Rammstein Odyssey Part 3: Das Konzert

Yes now we get to the good part! Get yourself a beer or something 'cause it's a long one.

Upon arriving at the venue, we waited in line for about 30-45 minutes, even ended up chillin' with a fellow Richmonder in the line. :) I was pretty anxious by this time and kept fiddling with my phone. Once we were inside we raided the merch booth, and I bought a tour shirt and hat, and Kenny bought a shirt as well but wouldn't wear it. I demanded that he do so, telling him I would not be seen at a Rammstein concert with someone who wasn't wearing proper attire. He put it on. Smart man.

So we had about an hour to kill once we got our seats. The show was slated to start at 8:00, but actually started at 8:30. I'd heard of this happening at previous shows, but as of yet I have no idea why. Anyway. I made this video before the show, cleverly titled "Killin' Time And Being Waaayy Too Excited." I love my phone but the audio sucks when I play back videos. Oh and I bought the most expensive Miller Lite of my life.

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic




The opening act was Joe Letz (of Combichrist), playing remixes of Rammstein songs to get us all hyped up (like I needed any more encouragement).

At 9:00, Rammstein made their entrance. They opened with "Sonne," (YAY! :D) and pretty much stuck to the songs that are on the Made In Germany album, except the didn't play "Mein Land" (saaad panda), and included "Sehnsucht," "Asche Zu Asche," and "Wollt Ihr Das Bett In Flammen Sehen?" Even though we were in the lower concourse, we could feel the heat from the flames! The guy that sat in front of us had too much to drink. He kept "Woooo!"-ing at random intervals and being very dramatic. It was actually pretty funny.

Till's got a Rammstein flag, and Richard's holding the Maryland state flag.

The flame thrower masks during "Feuer Frei!"

Till "cooking" Flake during "Mein Teil." A regular flame thrower was not satisfactory enough, so he went and got a monster that had a fuel tank about the size of, well, I guess what looked like 2 fire extinguishers!

Flake in the boat during "Haifisch."

For "Engel," Till wore a pair of fucking huge, steel angel wings.

Which, not surprisingly, shot out flames.

At the end, Till thanked us and said we were "truly amazing." :)

I managed to snag a piece of confetti from when they performed "Amerika."

And finally, my merch.

All in all, it was a very epic experience. To see Rammstein after a very long wait was enough, but to see them on their "best of" tour made it even more special. Add to that sharing it with my BFF, along with epic touristy stuff (and Mohawks!), and you get an unforgettable memory. I can't wait to do it again, but next time we'll be in the pit. ;)

Rammstein Odyssey Part 2: Being Tourists

I got 4 hours of sleep the night before, having gone to bed somewhere around 11:30 p.m. and waking up at 3:30 a.m. I had to get up at 5:00. Given how long I've waited for this, I was thankful for having gotten that much sleep!


After filling up BFF's truck and getting some breakfast, we departed from RVA around 7:30 a.m. The journey north was uneventful; traffic wasn't an issue until we got near D.C. but what else is new. D.C. traffic is a clusterfuck all the time. We finally arrived in Baltimore around 11:30.

M&T Bank Stadium, where the Baltimore Ravens play, greeted us as we entered the city.

We couldn't check in at the hotel yet though (which was conveniently a block and a half away from the venue!), so we set out to be tourists and dominate the city like bosses.




The first thing we needed to do was EAT. We were both starving upon arrival, and found this lovely place called Tir Na Nog Irish Bar and Grill. We sat outside as we had PERFECT weather (72 and sunny), and enjoyed fish and chips and, naturally, a pint.

Once our stomachs were satisfied, we decided to rage onboard the USS Torsk, which was the last American naval vessel to sink an enemy warship in WWII.

At 6'6", Kenny had trouble getting through the sub.

I wanted to steer.

Sadly, we couldn't access the conning tower, so I was unable to get on the periscope and yell "Schneller! Schneeeelllleeerr!"

After wandering around for a bit more, we checked in and immediately set to work uploading our visual documentation onto Facepage...while rockin' out to Evile and Five Finger Death Punch. Yes, we prepped for a Rammstein concert with 5FDP. I do not regret this.

At about 5 p.m., we set out for dinner, which was appropriately at the Hard Rock Cafe. Next stop, 1st Mariner Arena!

Rammstein Odyssey Part I: Mohawks

OK so, we're all set to go see Rammstein right? Tickets were bought, hotel booked, we're good right?!

WRONG

We needed to get our hair did!

So we fired up Leroy and made the trip to Chester so my amazing aunt Lisa could give us a proper Mohawk!

We are total BAMFs.





















Of course, ours could never compare with Till's.

Es Kommt Die Zeit

Tomorrow is a big day. We leave at 0630 for Baltimore. I've just had my sleep medication (a 16 oz. Coors Lite). Let's hope I can sleep.

