Live Review: Rammstien – European Stadium Tour – Principality Stadium, Cardiff

In the land of the Dragon, you should expect fire and with Rammstein taking over the Principality Stadium after multiple delays, that’s almost a certainty! The German band have become a massive draw due to their over-the-top antics, pyrotechnics during their performances, and with a stage built to their specifications, the only way seems to be up for them! Here’s what went down at the Principality Stadium.

French Pianist duo Abélard opened the show with elegant renditions of Rammstein tracks to get the crowds singing voices warmed up for the real thing. ‘Sonne’ and ‘Du Hast’ were the clear fan favourites on the night as many fans belted the words over the calmly played keys. The melodies created by the two-piano set-up really allowed the songs to come to life in a way many wouldn’t have ever dreamt of but it was truly something to remember.

So the stage was set for Rammstein to take to it and what other way would they do it than an explosion! As soon as ‘Armee Der Tristen’ dropped, the entire stadium was moving. They Swiftly moved onto new track ‘Zick Zack’ which got the pits moving at full speed. Throwing it back to Mutter was ‘Links 2 3 4’ and this was the first instance of the crowd showing their knowledge of the band’s older material. For the first time of the night, you could hear the fan’s voices over the incredibly loud instrumental being played by the band.

‘Sehnsucht’ continued the chaos with its methodical beat driving the crowd into a frenzy while ‘Zeig Dich’ saw the crowd erupt into multiple pits of fury. The energy in the stadium was unbelievable as everyone in attendance was there to give it their all and Rammstein returned the favour by blasting each and every song as loud as the possibly could. Just as you thought it was time for a breather ‘Mein Herz Brennt’ was unleashed upon the Cardiff hoards. This only fueled the crowd more and the chorus could not only be heard but it could also be felt as each and every fan in attendance screamed the words over the band.

A slight bit of calm was presented to the crowd in the form of the opening of ‘Puppe’. A giant baby stroller was rolled onto the stage as Till equipped himself with a PoV camera and toyed with his band mates for the crowd’s amusement. As the song progressed the tone changed and before you know it the pram was on fire and black confetti littered the sky from all directions! ‘Heirate Mich’ would follow the carnage of ‘Puppe’ and made for a great track for all the headbangers to get their neck muscles pulsating once again.

The title track of the band’s latest album ‘Zeit’ made for an amazing sing-along moment as a large majority of the crowd knew the song’s chorus word for word. The ‘Deutschland’ remix gave all the dancers in the crowd their moment to shine as the band returned to the stage in “Stick Men” light-up costumes to encourage everyone to boogie like no one was watching before launching straight into the original version of ‘Deutschland’. Unsurprisingly this was one of the stand-out moments of the night, with this track being the song the band returned with after a lengthy wait for new music, it comes as no surprise that fans adore this one.

‘Radio’ followed on with its infectious grooves encouraging yet more dancing while ‘Mein Teil’ served as the perfect warm-up track to that song… ‘Du Hast’ sent the crowd into overdrive with everything from flames to the iconic rocket moment. This song is one of the best spectacles of any live performance I’ve ever seen and that is a hill I’m willing to die on! Now how do you top something like that I hear you asking. Well, the answer is quite obviously dropping ‘Sonne’ with a Sh*t tonne of fire to boot. The way the crowd’s voices harmonised with the band was something truly remarkable and something I won’t soon forget.

Abélard returned to their little stage in the middle of the crowd for the start of the encore but were accompanied by Rammstein to perform ‘Engel’ before the band sailed the Cardiff sea back to the stage on inflatable dinghies. Once back on the stage, the band wasted no time and jumped straight into ‘Auslander’ which re-ignited the party for those in attendance. Funky grooves and catchy lyrics always make a great live track and this song had both in bucketloads! ‘Du Riechst So Gut’ continued the more funky feel while also adding a bit more oomph to the atmosphere. A boost of testosterone if you will is exactly what was needed as subtlety named ‘Pussy’ would follow. Something about Till mounting a giant penis cannon and spraying the crowd with white foam is truly mesmerising, and oddly I’d have to recommend it!

Normally one encore is enough but not for Rammstein as they took to the stage one last time to deliver a powerful ending to an emphatic set, with the likes of ‘Rammstein’ burning off a crazy amount of fuel and also turning Till into a human Kathryn wheel, ‘Ich Will’ which gave the fans a final chance to prove how well they knew the Mutter Album (the answer is very well!) and finishing off the set was ‘Adieu’ off the band’s latest album. I wouldn’t be surprised if this song remains at the end of the band set for years to come as it is the perfect send-off for a performance full of chaos, fire and theatrics.

As the fans left the Principality Stadium wet from the rain, beer and god knows what else, you could certainly feel that this was a truly special night. Rammstein has not only mastered their own craft but may well be one of the best live bands… heck live performers on the planet! If you’re yet to see these guys I highly recommend doing so!