Blown Away

Entrance:
It’s been a while since I have had the… pleasure of experiencing a concert entrance of this caliber – with a horde of excited fans eager to beat each other to the front. While there weren’t quite as many people queueing when we got there as I would have expected, the numbers started growing rapidly very quickly and it became apparent that Stuttgart had shown up for Till Lindemann. The entrance itself seemed to go fairly smoothly, however I did hear security shouting at the odd (or many) rule-breaking runners. I wasn’t very fussed about being in front, so I experienced it all as very relaxed – I cannot say whether the front-runners share that opinion though.

Place/seat and view:
After having a look around the front pit, comparing the view from the left and right side, we decided to lock in on a spot on the left side, a few meters back from the barrier, as that enabled us to stand very close to where Till’s disco ball would be pushed through for this show. I really enjoyed my spot and I was able to see the stage and the artists quite well, although it needs to be said that I am decently tall, so someone shorter might have more trouble with the view from a spot like that. The only thing to note with the view from this spot was that we always had Joey/Sandy’s back towards us and it was hard to see Emily Ruvidich clearly. If you’re a big Emily-fan, definitely opt for the right side of the pit!

Opener:
Aesthetic Perfection as an opener has always been, well, perfection. I was thrilled to see them again after two years and I was not disappointed at all. Some setlist changes from the 2023 opening performance were refreshing, while still keeping in their absolute banger classics like S.E.X. or, of course, Gods & Gold. The latter was jokingly called “the one song you know if you’ve heard of Aesthetic Perfection”. That hopefully isn’t true; there are so many more songs deserving to be heard by the masses! I was especially happy about hearing Summer Goth live for the first time. What a song! Aesthetic Perfection bring the energy and the vibes every time. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced an opening act that manages to hit it off with the crowd so well so quickly, and receives cheers like a main act. Keep it going, guys and gals, you rock!

Band:
The changes in the band lineup meant that I was very curious to see how this (for me) new combination of artists performed together. Band member dynamics are as important to me as the actual music at a show. And I have to say, I was loving every second! The band was a joy to watch, and all the members seemed very comfortable with each other, enabling them to be playful and interact on stage. Most importantly, they all owned the stage equally, with nobody outshining the rest of the band. Well, of course Till is the front man and face of the band, but what I mean to say is that it does not feel like “Till Lindemann sings with a band”, but rather “this band is Till Lindemann”.

It’s probably an advantage to have seen one of the later show of the tour, where the musicians have had many previous shows to find their rhythm. I was especially impressed by Joey/Sandy’s energetic drumming, Brynn Route’s incredible acrobatics on the pole, and the absolute lack of fear of heights by the band – all of them were lifted up in the air at some point!

By the way, I absolutely loved the dynamic stage elements in this tour. It gave the show so much more movement and made it much more interesting visually than in 2023. Lastly, I want to mention the two dancers – which I knew nothing about before going into this show. I hadn’t expected dancers to be incorporated into the show this much, but their performances were fantastic and always added an interesting visual element to the songs. Well done!

Music:
A lot of the setlist was similar to the shows from 2023, but some cuts of old and additions of new songs kept it fresh; I prefer it to the last tour. I feel like they managed to compile the best Till has to offer from his catalogue. The sound quality was great in the Schleyer-Halle, and every song hit. The new songs work really well live, especially Prostitution, and I am so happy I finally got to see Du hast kein Herz live! Musically, the show was incredibly strong from start to finish.

Favorite moment:
I need to break this up into favourite moment by the band on stage and favourite moment in the pit, I think. My favourite moment from the band was Joey’s son Darian making a surprise appearance and drumming for Skills in Pills – did not see that coming and was absolutely blown away! He absolutely crushed it, and I love that you can see Joey’s playing style in Darian‘s drumming as well. What an awesome memory for everyone involved!

My favourite pit moment was probably singing along to Praise Abort/Platz Eins/Du hast kein Herz with my good friend KidArctica. We hadn’t seen each other in over a year, and it was such a wonderful feeling to experience a concert together again. Thank you for the best vibes and an amazing time!

Total experience:
What can I say? I had an all-around wonderful time in Stuttgart. The atmosphere was immaculate, the crowd showed up and showed their love, the band gave it their all, and I was rightfully completely exhausted after the show. Well, I guess I’m not used to this anymore! In any case, I think the Meine Welt Tour is a great step up from the Zunge Tour, and I am incredibly glad that I got to see it. Thank you to Aesthetic Perfection and to Till Lindemann band for making this evening unforgettable!

KidArctica

Entrance:
Stuttgart was Till Lindemann’s last concert in Germany this tour. When we arrived at the venue, the lines were noticeably longer than they had been in Zürich, although not extreme. Still, some people had apparently waited from before 04:00, which is quite impressive as it had been pretty cold the night before the show. At least they didn’t have to wait for doors as there was no delay – actually the doors opened a few minutes before announced time.

Hopefully, the ones who had waited the longest made it to the front – the distance to go from the entrance to the rail was really long. People had to walk almost the length of the building, then down some stairs, and then they had to go up some stairs again to enter the standing area all the way in the back – which meant they then had to walk all the way across the pit to the front. On the way, they had to pick up their front area wristbands as well.

