Live Report: Rammstein, Abélard
Place: Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece
Date: May 30th, 2024
Live Correspondent: Vasiliki Kalogera

On Thursday, May 30, 2024, Athens came alive with the explosive energy of RAMMSTEIN’s performance as part of their “Europe Stadium Tour 2024”! It’s been 14 years since their last show in our country, and more specifically, at Terra Vibe in Malakassa on June 28, 2010. This time, the iconic German Industrial Metal band, known for its monumental live performances, took over the Olympic Stadium in Athens, offering a night that will be unforgettable to the thousands of music lovers who attended the event.

But let’s take it all from the beginning. Preparations for the concert began several days before, with much of the stadium being transformed into a giant iron superstage construction, which reminded many of the film “Metropolis” (1927). Crews worked tirelessly to set up the impressive props, install and synchronize lighting, and program explosions, fireworks and fires, ensuring the excellence of the Germans’ upcoming concert. RAMMSTEIN is known for its attention to every detail and its ability to create an audiovisual experience that goes above and beyond.

To transport the 1,350 tons of materials needed for its shows, 90 trucks are enlisted, each of which travels a total of 24,000 km during the tour. At each of its shows, the sound is produced by 170 amplifiers and 586 pyrotechnics are used, reaching up to 20 meters high. 250 kilos of black and 250 kilos of white confetti, 36 smoke machines and 35 large fans are also used, and during the tour, their guitarist Paul Landers uses more than 1000 guitar strings.

Thousands of fans from all over Greece and abroad traveled to the Olympic Stadium, creating an atmosphere of true celebration at one of the biggest musical events of the year. The arena was almost full, the lower terrace was also very crowded, while the upper terrace was closed. Some people were not regular listeners of the Germans’ music but came to see their show in person. Unfortunately, a “sea” of cell phones from people in the Fire Zone and in the Arena throughout the concert illustrates the scourge of the digital age, where the video recording of a concert takes the place of the audiovisual experience.

The night started at 19:30, with the French duo ABELARD taking their place on a small stage in the middle of the stadium, which had been set up there for the needs of the show. For 45 minutes, the band played piano covers of RAMMSTEIN compositions. They were good company while we waited, but perhaps a more dynamic opening band was needed to set the stage for what was to follow. The arena and the Fire Zone were now full, the stands were quite crowded and at 8.30 p.m., the time we were all waiting for, arrived!

RAMMSTEIN began its eccentric and dystopian show, descending from an elevator platform from the top of the central tall iron structure. The band took its place on stage, with the audience cheering and dancing to the sounds of the never-recorded “Ramm 4” while thick black smoke billowed out. “Links 2-3-4” followed by the thunderous “Keine Lust”, “Radio” and “Wiener Blut”.

They also played GREAT songs such as “Zeit” from the latest self-titled album and “Ausländer”. “Deutschland”, a scathing critique of German history, was played twice. Once during the band’s intermission, Richard Kruspe, climbing high on the platform and DJing a performance reminiscent of KRAFTWERK or DAFT PUNK, gave it to us in an Electro remix before the band played it again in its regular version, accompanied by explosions and fireworks.

“Engel” was performed on the small stage (about halfway through the stadium) in a piano version, together with ABELARD, while RAMMSTEIN then arrived “floating” in the hands of the audience on inflatable boats, from the small stage to the main stage.

In “Mein Herz Brennt” and “Du Hast”, RAMMSTEIN shattered the stage with sounds and explosions, dragging the whole audience into frenetic rhythm and singing. During the song “Puppe”, a large metal baby stroller showed up on stage and was engulfed in flames.

In “Mein Teil”, Till Lindemann, with his well-known theatrical performance and sardonic smile, roasted in a pot the keyboardist Flake, with his flamethrower and in “Pussy”, Till, with a cannonhead, showered the front rows with foam “sperm”. All seemed happy…

During the song “Sonne” the whole stadium really shone from the flames and the lights that embraced it. Just before the end of “Rammstein”, flames surrounded Till Lindemann, who looked like a fiery demon, while Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers’ guitars were used as flamethrowers.

Having now entered at the final part of the show, the beloved hit “Ich Will” followed with the fireworks reappearing. The farewell came with the epic “Adieu”. Till Lindemann, Richard Kruspe, Paul Landers, Oliver Riedel, Christoph Schneider and Christian “Flake” Lorenz, bowed to us. Lindemann told us in Greek, “Athens, thank you very much!” to throw the last “malakas” of the evening and leave! The Germans got back on the lift, this time to climb to the top, offering an unforgettable last image, and RAMMSTEIN’s performance went down in the musical history of our country…

Set list:

Music for the Royal Fireworks (George Frideric Handel song)
Ramm 4
Links 2-3-4
Keine Lust
Sehnsucht
Asche zu Asche
Mein Herz brennt
Puppe
Wiener Blut
Zeit
Deutschland (Remix by Richard Z. Kruspe)
Deutschland
Radio
Mein Teil
Du hast
Sonne
Ohne dich (Small piano version)

Encore:

Engel (with ABÉLARD) (Piano version; performed on B-Stage)
Ausländer (guitar outro by Richard Z. Kruspe)
Du riechst so gut
Pussy
Ich will

Encore 2:

Rammstein
Adieu
Sonne (Piano version)
Haifisch (Haiswing Remix by Olsen Involtini)
Lügen (Instrumental)

RAMMSTEIN is not only just one show, the lights and the dystopian-industrial atmosphere that flooded the Olympic Stadium and made it the Land of Fire. RAMMSTEIN is also a band with great musicians! They performed their big hits perfectly, covering almost their entire discography (they didn’t play anything from the album “Rosenrot”). Personally, “Frühling in Paris” has left me repulsive but I’m not ungrateful, ABELARD played it at the beginning!

Since their formation to our days, RAMMSTEIN has presented a stable lineup, a rare occurrence in the music business. This makes them more “solid” and more comfortable in every live performance. At the Athens concert, they swept everything, and in more than two hours, they left no room for unfavorable criticism. They put us into their impressive yet “scary” world, with the sound being one of the best we have heard in an open-air concert, ranking this particular live show as one of the best we have experienced in our country. For your information, this year’s RAMMSTEIN tour started with a first concert on May 11, 2024, in Prague, while they will perform in 11 countries and 15 cities in total.

Live Correspondent: Vasiliki Kalogera
Design & Editing: Alexandros Soultatos
Photographs/Videos: Alexandros Soultatos, Vaggelis Stefanidis
External Links: Rammstein – Official Page
ABELARD – Facebook Page
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