bang! Bang! Puff! This is the best way to describe a Rammstein concert onomatopoeic. The controversial rockers are known for literally torching their shows with a lot of pomp, light gimmicks and fireworks. This is probably also the reason why, despite the current allegations against singer Till Lindemann and keyboarder Flake, quite a few fans are drawn to their gigs.
But what kind of people are they who are enthusiastic about the martial lyrics and brute guitar sounds at Rammstein shows? At Rammstein’s third Berlin concert in the Olympic Stadium (July 18), we embarked on an anthropological mission and put together a typology of concert-goers for you.
The “classic” Rammstein fans
Let’s start with the obvious: the “classic” Rammstein fans. They are easily recognizable by their black clothing from top to bottom, although the t-shirt obviously has something to do with Rammstein. Either the well-known “R-Cross” logo or the creepy likenesses of the band members can be seen, or a line of text is emblazoned across the chest and back. Very popular among song quotes: “Some Lead” on the front and “Some Follow” on the back. Of course, one or the other Rammstein tattoo on the arms and/or legs should not be missing. The men like to emulate their idols and wear a parting with shaved sides as their hairstyle. Female fans like to dye their hair black with pink highlights, the sides also like to be shaved bald in Lindemann’s style. Interestingly, when it comes to clothing, both sexes prefer to go legless. Shorts or skirts is the legwear of choice. The age group ranges from late 30s to late 40s.
Middle class parents
An amazing observation at a Rammstein concert: Some parents come with their very young children. The question arises as to who dragged whom along here? Or both like to come? Be that as it may, the main thing that stands out about this fan group is that the parents are mostly middle-aged and don’t really correspond to the image of dark Industrial Metal. They prefer to wear neutral or light colors. Overall, these fans look like the usual middle class who like to go camping in Brandenburg at the weekend. Maybe the Rammstein concert is the one time a year where you “go overboard”. The thrill of doing something nefarious still attracts. The offspring are also dressed according to their age group. You can see how willing they are to brag about the concert in the schoolyard the next day. The middle-class parents are very responsible, of course, equipping their offspring with earmuffs and are happy to lift them on their shoulders when the stage cameras pass them.
The Metal Heads
Where there is strumming on loud guitars, the metal heads shouldn’t be missing. Everyone knows them, not everyone loves them. Nevertheless, the – mostly – sympathetic long-haired bearded (if the hair growth allows for both) and metalers equipped with deep black eyeshadow are simply part of it. Always in a good mood with a beer in hand, they radiate a strange aura of ironic attitude around them. The metal heads can be recognized by the numerous t-shirts that attest to their affiliation. From the “Wacken” festival to Slipknot, Slayer or Metallica, everything that makes genre fans tick is included. In their typical way of not taking life too seriously, they mosh to the tunes and like to raise the typical “devil’s horns” gesture in the air. All of this, of course, always cheerful. Dear Metal-Heads, stay the way you are!
The “we’ll-probably-be-allowed-to-say-that” rockers
Since the increased media interest around the band, this species seems to gather in a “now more than ever” attitude at Rammstein concerts. Their distinguishing features are the band shirts with Böhse Onkelz or Freiwild, which should show that nothing can be said at first. But they have all the more to say, preferably on any topic. Usually grouped in twos or threes, one or the other dialect can be recognized, which is mostly located in the east of the Federal Republic (as an East German, this author recognizes you immediately). Of course, one does not want to accuse this group of attending the Rammstein concert just because of the “anti-mainstream” attitude. As with the bands mentioned above, the music should be loud and German. Preferably with texts that are not entirely clear. Because in the end, every scandal about ambiguous lines of text means: “You can probably still say that!”
The ordinary music fans who are there to tick off
And then there are the usual music fans who came to the concert rather inconspicuously so that they could say afterwards: “Well, I saw Rammstein with that too.” A bit of a must-do. These concert-goers can be recognized by their non-genre shirts. There’s one from the post-rock band Mogwai to discover, or one from the goth rockers Bauhaus. But this type of Rammstein viewer prefers to wear a simple black shirt inside, and if it comes up, black pants. Of course, the brightly polished white sneakers should not be missing. These concert-goers stand out from the crowd of fans not only because of their conspicuously unassuming looks, but also because of their enthusiasm, which is expressed through silent observing during the thunderstorm of music and bangers. The age gap also appears to be largest in this group. Here, between 30 and 40 year olds there are also representatives of the 50 to 60 year olds. Maybe they weren’t completely deterred when Rammstein first roared from their offspring’s children’s rooms in the 1990s.