After two postponements due to the pandemic, Rammstein have finally invaded North America with their highly anticipated 2022 stadium tour. It’s safe to say that the German industrial metal act puts on a pleasantly shocking and awe-inducing live show, one that has had its share of memorable moments over the years.
With this being the band’s first full-scale stadium tour of North America (tickets available here), many of us will be witnessing the phenomenon that is a Rammstein concert for the first time ever. No longer will we have to rely on scouring Youtube for the best clips, when we can now experience the wonders of a Rammstein show live and in person.
Rammstein’s antics are some of the most ostentatious in the business. Many involve fire, because of course they do, but some fall under the “crazy kind of charming” category that the band has encapsulated so well.
In celebration of the inferno this tour is setting across the continent, here are 10 of Rammstein’s most mind-blowing concert moments over the years, some of which you’ll witness on this North American tour. Keep in mind that any list wouldn’t fully capture the entertaining absurdity of Rammstein’s live shows, since the band continues to set new standards for what concerts can look like.
Life Boat Crowd Surf
Usually, crowdsurfing is more of a show-goers game, but leave it up to Rammstein to come ready and willing to surf the horde in their own way. Instead of surfboard or just straight up using their bodies, they took to the crowd surfing in lifeboats. Full sized lifeboats. Why they had them and where they got them is a mystery, but setting out to the crowd sea as the gimmick for the piano rendition of “Engel” was truly a sight.
“Puppe” Baby Carriage Fire
It’s not that Rammstein hate babies, but they’ve certainly established how much they love fire. And with that comes an inherent desire to set fire to literally anything, including baby carriages. During “Puppe,” a large baby carriage is wheeled out into the throes of singer Till Lindemann’s power, then set aflame. It was a sight to behold when they first did it back in the day and it’s still one now, especially considering what’s currently happening in the world politically.
Till Lindemann Sets a “Fan” on Fire
Setting a fan on fire probably isn’t the best way to put the audience at ease, but it was a stunt Rammstein were quite fond of during their shows shows in the 2010s. Of course that fan was a professionally trained plant, but it’s guaranteed there were a few shocked faces in the audience when they did it on Jimmy Kimmel Live back in 2011. Don’t worry, no one was harmed in the making of that performance.
“Heirate Mich” Scaffold Collapse
This one is mind-blowing for the fact that unlike the others, it doesn’t seem to have been intentional at all. While performing “Heirate Mich” in Berlin in 1996, a lit scaffold on their stage was just a normal fiery prop in Rammstein’s pyrotechnic decor until it suddenly fell onto the stage. Yet not one of the members skipped a beat. Like true professionals they kept playing on as if nothing were wrong, probably because being amongst the flames is a regular to them as breathing.
“Mein Teil” Cauldron Fire
Seeing Rammstein use fire in a scenario where it’s actually appropriate to do so is like is more shocking than the use of fire itself, but the whole schtick of “Mein Teil” involves Lindemann as a deranged cook throwing all sorts of fury and vigor into a large pot. Bloodied and characteristically deranged, he begins blasts the pot with a massive flame-thrower, ensuring that everything in there is properly cooked.
