Rammstein at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA – September 9, 2022

Rammstein, a show three years in the making, came to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Having long had a reputation for large stage productions, the band is out on their first ever stadium tour across North America. Up until now, they’ve only ever played arenas and festivals on our side of the world, while playing massive shows across Europe.

There really is no other show that can compare to the scale of what Rammstein is doing. As you enter the stadium, you find a giant stage along the back of the field, that resembles an old iron foundry. Four massive towers are spaced around the floor, filled with speakers, lights, and who knows what else?

But before Rammstein actually takes the stage, the opening act, Duo Abélard, plays a set from an elevated stage out in the crowd. Duo Abélard consists of two piano players, who spend their set playing Rammstein covers on the piano. An interesting choice, but they were definitely very talented! I think a lot of audience members did not pay that much attention to them, or realize they were playing Rammstein covers, up until they closed their set with Du hast. With that, the group got a large round of applause to finish off the set.

A short while later, the lights go down, intro music plays over the PA, and a blast of fireworks kick off the show. One by one the members of Rammstein emerge, starting off with the song “Armee der Tristen.” As they play, black smoke pours out from the stage, as well as towers in the back of the field. They then went into their recently released single, “Zick Zack.”

Throughout the night, there was all sorts of fire and explosions – some of the largest flames you’ve ever seen! During the song “Puppe,” a giant steel baby carriage rolled out on stage, which ended up erupting with flames and shooting confetti. When the band played their breakout hit, “Du Hast,” fireworks ran from the stage, to towers in the opposite end of the field. A large explosion goes off on the towers, before sending a firework back to the main stage, where yet another huge explosion occurs.

During the first Encore, the band made their way out to the B-Stage, where Duo Abélard had performed, and played “Engle.” The piano duo returned to the stage to play the track with them. At the end of the song, they boarded three giant inflatable rafts, which they rode back to the main stage. Perhaps you’d call this crowd sailing, instead of crowd surfing?

During their final encore, frontman Till Lindemann came to the stage wearing a backpack of flamethrowers, essentially making a peacock tail of flames. Guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers both played guitars with flamethrowers attached.

Of course a concert is not all about the production, the music is important as well. The band sounded strong and powerful, leading the audience through 21 songs of powerful songs. Their last performance in New England had been about a decade ago, and the crowd was very appreciative to see them return.

There really is nothing like a Rammstein show. The spectacle is one of a kind, and really should not be missed!