5.04.2012

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.





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