In Top Form

Entrance:
Admission was really relaxed for my friends and me. After spending the day sightseeing and ice skating, we arrived at the venue around 7 p.m. The entrance had just begun and proceeded quickly. Overall, there was nothing to complain about. Except that one of my favourite lighters was confiscated!

Place/seat and view:
When we entered the venue, I was a little shocked. There were only 30 minutes left until the show started and there were hardly any people there… I hoped that it would get better. We went to the end of the Golden Circle, as we thought it would be better to have more space for ourselves that day so we could dance, headbang and jump around without disturbing anyone.

From there, I had a good view of the entire stage, which was an interesting change!

Opener:
I already mentioned that although I really like Aesthetic Perfection, they haven’t really won me over on this tour so far. Unfortunately, that didn’t change in Zagreb either. The sparse crowd and reserved atmosphere didn’t really help either…

Which is a real shame, because their music is good!

Band:
The band was really in a great mood that evening! It was really fun to watch them play. Till Lindemann in particular was in top form. Vocally, it was one of his strongest performances of the tour!

Music:
I’m liking the set list more and more. I especially enjoy Schweiß and Blut the most. I also can’t stop praising how beautiful the performance of Tanzlehrerin is!

Favorite moment:
During the song Allesfresser, someone in the front row was hit so hard by a cake that Till made Joe Letz apologise for it. That had never happened before and I thought it was pretty funny!

Total experience:
Overall, the concert was really good! I just thought it was a pity that there were so few people there, as it dampened the mood a bit at the beginning. But with the right people around you, you can make the best of any situation. And luckily, the band had a great time, which rubbed off on me.

I had a really nice time in Croatia. The food is delicious, Zagreb is beautiful, and the people from @rammsteinlifadcroatia took really good care of my friends and me. I’d love to come back!

Hvala Zagrebe!

KidArctica

Entrance:
Even shortly before the show, there weren’t all that many people lined up outside. According to friends, it was pretty cold outside, and although I may disagree, it could have deterred some people from queueing. Nonetheless, the entrance was pretty peaceful, people were calm and there was no pushing that I noticed, at least. Even up front, there was no pushing, people seemed to give each other space, and in general, the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Place:
I had a spot front and centre for this show, which gave for an excellent view. At the same time, it always comes with a high risk of getting hit by something over the course of the show. Furthermore, there were some people right behind me who really wanted to get caked, which can add to the probability of having to spend time in the bathroom after the show to get cream and fruit filling out of your clothes… It’s still an acceptable price to pay, I think!

Opener:
Aesthetic Perfection kicked off the concert, as usual. The guitar sound seemed a little low at the beginning, but it picked up, and they delivered a great set. This time, we were treated to Self Inflicted, the third track from the excellent Bad Vibes EP (Bad Vibes, Into the Void, Self Inflicted). While the two others seem to be staples this tour, this is one of the songs that is rotated in and out of the set list. It was awesome to get to hear it again.

Band:
After seeing the band quite a few times, I know they are good. In Zagreb, they were better. There were small things that pushed this show from being good to being great.

The biggest difference, I think, was Till Lindemann himself. For me, this was the best I have seen him this tour. He was expressive without being excessive, he was playful and seemed to genuinely have a great time, happily interacting with the audience.

I am of course not fully objective here, because one of the most memorable moments of the night was during Allesfresser when my good friend took a cake to the face from Joe Letz. Surprised and stunned, she tried to wipe cake off herself – partly by giving me a big hug which ensured that I, too, was full of cake. Till took pity on her though, and after the song, he threw her a towel and talked to her as she tried to clean up:

Till: “Oh my god it’s everywhere. It’s good for the hair. And the face.”
He waves Joe down to the front.
Till: “You look very good – you’re beautiful!”
Joe: “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Till (grinning): “He don’t.”

I was laughing because I found the whole situation pretty surreal. It was such a cute moment in the middle of the show, and while my friend wasn’t equally happy about it when it happened, I hope and think she finds it a little funny now, after the fact. (She actually left to clean up and came back fresh, while I spent a half hour or so in a dark bathroom after the show, washing my t-shirt in cold water to get the dairy out of it before the smell got stuck in the fabric.)

Of course, the other band members were great, too. I loved how Joe had a white wig instead of the regular black one, I thought it made his look even more striking, and it felt like I could see him better behind the drum kit. Brynn Route‘s pole moves have evolved so much over the course of the tour, and watching her is mesmerising. It is a true joy to see Emily Ruvidich and Krissy Kaminski rock out, and I absolutely love when the two of them and Danny Lohner do their synchronised bending over in Skills in Pills. Which reminds me, Till decided to take three of the blue pills in Zagreb, just to be sure.

At the start of the tour, I felt like the musicians in the band sometimes appeared to be more a “backing band” (perhaps apart from Joe, who has always had a very clear stage persona). I guess that is how many people might see them, since Till bears the name of the band as well as being the front man, but the lighting also used to be quite dim on them compared to on Till. Now, I think the others are really finding their own stage characters, and I think the audience appreciates that. I certainly do.

Danny, for example, has become a lot more playful as the tour has progressed. In the beginning, he did his job, played the guitar like a maniac (he still does), but he didn’t always give people a reason to look at him instead of at something or someone else. Now, he prances around more, he interacts with the audience, and he plays around – during Ich hasse Kinder, he picked up a bra that someone had thrown onto the stage, and wrapped it around his masked head. And while we are on the topic of Danny, that brings me to the next part of this review…

Favorite moment:
My Danny saga continues! In the last episode, I compared Danny to Baby from Dirty Dancing as he was hidden away in the corner during Platz eins. Well – I can happily say that Baby is no longer in the corner!

During the song, Danny actually left the keyboards. He walked to the centre stage and stood there, broad-legged and majestic, letting everyone (and especially me!) enjoy the glorious sight of his evolved costume state with his tank top and gold suspenders, and the ridiculously sick keytar.

I was so stunned that it took me a while to be able to gather myself enough to get my phone up and capture this jaw-dropping moment, but I am glad I did. When I posted a capture of it, I got confirmation that I am not the only one who appreciates it. A friend said he looked like something from a space movie or a game like Mass Effect, “futuristic and spacey”. Another comment I got, was simply “Wooow!” with enthusiastic emojis.

So thank you, Danny, for this moment! Know that I am not the only one enjoying this – so even though I may be a little cuckoo, I’ll take it for the greater good, because it’s so worth it!

Total experience:
This may be something very Norwegian (and also supposedly German), but I guess I tend to hold off on giving something a top score just in case something can be even better. Well, no more. Zagreb was really, really good. Was it better than Barcelona and Kraków? I think so. There was something about this show that just felt right.

The whole setting may have helped, I had gotten to spend the whole day before with good friends. The audience also helped, the crowd was loud and responsive from where I stood, even though they may not have been that many. But most of all, it was the magic of the whole band delivering a stellar performance, and Till Lindemann being absolutely excellent. So here it is, ten out of ten, and should one of my last three shows surpass this, then I guess I will deal with that when it happens. Thank you so much for this memorable experience!

10/10