All being well on Sunday 14th June 2020 I should have been in Cardiff experiencing the spectacle of Rammstein live from the so-called ‘Feuerzone’ but, ‘what with one thing and another,’ that show has been postponed by a year so I took the opportunity to find the next best thing and watch the Neue Deutsche Härte band’s 2017 concert film, Rammstein: Paris.
Filmed over two nights at the Bercy Arena by director Jonas Åkerlund, the film captures the full set and staging of the band’s Made In Germany tour from 2012 meaning that its setlist drew on the full gamut of their career at the time (their only record since having been last year’s untitled affair) and from just a brief glance the set list its clear it contains everything a fan of the band could want or expect.
Along with the great setlist the band’s performance is terrific and, compared to some other live videos I’ve seen of them, has a surprisingly organic and real sound and feel.
It’s clear there are backing tracks in places but given the band’s style this is expected and they don’t try to hide it, but Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers’ guitars particularly have a live feel to them, as does Till Lindemann’s vocal performance.
Along with this the band as a whole appear, where possible, much more free on stage to move and play off the crowd and one another (as long as there aren’t things exploding) with the moving elements of the stage used with this to create some impressive imagery such as the militaristic opening to Links 2 3 4 that sees the four more mobile band members marching up from a ramp centre stage.
Of course the pyrotechnics are spectacular and, while undeniably excessive, don’t overshadow everything as much as I expected they might. Added to this they generally serve the songs in tone and style making for a rock show unlike any other.
While just this shot nicely would make for a fine concert film Åkerlund clearly approaches things from a slightly different angle creating what I can only describe as an ‘augmented’ concert film experience.
I’m sure Rammstein aren’t the first band to do this, Metallica did a far less successful job of it with Through The Never for example, but from the off it’s clear that Åkerlund’s aim is to make this a complete film as well as a record of the event.
With 30 cameras ranging from standard fare to Go Pro style devices set up around the arena he and his team capture angles and views of the band and crowd of the sort you don’t normally see, particularly impressive is a ‘top down’ view of the crowd that captures them as a writing mass.
Along with this there are elements filmed clearly away from the entirely live environment that are cut in. This is done in such a way as to not detract from the main performance and in fact build on it.
So, for example, we get fast edited close ups of the band that would be impossible live, along with some extra visual effects that augment the pyrotechnic displays but without feeling like a false addition but helping build the general mood and feel.
As the concert goes on the whole thing escalates so as we get a blood soaked Lindemann attempting to cook keyboard player Christian ‘Flake’ Lorenz (looking like bondage goth version of the quiet one from Sparks) during Mein Teil and a bondage heavy lead in to Bück Dich the visuals grow and develop until it all reaches a spectacular conclusion with the double shot of darkly atmospheric Engel (complete with flaming mechanical angels wings) and goth party banger Pussy (featuring Lindemann and his giant mechanical phallus).
This all makes Rammstein: Paris a concert film that successfully takes the raw aspects of the live show and adds elements specifically designed for cinema in such a way as to augment the experience and capture something different but exciting to, in a way, make up for not actually being at the show and, while it doesn’t quite make up for the show I was missing, I can’t think of a much better substitute for the time being.
