Smiling Through the Gross

Entrance:
I arrived at the venue at about 14h30 and there were a few dozens of people there, mostly German-speaking, but also, French-speaking. One of the guys there approached me and gave me a number, explaining that when we reached 60 people we would organise and form lines, before the rest of the crowd started amounting (which didn’t really start happening until 1 hour or so before opening doors time). I was number 35, which, turns out, wasn’t bad, as I managed to be on second row. Everything went smooth on this matter, as people were only leaving to go grab food or drinks and not for a very long time, so most of the people stick around.

One of the guys in my queue line put Till, Lindemann, and Rammstein’s music on speakers and distributed beer around, as his friend bailed. Man, you were a lifesaver! At that point, hands and feet were very cold so it helped lift everyone’s spirits up and we had a really nice time hanging around until the doors opened. Which happened, in a very Swiss way, perfectly on time at 18h00. Security went smoothly and we were inside very quickly. They were advising us not to run the whole way through and people complied (adapting to some “race walking” like moves).

Place/seat and view:
I managed to stay in the second row, in front of Brynn Route, pretty much the same spot I had when I saw them in Lisboa back in November, so I had a very good view to the stage, even though the guy standing in front of me was a bit taller than the girl in Lisboa. The venue was fuller this time around, but still not sold out.

Opener:
This time, I was able to watch the whole concert and they are a lot of fun, especially the girls, Lore Jarocinski and Noizith. I knew Summer Goth and was familiar with, I believe, two other songs, but they delivered and were very competent as an opening band. And Daniel Graves sounds much better live. An interesting surprise!

Band:
Compared to the Lisboa concert, I believe the band was equally consistent. My focus was, again, more on Brynn, as she’s very interesting to watch, making you stare in awe, while thinking “how the hell does she do that”, while, at the same time, making it look easy. But, on this concert, Krissy Kaminski was also someone who drew a lot of my attention. I feel like she’s loosening up more at each concert and finding her place in the band. She looked particularly badass to me this time around.

Even though Till Lindemann gave us a very ‘Till performance’ and seemed to be in good spirits, interacting with the audience, and it was, no doubt, a great concert, he also seemed tired.

Music:
There’s not much to add here differently than I wrote about the Lisboa concert: the build up in the beginning, before the stage curtain drops, still got my heart racing (it’s a really good opening); smiled through the whole concert; got disgusted by some of the usual shenanigans, while still laughing at the same time (the usual, that is); had a blast during Skills in Pills, Altes Fleisch, Golden Shower (I think this one is probably my favourite live), Sport frei and Ich hasse Kinder; almost dropped a tear during Tanzlehrerin, even though we know the lyrics are more funny than sad, but my non-German brain tends to focus on the intimate, powerful, visual moment. And I might be mistaken, but it seemed to me the water in Blut was less intense – still got my hair and face all wet, but it felt less than in Lisboa.

As for the new songs, Und die Engel singen and Prostitution, after a second hearing, the same feeling lingers. They both don’t sound as powerful live, to me, as they do in the album, even though I was glad to hear them, especially the first one.

Being up front never gives you a complete notion of the sound quality, but I felt like everything sounded good, with no major problems that I noticed. Just the usual microphones being kicked off the stage (I thought this would be that one time where front row would get hit, as one ended up felling on the pit, but everyone left marked safe from a mic attack).

Favorite moment:
I wouldn’t say it’s exactly a favourite moment, as I’m glad everything worked out fine in the end (meaning, no unrequested fluids coming out), but it’s definitely the one that got stuck in my brain…During Fish On, when Till grossed himself out so much with the fish in his mouth this time, he almost threw up and was smiling while realising it. It was like a car crash on the road – you don’t wanna see it, but, at the same time, you can’t help yourself but take a look. That was me, as I was standing there, grossed out, but still smiling and filming it all. That’s the Till Lindemann effect for ya, I guess.

And, again, Tanzlehrerin. I don’t get tired of watching that dance routine, with those beautiful light effects. Same with Übers Meer.

Total experience:
When the concert in Lisboa, last month, ended, I was left with a feeling of everything happening too fast and wanting more! So, I thought I needed to see them again before the end of the Tour and decided on this last-minute crazy trip to Zürich from Portugal (Lindemann’s Children of the Sun kept playing in my head while I was travelling there – “We live only one day…We only live one day”).

