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RAMMSTEIN LIGHT UP MASSACHUSETTS – REVIEW + EXCLUSIVE PHOTO GALLERY

In the beginning, it was once said “Let there be light,” and apparently Rammstein took it as a personal challenge. Rolling into the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., with more than 30 semi trucks carrying their expansive staging for their current North American tour run, Germany’s most flammable export set the bar to an almost unreachable level for the most insane, visually bombastic stage show to ever hit New England.

The night started off in dramatic fashion as an industrial looking bridge to nowhere emitting smoke and sparks as if crafted by Satan himself lowered itself over the heads of the general admission pit. Then, from the upper quadrant of the venue, the band marched through the crowd in formation, a lit torch leading the way. Bearing both a Rammstein flag and the state flag of Massachusetts, the band methodically marched over the bridge, one by one, to the monstrous stage, before erupting into the first song ‘Sonne’ in front of an amped up crowd.

The stage, exploding in bursts of flames, took on a life of its own throughout the show, morphing into what felt like fire breathing dragon at times. Even from a safe distance, you could feel the heat emanating from the non-stop bursts of fire, a quick reminder of how precise this show must have to be run to prevent any injuries, so shout out to their masterful crew for that!

Although fire proved to be a major player throughout the night, it wasn’t the only spectacle the band had up their flame-retardant sleeves. There were water cannons, foam fights, oh and that fun little moment when frontman Till Lindemann cooks his keyboard player in a giant pot before Flake makes his escape with flames shooting out of his backside.

And then there’s that whole other aspect of the show – the music. Even though Rammstein perform in their native German tongue, there’s seemingly nothing lost in translation. The crowd picked up on all the cues, even breaking into a circle pit a time or two throughout the evening. Over the course of the two-hour extravaganza the audience was treated to 20 songs, including an encore in the middle of the venue performed on a secondary stage.

Rammstein does have a bit of history with the city of Worcester. Back in 1999, Lindemann and keyboardist Flake Lorenz were arrested after a show and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior for a simulated sex act on stage – one that they had been performing each previous night of the tour without incident. Closing out the show in fitting fashion after thanking the audience, Lindermann did make a mention of it, saying, “I hope we don’t get arrested again like last time.” All accounts show that Lindemann and the rest of his sextet did manage to make it out of the city unscathed, and lucky for us, free to play with fire yet another day.

Rammstein storms into Nassau Coliseum

German metal overlords Rammstein returned to New York on Saturday night with a raging stage show, blasting away at the crowd with a fiery combination of heavy metal guitars and skin-wilting pyrotechnics.

An unseasonably cold spring day did nothing to stop fans in the parking lot from pregaming as early as 6pm, and the usually aggressive Long Island cops tolerated huddled groups pounding beers as they blasted music from their cars. Part of the cops’ disinterest might be related to the disappointing turnout in the crowd - inside, half the floor was empty at showtime, compared to the two previous sold-out shows Rammstein has played in the past year and a half.

But the 10,000 or so who did come out got a brand new show full of crushing music, searing pyro, and some fun new stunts from the band who are as much stage performers as they are musicians. Considering Rammstein played the Izod Center just about a year ago (read the review of that show here) one might expect the same set and stage production, but right off the bat singer Till Lindemann and his band changed things up by entering the arena from an upper deck section, and marching down to the floor right past cheering fans with blazing torches in hand.

Rammstein in Atlanta

German industrial-metal band Rammstein chose Ft. Lauderdale, FL's BankAtlantic Center for the kickoff of their current North American tour supporting their new retrospective set, "Made In Germany 1995-2011."

The current itinerary targets fans along the East Coast, Great Lakes states and West Coast, among other locales, who no doubt are girding their loins in anticipation of Rammstein's bombastic, pyrotechnic-laden and occasionally controversial show. The tour's next stops are tonight (4/25) at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena, and tomorrow (4/26) Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center. The finale is scheduled for May 25 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

SoundSpike photographer Allen Ross Thomas was among the media representatives permitted to take pictures of Rammstein during their show at Phillips Arena in Atlanta on Monday (4/23), and here are some of his best shots