Place/seat and view:
The front of stage area had naturally filled up really fast, so I just chilled until close to concert start. After checking out the back right side we settled for back left, as the disco bubble would come out on that side, and it is always fun to see it up close.

This meant that I would potentially get a good view of Krissy Kaminski and Danny Lohner, which has been rare for me this tour.

Opener:
Aesthetic Perfection went on stage at 20:00 as usual, and to my delight, the response from the audience seemed very good. During Summer Goth, the beach balls were bouncing around for a long time before they got absorbed by someone in the crowd. Self Inflicted was played also in Stuttgart.

Once again, Daniel Graves was bad at counting when he asked how many people knew who Aesthetic Perfection were. I saw a lot more hands than he did!

Band/music:
An interesting thing about standing on a far side is that you can catch a glimpse of what is going on behind the big Kill Till banner before it falls down. One thing I have never noticed before, is that Joe Letz waters his drums before the show. Now I know!

Till continued the post-Fat mic sucking routine in Stuttgart, this time taking it one step further – he added sound. This made it all seem even more obscene, but then again, I guess that is the point. I am sure some people find it wildly arousing…

Sadly – but not unexpectedly – I didn’t see much of Emily Ruvidich this concert. I was too far away and taller people blocked my view in that direction. Though I did get a few glimpses of her when she came over to the left side, and of course, when she went up on the riser. I have no idea how she can be so comfortable up there!

Brynn Route was also far away, and the keyboard blocked my view of her a lot. But even from the left side it was lovely to see her spectacular pole moves. While Joe Letz was close, the downside – or should I say backside – to being on the left, is that you basically see his back all the time. That said, his drumming style is so visual that even seeing him from that side is highly entertaining.

As for Till, I saw him very well when he was on the left side. After so many shows there is a certain routine for when he goes to which side, and it is interesting to experience both sides. Till threw his mic to someone in the audience again in Stuttgart. It also seemed like someone on the left side had brought something for him. Before Allesfresser, he bent down and got something on his fingers that he put in his mouth. I was too far away to see what it was though. Maybe it was cake? Or maybe it was something else – who knows, after all, Till is willing to put raw fish in his mouth, so technically it wouldn’t even have to be something edible…

As expected, the best view I had was of Krissy and Danny. Krissy’s lower half was often blocked by the speaker, but I really got to see how she seemed to have fun with the others and generally just looked ridiculously cool while playing. She definitely has that part down! If there was one small thing I could have wished for, it would actually be a little more interaction with the audience – like when she smiles before pelting cakes at people. I think that would give her more attention, which she deserves!

Someone who HAS gotten more attention lately, is her partner in crime on the left side. Yes, this means that we have gotten to the Danny part of my review (I am sure no one is surprised that there is one). Because the band member I had the best view of the entire concert, was Danny, which incidentally meant that I spent a lot of time during the show watching him.

Last review I mentioned Danny’s character arc during the tour. He has gone from being the steady musician to becoming a true stage personality that it is difficult to ignore. Of course he doesn’t try to outshine Till, then again I am not even sure it is possible – that man has a stage presence of another world. But in Stuttgart, I watched Danny fiercely attack his guitar (as usual), directly address the audience, strutting around on stage, and demanding attention.

Till’s disco ball came out on the left side where I was standing. While it was cool to see it pass by super close, I quickly turned around to face the stage to get my keytar fix. A woman close to me seemed very confused by this. She waved to get my attention and pointed to the disco ball, but I just smiled and pointed towards the stage. I was probably one of very few people on that side not watching Till at that time.

I was a little sad that Danny went and hid at the back of the stage during Platz eins, instead of flaunting his keytar. But at the same time, I had a great view of it when he played the keyboards during the song, so I shouldn’t really complain. It’s just that I want everyone to be able to enjoy the view of Danny with that keytar!

While I love Platz eins, the Danny highlight of the Stuttgart show was hands down Ich hasse Kinder. That was truly Danny’s time to shine. He put on not just his mask, but also a chestpiece with breasts and nipples (someone might have thrown it onto the stage, as it had TILL written on it in capital letters) that he seemed to enjoy pinching. Maybe it was his newfound boobs that made him pay a visit to Brynn’s platform, where he even took a few rounds around the pole. It was brilliant!

Sound wise, it is definitely not a disadvantage to stand a little in the back. Close to the front, the sound is not always balanced. In Stuttgart, the sound was very good where I was standing.

Favorite moment:
During Skills in Pills, something was different – it was not Joe playing the drums, but his son! It was incredibly cool to see Darian totally go for it behind that drum set – and even during a song where the drum platform rises up in the air. Darian is only 17 years old, but he seemed totally fearless while playing.

It was a truly special moment, and it is impossible for me not to pick this as my favourite moment of the show. The only sad thing for me is that I wasn’t in a position to see Joe’s face while his son was playing – but I have seen a video of it, and it was truly touching. I can’t imagine how proud he must be.

Total experience:
The second to last European show was another solid one from the Till Lindemann band. My view wasn’t the best from the position I had, but the sound was great, and the show had some really nice moments. I also got to see the concert with a really good friend I hadn’t seen for a long time, which was absolutely wonderful.

8.5/10