Everyone keeps asking me which concert was better, but, honestly, I’m not sure I can choose. Experiences were different – in one, most of the people spoke my language, in the other most not and English turned into the national language of communication; this time I was by myself and got home less caked than before – but, probably, Lisboa was my favourite, for the sole reason that it was my first from the Meine Welt Tour (and there’s always a soft spot for firsts for me) and in my country, because the band was equally great and I had a lot of fun in both. Still left with the feeling that everything went by real quick.

The concert was the reason I travelled, but it ended up being a whole experience, bigger than that, as it was my first solo trip abroad; got to meet in person two lovely Rammstein fans I’ve been talking to online for two years now and, during my walks through town also had the pleasure to accidentally meet and chat with Krissy, Danny Lohner, and Brynn, who were so very welcoming and the most lovely people. And I fell in love Zürich. Such beautiful city!

All in all, it was very much worth the trip and I would go watch them again in a heartbeat!

KidArctica

Entrance:
We arrived at the venue about an hour before doors. Lines outside didn’t seem that long, but there were two different entrances – one on each side of the hall. I entered from the right side, which turned out to be the slow side for many reasons.

After a security check where I tried to talk English, but only got talked to in German, I finally got to ticket check. Unfortunately, the guard scanning tickets in my lane was unable to scan those of the couple in front of me, so it took forever to get through. After that, I found the layout of the hall a little confusing, but I eventually found out where to go, and after making it through the labyrinth, I arrived in the main arena – where it turned out that the other side had been a lot faster at getting in. Oh well – it happens.

Place/seat and view:
My friends, who had gotten in a little before me, had found spots for us at the very far right by the rail. While we could technically have a better view if we stood a bit further back closer to the middle, with bad legs it is always nice to have a rail to hold on to. So I was quite happy with that spot.

Opener:
It is always a pleasure to hear Aesthetic Perfection. This time, Summer Goth was back on the set list, and the beach balls survived longer in the crowd than I would have expected! We got to hear Self Inflicted again, which was nice. Daniel Graves was a little ahead of himself as he did his count of how many in the crowd knew who they were a bit too early (I think he is pretty bad at counting though, there were definitely more than eleven!)

The funny part was that when he then kicked off “the song you know”, it was not Gods & Gold, that started, but We Bring the Beat. “You know this one too!” Daniel commented, which technically is true. The song was released 6 November, but the song already has over 136k plays on Spotify, and the official music video has more than 161k views. Granted, it does have a way to go to beat Gods and Gold number wise, but that is a damn strong start!

Band/music:
It’s difficult to follow a great show, and after all, Zagreb got a top score for me. In Norway, we have a saying “Hoppe etter Wirkola” (to jump after Wirkola – the story here is that Bjørn Wirkola was an exceptional ski jumper, which made it almost impossible to live up to his success.) So the Zürich show would have to try to fill the shoes of Zagreb, which is really hard.

That said, Till Lindemann certainly went for it at the start. As usual, a mic stand on the left of the stage was in trouble after Fat, and the vocalist has also liked to occasionally shove the mic into his mouth. In Zürich, he did that variant again, but this time, he sucked that mic in a way that really seemed to impress my gay friend next to me…

From my far right position, I had a pretty good view of Brynn Route and Emily Ruvidich, which is always nice. I didn’t have the best angle for all of Brynn’s moves, but damn, that woman is strong and flexible. Being able to do the stuff she does on that pole requires so much strength and technique. It’s incredibly impressive.

Meanwhile, Emily has really gotten into kicking mic stands, and it was great when she and Till managed to kick one each in perfect sync! Now I imagine how epic it would be if Krissy Kaminsky and Danny Lohner also joined in. Four mic stands getting kicked simultaneously would have been a crazy visual (it would probably not be as much fun for the crew members who would have to get them all back up again).

Another positive aspect of the mic stand kicking was that I had a good view of Joe Letz when the stands were down. I still like that white wig a lot. It is difficult to explain, but I feel like his character looks even more unhinged with white hair. Maybe the hairdo is contributing to it as well. It is incredibly terrifying to see this creature come towards you with a cake in his hand! Luckily, my far right position made me avoid cake, water, and fish this time. Being dry at the end of the concert is strangely pleasant.