Even The Hyenas Stay Away

We Rammstein fans like to consider ourselves a group of rational, tolerant folks. I mean we'd need to be, considering this band has fans all over the world. But even we have the bottom-of-the-barrel dregs to deal with. Allow Mufasa to explain:

You know your site sucks when Rammstein fans are sharing this all over Facepage.

German Grammar. Learn You Some.

One thing that inevitably comes with the territory of being a Rammstein fan is the desire to learn German, at the very least to understand what the song titles are in English. This is a good thing, as I think learning a new language certainly doesn't hurt anyone. Of course I recommend that some people shouldn't do so until they can form a proper sentence in English first, which for some never happens (I'm referring to native speakers, btw).

However, it would be nice if people in general got a grasp of basic German grammar, pronunciation, and spelling before being all "lololol loo i can cuss in german lololol" on Facepage. This is not difficult to do. I know for a fact that Barnes & Noble stocks a good deal of books, for I have purchased many. I recommend "German In 10 Minutes A Day" for beginners. This will teach you basic vocabulary, syntax, and pronunciation. It even comes with handy vocabulary stickers for you to put on household objects. They don't stick to pets very well however, and sadly I couldn't label Piggy because there was no sticker for "das Schwein." Anyway. Get yourself some workbooks, grammar books (preferably one with exercises), and a German-English dictionary. Music is awesome for helping with pronunciation and listening comprehension. But chances are you're already doing that, since you like Rammstein and all.

Why am I telling you all that? Because I can't fucking stand it when some moron on Facepage is butchering the ever-loving shit out of the language I love. This is not aimed at folks who ARE learning the language and make an genuine effort to communicate in it, but rather those fans that think they are fluent and know everything because they can sing along to "Du Hast." I'm also not getting on my high horse about it either. Granted, I took 3 years of German during high school, and dominated like a boss. I've been told by other native speakers that my German is very good, however I IN NO WAY claim to be fluent. To see people writing comments with shitty grammar and horrendous spelling makes me twitch. "Shizen" is not a word. It's "Scheisse." Capitalized, double S, sharp "s" sound, Scheisse. "To shit" would be "scheissen." NOT "shizen." THERE IS NO Z DAMMIT! If you're going to cuss in any language you should at least get the spelling right, otherwise you're just spouting nonsense.

Moral of the story: Get a basic understanding of the new language you're trying to communicate in, or just STFU 'cause it's making us all hate you/laugh at how much you fail.

When All Else Fails

It's A Shame Your Music Isn't As Epic As Your Name

Let's see here...this band called Deathstars is currently supporting Rammstein for the European leg of their Made In Germany tour. They think they're badass. I beg to differ.

Here is their attempt at a military song.


Here are a few from Sabaton.








In case you still doubt me, here is further proof:


Notice how Till totally dominates like a boss. Or in his case, wie ein Chef.




CONCLUSION: Sabaton kicks the Deathstars' asses all over the place. These Swedes wake up and piss excellence. The Deathstars wake up and apparently put on eyeliner. They are not worthy of touring with the epicness that is Rammstein, nor are they worthy of naming themselves after the most epic piece of weaponry ever. And Till is totally still a BAMF.

YOU LOSE. GOOD DAY SIR.

Deutsche Musik

It's been a gloriously lazy day for me. Since there's nothing exciting to report, I'm going to share some of my German music with you!













Yeah, they sing in English, but they're German, and Rammstein fans. :)

The Dream Is Becoming Reality

Alright well, there's a bit less than 3 months until the Rammstein concert in Baltimore! BFF booked us a hotel room not too far from the arena the other day (a Best Western in case anyone's wondering). We plan on arriving early on the 25th so we can do some touristy things before the show, which starts at 8:00 p.m. I'll need to bring plenty of Full Throttle with me; that's gonna be a hell of a day.

Speaking of which, do you know last night, my dad was telling BFF to bring some smelling salts to the show? He was like "I'm seriously concerned that she may faint and miss the whole thing!" I mean, I guess his concern is valid, but...well, I have no argument here. I honestly can't say how I'd react to the sheer mind-blowing ecstasy that is their show, let alone how seeing Till in person would affect me. So we must be prepared!

So let's see, Rammstein show + BFF + first concert experience = WOOOO! The only thing that could make it better is if I get the chance to meet Till. OMG I'd just die. I mean, he's been my celebrity crush for so long, we're practically an imaginary couple.

Also, BFF says I shouldn't wear a Rammstein shirt to the show, as much as I'd want to. He says it's a "faux pas" and not good concert etiquette. It's been decided I shall wear my "Scheisse passiert!" shirt instead. I'm glad to have gotten that sorted out, as I have like 9 Rammstein shirts and could never decide which was worthy.

I Find Your Watered-Down Sound Disturbing

Mudvayne Then:


Mudvayne Now:



Korn Then:


Korn Now:



However, there is one band that hasn't failed me.

Rammstein Then:


Rammstein Now: