The Day After

Entrance:
We had now set off for Budapest to experience the great Till Lindemann again. We were excited about the country, the people, and Till’s show.

Our journey went smoothly, the hotel was located on the opposite side of the beautifully illuminated MVM Dome.

A bit tired from the journey, we arrived at the venue just before the doors opened. We probably wouldn’t have been able to stand waiting much longer anyway, as it was incredibly cold.

The atmosphere here is completely different from what you’d expect at other concerts. Everyone lines up politely, no one pushes in, everyone waits patiently for their turn. Entry took a little longer for the ladies due to a shortage of staff, but we had plenty of time. We checked our coats, got our drinks, and headed to the front of the stage area—everything was very well organized.

Unfortunately, there were no Till Lindemann cups, only the venue’s own. It didn’t bother us, but it was too bad for those who have no other way to get them.

Place/seat and view:
Since we didn’t want to get wet and wanted to enjoy the show in peace, we chose the left side of the stage. There was still plenty of room in the first row, and we had a great view of the action, including the backstage entrance.

To our surprise, the entrance from the backstage area to the stage wasn’t blocked by any screens. The artists had to walk several meters “unprotected” to the stage steps, giving us a fantastic view, and we could wave to them.

We saw the people being picked up for the meet and greet and the ladies being brought onto the stage to watch.

Opener:
Daniel Graves and his band were energetic and gave their all for the crowd, some already knew Aesthetic Perfection and were delighted, while others struggled and were just waiting for Till. The eternal lot of a support band.

Band:
When Till came on stage with his band and dancers, the crowd went wild, shouts of “Lindemann!” echoed through the hall, and the excitement was palpable.

The crowd sang along perfectly to all the lyrics in flawless German; we were surprised. The show elements both fascinated and amused the audience. There was no crush; people could stand freely, move easily to the music, and there was plenty of space for everyone, with a great deal of consideration for one another.

When the rain started during Blut, the masses roared with laughter, and everyone had a blast with the cakes and fish.

When Till came out of the sphere and into the front row, he showed himself to be very fan-friendly. I was lucky enough to high-five him, he went through the row and even came back again to hold the microphone out to a screaming fan and encourage him to scream even louder.

Music:
The atmosphere on stage was good, although I had the impression that Till was a little exhausted or tired, he moved around the stage a little less than usual and made fewer jokes with the fans in the front rows.

Favorite moment:
My highlight was of course the handshake and the waving when he left the stage and went backstage.

Musically and vocally, I felt Du hast kein Herz was my favorite song of the performance.

Total experience:
It’s always a bit difficult to draw a conclusion and evaluate shows, as personal feelings on a given day have a big influence.

I would say the close encounter with Till definitely deserves 10/10, while the sound, vocals, and performance get a 7/10.

Daniel Ferenczy

This evening was a special one for me, seeing a TL concert for the first time in my home city, with good friends, and a special friend I met in Belgrade at the Rammstein concert 1,5 years ago, and finally we got to enjoy together a show again.

We arrived to the venue around 2 pm, the queuing was a bit harsh in the cold foggy humid Budapest winter, but whiskey helped us. We made some new friends in the queue.

We got 2nd and 3rd row in front of Emily Ruvidich.

My mom and my sister arrived later, to the seating area, marking my mom’s first concert experience in the “Rammstein-universe”.

Aesthetic Perfection received a warm welcome by the crowd, and as usual, they didn’t disappoint. Daniel Graves asked the recurring question: “How many of you know who we are? 1..2…60… Thats the most people on this tour so far!”

The crowd was screaming and chanting “LIN-DE-MANN!” while Till Lindemann was taking the stage with the monumental Fat, and he gifted us the good old Till-hammer at Und die Engel singen.

To my surprise, even the German songs were sung and screamed by a great amount of people in the crowd, mixed with clapping to the rhythm, loud ovation, and the “LIN-DE-MANN” chant returning several times between songs.

Last time in Nürnberg, I was sick, and took a raincoat for Blut, but this time I just appreciated the moment of heavy-rain, stomping guitars, and atmospheric lighting. Blut was one of the highlights of the night for more of us in the friend group.

The cake came in slices this time, and tasted like apples and lemons.

Entrance:
The MVM Dome looked really cool when I arrived there a little before doors. In the dark, it really stood out with moving lights and a big, digital banner announcing that Till Lindemann was playing there that night. Surprisingly, the lines outside were pretty short, and I worried if very few people would show up for the concert.

The entrance was pretty smooth, just a quick security check and a ticket check, and then I got my wristband for the front of the house. After a long bus ride and a pretty intense concert the night before in Kraków, I just chilled, and got some food and drink before concert start.

Place:
I picked a spot by the barrier at the extreme left where I had a nice and unobstructed (although very sharp angled) view. From this angle I could see Danny Lohner and Till pretty well. Occasionally, I got a glimpse of Krissy Kaminski, but the other three I didn’t see a lot. So towards the end of the show, I moved to the back where I had a nice view of the whole stage for the last songs.

Opener:
The venue was not very full when Aesthetic Perfection played, especially in the General Admission section. While the middle section of the Front of House was pretty packed, both sides had plenty of room. Still, the band got the crowd going – it’s impressive how they manage to do that again and again, no matter what they have in front of them.

Band:
Little by little, the venue filled up more and more. It was nice to see that by the time Till Lindemann band went on stage, the Front of House was quite full. Considering that they came straight from the DVD shoot in Kraków, the band must have been pretty exhausted – like me – but they were good at not showing it. I guess the energy level was down a notch from the previous night, but even at that level, the show is really impressive. The crowd was good and responsive, singing along and frequently chanting and cheering in between songs, which I am sure also fed the band energy.

Because of my view, I didn’t really see as much as usual, but one thing I caught that I hadn’t seen before, was that Till sat down on the stool Danny used during Tanzlehrerin. After swirling around on it, he toppled it over – in proper Till style.

Favorite moment:
Those who have read my previous blog entries know my “obsession” with Danny’s costume. Well, now that he has started taking his jacket off during the shows (which I still appreciate a lot!), I might just have found a new thing to obsess over…

This is the first time I have stood extreme left during a show, but this position had one huge advantage: During Platz eins, I had a perfect view of Danny, and damn, that man is certainly hiding the goodies! This song is the only one where he does not only play the keyboard, but the KEYTAR, and let me just say, that keytar is looking absolutely sick!

I find it downright outrageous that the vast majority of the audience is deprived of this killer look by hiding all the way at the corner of the stage. He needs his Patrick Swayze to come save him. Quoting Dirty Dancing: Nobody puts Baby in a corner. Well, nobody should put Danny in a corner, either!

So, my favourite moment was definitely getting to enjoy the view of Danny and the keytar, a view that should be made available to everyone, not just those on the far left. I think Danny should at the least parade across the stage before going to his corner, if he likes it so much over there. Perhaps he and Emily could swap places up on the back ledge at the start, so that they both cross the stage towards their regular spots? That would have the added benefit of giving the left side audience a great view of Emily, too – which would certainly not be a bad thing.

Total experience:
I feel like this was a show that suffered a little from being right after a really, really good one. Just like it was, and still is, difficult to measure up to the Barcelona concert, following Kraków is not easy, either!

The show was definitely solid, because the band is solid, and I am not sure they will ever do a bad show. That said, the total energy level was down a bit, although this could be me just as much as the band. So compared to the other concerts I have attended, I think maybe this was one of those I will remember the least. Still, I certainly enjoyed it, and I really like that I can do so regardless of where I am positioned in the venue. That’s a big strength for a show.

7.5/10