Rammstein @ Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

Rammstein.
Las Vegas.
The weekend of the supposed Rapture.
A bunch of girls in a swanky hotel room.

This was a weekend that would go down in the history books....

After my friend saw Rammstein in NYC and raved about their live show, I knew I had to try to see them when they hit the west coast. I happily jumped at the chance to get a ticket to the Vegas weekend and it quickly turned into a girl's weekend in Vegas with some of my dearest concert buddies that I had met through Nine Inch Nails touring.


Given the fact that they were giving out stickers that said "I Survived The Rail At Rammstein" after the shows, I was expecting one of the worst rails I'd ever seen. However, what I got was essentially one of the best line/rail experiences I've ever had. We arrived in the afternoon and they lined us up in an air-conditioned gymnasium with restrooms (did I mention it was super hot outside in Vegas right now?). We leisurely laid around the floor of the gym while we waited to go inside. I was stoked when we easily found a rail spot off to the side and was surprised to find that most of the show I would have enough space around me to stretch my legs out. No smashing against the rail, no punching or kicking, nobody trying to force their way onto the rail. I almost felt guilty taking the sticker at the end because it didn't seem like I had survived much.

What I had done though was seen something unlike I'd ever seen before. I'll admit, I wasn't a huge Rammstein expert. I knew a few infamous songs (and videos I'd like to forget) and was really going because my friend had raved about their live show after seeing them at Madison Square Garden in New York. I was blown away by what I saw - it is truly an amazing show. It's a delicate balance between entertainment (fire, theatrics) and the music. When I saw KISS, it was theatrics overload. What made Rammstein so good was that it was just enough of the two to make an great show where your eyes and your ears were pleased.

I also thought Combichrist was such an appropriate and well-chosen open for them. I love Combichrist, but hadn't had a chance to see them yet. Having been on the rail with a friend of mine who has seen them many times, I knew I was in for a treat. They are killer - no other way to put it. I am looking forward to seeing a proper solo show of theirs because I'm sure it's going to be even more intense.

And just when I thought my fun had ended... we headed off to the afterparty. 90's hip hop and lots of vodka. I'm gonna leave it at that.

Setlist:

Rammlied
B********
Weidmann’s Hail
Keine Lust
Weisses Fleisch
Feuer Frei
Weiner Blut
Fruhling In Paris
Ich ti Dir Weh
Du Riechst So Gut
Benzin
Links 2-3-4
Du Hast
Pussy

Encore
Sonne
Haifisch
Ich Will
Engel

Photos of Combichrist:


Photos of Rammstein:



Video of Combichrist performing "Fuck That Shit":



Video of Rammstein performing "Rammlied":



Video of Rammstein performing "Benzin":



Video of Rammstein performing "Pussy":