Have fun at that stiff & relentless German
Industriemusik event with dubious Third Reich/Leni Riefenstahl aesthetics
and lots of rrrolling "rrrr"s forrreverrr caught in their micro-universe of obsessive sociological taboo-breaking compulsions!!!
I've never ever actually seen them, but I have all their albums - getting a ticket in Germany is always difficult, they sell out within hours online (and always play stadiums - I hate live music in stadiums and prefer small to midsize halls). Their drummer said something very perceptive once along the lines of: "
Initially, we wanted to sound Anglo-American, funky and swinging, until we realized that we could never do that as well as the rock bands from there. What we can do, what's in us as Deutsche, is that straight, merciless German beat, essentially Marschmusik, German funk if you like."
They're really under fire (no pun intended) for Till Lindemann's emotionally desolate pre- and post-show groupie-herding here in Germany. There is even a criminal investigation underway (against him, not the band). I'm sitting on the fence regarding this. On one hand I think: In this day and age, with unlimited internet access, even as a 17-year-old, if you are recruited and invited to "
row zero", asked to "
dress sexy", "
not bring any male friends" and then "
join Till after the show at the hotel" you should have a grasp that sex will be part of the expected transactional currency (and I have no issues with girls or women doing that, you can have given Till a blowjob in his compartment under the stage as a far-out experience and still be a great mother or win a Nobel prize in physics in your later life). You should perhaps also have a semblance of understanding that it won't be necessarily the vanilla kind. (It's a bit like people bedding with Marilyn Manson for months and then complaining in the aftermath that - shock, gulp, horror! - "
he wanted me to do weird things", perhaps they should have teamed up with John Denver instead.) BUT ON THE OTHER HAND: If there is intimidation and roofie drinks when people want to get off the fetish fantasy train because they feel uncomfortable, then that is crossing the line.
Anyway, have a spectacular experience, Holländer!
(And don't go into that compartment underneath the stage or, if you do, at least don't regret it!!!)
