I can't help wondering or even presuming that the beginning of the summer festival gigs will somehow mean the beginning of Rammstein's final chapter. And I'll give you a couple of reasons why I think so:
I hope I'm wrong on this, but as things are looking now, I fear I'm not. It would be another story if after these summer festivals they would bring up a new album. That would give them more possibilities and a better chance to do some kind of best of-tour again when that is over (they won't do that 3-4 times in a row, so as long as there's no new album to break that up I don't see it happening and lasting too long).
- There is no album coming up. At least not yet, as we know it's only going to be a tour, but if we can believe Flake the band does not intend to bring out a record. They seem to be bringing new material anyways, but not another album. This bothers me. I know it will be a signal to the world that they are more or less done. Critics will notice that they brought out new material, but if they don't even make it into a new record, it will be less exciting, less in the spotlights etc. Beyond the fan bases, not too many people noticed the new Mein Herz Brennt. And of Lifad only Pussy was really world wide noticed. The other singles not so much. But the Lifad record was, and a Rammstein record always will be.
- That brings me to the second point: no album = less change. The MIG tour was fun and maybe long overdue, but I think that if they keep that going on, they'll end up in the "good ol' classic shelf" next to AC/DC. That means they will always headline, but will be regarded as old, unsurprising dogs, living of the legacy they made some decades ago, only to be turned into a Las Vegas show, Rammstein-Jukebox of classics money cash grab stunt. Of course they will bring new tunes, and probably change the show and certain bits, but without some totally new exciting theme, I fear the credibility as a vivid, living band will be gone.
That's what was so kick-ass about Pussy for me: they managed to be there again, in the spotlights and were still able to schock as if they were a young dynamic band. The Rammstein story wasn't old anymore all of a sudden, as they seemed to have several surprises up their sleeve yet. - The age. Whatever you might say to this, you can't beat the clock and certainly not when you're so actively raging on stage like Rammstein. Till is almost in his mid 50s now and we can guess that this tour + some studio time + another world tour will take another 2-3 years. By than the idea of some pause of the whole Rammstein machine is quite plausibe if we look back to the past. Is it right to assume that after that, with Till's 60th anniversary closing in they'll start yet another big project? I think that's not very likely, especially as we see that Richard and Till have this fun studio projects that cost them less strength, stress and energy.
I hope I'm wrong on this, but as things are looking now, I fear I'm not. It would be another story if after these summer festivals they would bring up a new album. That would give them more possibilities and a better chance to do some kind of best of-tour again when that is over (they won't do that 3-4 times in a row, so as long as there's no new album to break that up I don't see it happening and lasting too long).
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