Author: Bryden Bostock
I arrived at the Big Day Out: Gold Coast 2011with only one band in the whole festival to see… Rammstein. Almost 12 hours from the start of the festival the German metallers were due to perform for the first time in a decade and as I was walking into the grounds I could spot Rammstein shirts amongst the thousands of people.
Rammstein were due to play the Orange stage at 8:30 that night, after the John Butler Trio. About halfway through the Trio’s set I started making my way into the mosh pit. Every Rammstein fan was doing the same thing. Eventually I got to the 3rd row from the front of the mosh, with the sun setting and fans chanting for the Germans to take to the stage finally the opening sounds of Rammleid were heard.
Myself and everyone around me surged forward and as we did the curtain fell and there they were in front of a giant German flag; Rammstein. The acoustics for a festival were amazing you could hear everything, and Rammstein took full advantage of this, Schneider’s drums didn’t overpower the guitars of Kruspe and Landers and Reidels bass added the power to the music. On top of that was the voice of Till Lindemann, the deep power behind his voice was amplified across thousands of cheering fans as the band launched into Rammleid. Till opened his mouth with the glowing light from the Ich Tu Dir Weh video and there they were, Rammstein.
The atmosphere and the proximity of the crowd made the show energetic and completely unbelievable. You can watch many bands live on a DVD or the TV but nothing prepares you for the real thing and with a set list that would catch many casuals off guard, Rammstein delighted the true fans with many gems that were unexpected to be played. I asked many people around me if they have any requests and the consensus was always the same; “I’ll be happy with whatever they play”.
For myself it was a moment I had been waiting for, for a many years ever since I first started listening to them. $160 (AUD) was the cost for myself and Rammstein were worth every cent of that. Some might call me insane but for me the chance to see one of my favourite and one of the world’s most iconic bands it was worth it.
The whole performance was faultless, never once did they deviate from the music to talk to the crowd, they were there for one thing only; Rammstein. Myself and many fans wondered if their spectacular pyrotechnics would be allowed but we were very surprised when in Waidmann’s Heil, Till pulled out a blunderbuss and started firing over the crowds head. Evertyhing the killing of Flake in Ich Tu Dir Weh, the plumes of flame in Sonne searing the crowd, the cross bow, the legendary flamethrowers of Feuer Frei, the petrol pumps of Benzin, anything that Rammstein did was greeted with cheers and delight as they did what they do best; be Rammstein. In the truest sense of the band, they ended on the obvious from their new album; Pussy. As the song drew to a close Till mounted a giant penis and “ejaculated” white foam all over the crowd. It was a fitting end to one of the best shows I’ve been to.
Set List
- Rammleid
- Keine Lust
- Waidmanns Heil
- Benzin
- Ich Tu Dir Weh
- Weiner Blut
- Links 2,3,4
- Du Reicht So Gut
- Feuer Frei
- Du Hast
- Sonne
- Pussy
For Affenknecht written by Bryden Bostock
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