evil Live concert. This time, we saw Fat replace Zunge as opening song, which, honestly, I didn’t think would be a good swap, but it ended up working out well. The curtain falling with the words ‘Kill Till’ in Cyrillic, the lights, music and the smoke before it, created the right anticipation for the apotheosis of the first chords.

The debut of Und die Engel singen and Prostitution went a little more unnoticed for me, which was a shame, as I love Und die Engel singen passionately on the album. I had the same feeling when I heard them live as I sometimes have when I hear some albums for the first time – I need more listens.

As was the case at Evil Live, Ich hasse Kinder got good feedback, as did Praise Abort and Golden Shower (who can resist shouting in unison “give me, give me golden shower”?). This 40+ year old lady here hadn’t headbanged in months, and the trio Du hast kein Herz, Skills in Pills and Fish On made some damage once again (especially in the next day). Still worth every Voltaren rubbed.

Favorite moment:
Most definitely, Tanzlehrerin. The light beams – with a especial mention to when Till spits the water into it making a sparkling effect – and the beautiful and intimate dance between dancer Luisa and Till was mesmerizing.  And, of course, the Meet and Greet. Although very fast and, to be very honest, I felt Till was in a rush and in a lesser talkative and happier mood than he seemed in other days (might not look like it on stage at times, but he’s a person like the rest of us after all), it was nice being next to him (same with Krissy Kaminski, Emily and Brynn, who were lovely) and realising he does look much calmer and not as huge up close. And I appreciate him being sweet to ask if I didn’t want the photo signed I was forgetting to give him.

Total experience:
Although the front rows partied like we had a full house, the truth is that the general public (from what I saw in some online videos and when I looked at the crowd behind me in some moments, such as during Platz eins) seemed to be absorbing everything that was happening, often not returning the energy that came from the stage.

From what I noticed, there was a bit of everything: those who liked what they saw at Evil Live and wanted a more intimate second round, outside the context of a festival; Rammstein fans (lots of T-shirts in the audience, as expected) who went for Till; those who are fans of Till’s solo work and knew clearly what they were getting into; and, without any facts to back it up, just my theory, some people who, even though they like Rammstein, were curious because it was an 18+ concert. I’m a mix of them all. Whatever the reason that brought them there, this time, unlike Evil Live, no one can say they were surprised by the content.

To finish all up, as I got a bit carried away (so sorry), allow me to use a comment I read online a few days ago, of one of my fellow countrymen, on a review of the concert by one of our music outlets on social media, that I believe sums what we experienced last Monday pretty well: “a concert for the depraved to masturbate virtually”. That clearly was meant to be negative, but I took no offense to it, as I wholeheartedly agree. A Till Lindemann show is truly a “virtual masturbation”, where all the scenic context gives pleasure to those that experience it. It’s a circus that stirs all our senses, without exception— more pleasant to some than others, if we consider the smell of raw fish and cake eaten directly from a shirt, after the “shot” to the stomach I took from guitarist Emily (again, I pleasure, Emily) – and it will leave no one indifferent, even those who may not have left Meo Arena that night as satisfied as I and those around me were.

I just strongly hope the band isn’t thrown back by a more attentive than engaged audience and skips our country next time they drive by Europe, as we would love to have them back.