Music wise, the band has played the same set now for most shows. I miss Entre dos Tierras that I was lucky to get to hear twice in Spain, and I would have loved to hear a few more songs (when I see the “Do you want more?” graphic, I am always a bit sad that there are only 3,5 songs left). It makes me really look forward to TillFest next year, when they will play two different sets over two days. I really hope to hear something special there.

Till was good in Zürich. There were some moments where I almost thought he was looking at me, which is always a little intimidating (ok,very intimidating, who am I kidding). It is also a bit intimidating that I am never sure if he is actually looking at me, or if I am so conceited that I think he is, while he is looking at someone totally different that just happened to be standing close to me. The joy of overthinking!

At least the man is willing to suffer for his art. During Fish On, he put a fish in his mouth early again, had to take it out to spit and gag, but stubborn as he is, he put it back in two more times, each time having to take it out shortly after. Eventually he had to get some water to rinse out his mouth before he could continue singing. That’s some dedication.

Till has previously thrown his mic to someone in the audience, and he did so also in Zürich. I have to admit that sometimes, what the audience is served from those who get hold of that mic is not exactly pleasant, but it is still quite amusing to hear.

I also have to commend him on his dancing during Tanzlehrerin. At the start of the tour, he looked a little stiff while doing his dance moves, but in Zürich, I noticed that he moved more softly and elegantly when he danced, which was really sweet.

Since I am on the topic of evolving performances, I also have to say that I absolutely love how both Danny and Joe are acting their fish birth scene out more, with exaggerated movement and “struggles”. The facial expressions of Danny are priceless.

Another small thing I caught during this show, was that after the band took a bow on the back ledge, Joey and Till had a little butt grabbing duel. I am not sure who won, but I giggled!

It was also really cute to see Joe bring his son on stage after the show to help him throw drum sticks to the audience!

Favorite moment:
Out of all the band members, I would have to say Danny has had the greatest character arc this tour. Of course I am biased here, which I am sure my friends will testify to as they have heard me raving about him for a while now. However, after Danny came to centre stage during Platz eins in Zagreb, I was unsure if he could ever top that, or if he had peaked.

I don’t know why I even questioned it, because in Zürich, he did one better. Despite my place at the far right side – totally opposite of where he normally stands – he managed to spot me. And during Platz eins (which is always a highlight for me now during the shows), he walked over to my side, sat down on the little speaker there, and totally posed with his keytar.

I was so baffled that it took me forever to get my phone up to save the moment for eternity, but damn, that man knows how to strike a pose and display his goodies! When he stood up and headed back to his own side (sadly), my thought was, “did that actually happen?!” So congratulations, Danny – you managed to secure my favourite moment of the show once again!

I have googled that keytar now, it seems to be a Roland AX-Edge. It has interchangeable “edge blades” that can be customised to give a unique look. “The AX-Edge is designed to not only look stunning on stage, but also to match your own unique style”, reads the official Roland website. Looking stunning? Check. I am not sure if Danny has a customised edge blade, but if he doesn’t, he should get one.

A very honourable mention in this category also goes to – Danny. I have mentioned before how he moves around more on stage, and how he interacts more with the audience. During Ich hasse Kinder, the right side had the pleasure of getting a visit from him once again. Wearing his kid mask, he was gesturing and play-spanking his own butt to the amusement of the crowd.

Moments like these are really precious. For me, they are what make live concerts so special, that you can experience something different each show. Seeing the band play is of course great to begin with, but the unique moments can make a concert stand out from the rest. Maybe the band members don’t really think that much of it when they happen, but I certainly cherish the unusual and absolutely love Danny for doing these things.

Total experience:
So – was the show better than in Zagreb? I will have to say no. It was definitely good and it had special moments, it just didn’t have that little, undefined something that pushed it over the edge. Maybe that’s the “jumping after Wirkola” effect, I don’t know.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the show tremendously. It is crazy how fast time has passed, and it is sad that I only have two concerts left before this tour season is over for me. I am really looking forward to those two shows though, and I am hoping for a few more memorable moments before the band heads to Asia and Australia while I go back to my everyday life.

9/10