Rammstein

On June 28 and 29, 2019, Plenitude Arena experienced its first two nights of heavy metal, and what a way to begin. For their grand return to France, seven years after their last Paris Bercy concerts, Rammstein chose the brand new Plenitude Arena for two sold-out evenings that literally set Europe’s largest indoor venue ablaze.

Plenitude Arena had just laid its first legendary cornerstone in the history of metal in France

Seven years away and a burning self-titled album: Plenitude Arena as the conquest

Seven years after their memorable Paris concerts, Rammstein chose to take the Plenitude Arena stage for the first time for two exclusive, packed-to-capacity shows drawing fans from every corner of Europe. This long-awaited return coincided with the release of their self-titled album, out on May 17, 2019, their first studio record in ten years. And to support it, the band did not choose just any venue.

Plenitude Arena, opened less than two years earlier, was already establishing itself as one of the largest indoor stages in Europe with its 40,000-capacity. Choosing this arena for the only two French dates of the Europe Stadium Tour sent a clear message: Rammstein was now operating in a different league entirely. Till Lindemann and the entire band literally set this sold-out 40,000-capacity arena on fire.

A Metropolis structure, flamethrowers and the most extraordinary staging Plenitude Arena had ever seen

Rammstein have always been known for their phenomenal productions, but the set design for this new tour was something else entirely. A colossal structure unmistakably reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis or the architecture of a certain German era, draped in red fabric bearing the Rammstein logo, which did not stay in place for more than two songs before falling away to reveal new lighting effects.

The flames were not far behind. On Mein Teil, the keyboard player was subjected to the heat not just of two flamethrowers but of an enormous flame cannon. On Sonne and Rammstein, pillars positioned in the middle of the pit triggered wave after wave of intense heat. On Du Hast, fire shot back and forth between the stage and the pylons in a staggering pyrotechnic display.

For Deutschland, Richard Z. Kruspe rode an elevator up the central tower of the stage to perform his remix of the track, while the rest of Rammstein donned luminous suits and launched into a choreographed sequence. For the first encore, the band made their way to a small secondary stage in the middle of the pit to join the Duo Jatekok for a rearranged version of Engel, with piano replacing the familiar whistling. They made their return to the main stage by kayak, surfing above the crowd.

A journey through an entire discography

Rammstein powered through nearly two hours and fifteen minutes of music, alternating tracks from their latest album with classics from their catalogue. Twenty-one tracks in total, an identical setlist across both evenings, timed to the second and conceived as a total spectacle as much as a concert.

A band capable of debuting at number one in France and leaving all competitors behind

Rammstein is one of the most improbable and most fascinating phenomena in world rock: a band that sings exclusively in German, plays provocative industrial metal, and has sold millions of albums around the world for thirty years. A defining force on the metal scene, capable of reaching the top of the album charts even in France, Rammstein delivered a masterful show in terms of performance, but above all in terms of staging.

Their 2019 self-titled album, the first studio record since Liebe ist für alle da (2009), entered the charts at number one in fourteen countries, including France. A rare achievement for a metal band, and one that says everything about the hold Till Lindemann and his five bandmates have maintained over their audience since their Berlin beginnings in the mid-1990s.

The night Plenitude Arena discovered that metal can make the walls shake

Some concerts define what a venue is capable of hosting. Rammstein’s two evenings at Plenitude Arena in June 2019 are among them. For an arena that had opened less than two years earlier, welcoming Rammstein at the peak of their powers with the most ambitious production of their career was a form of consecration. The heat of the flamethrowers, 45,000 voices roaring Du Hast in unison, Till Lindemann’s kayak surfing above the crowd: images burned into the memory of everyone fortunate enough to be there.