When a friend surprised us with tickets to a Rammstein concert in Berlin, I have to admit I was pretty dubious.  But then I thought, well, maybe it would be pretty entertaining to see the band that (for better or worse) is synonymous worldwide with German rock music.  Plus, if I’m going to do this only once in my life, where better than in Rammstein’s own hometown?

So I donned some black clothes (which I have plenty of, thanks to my six years in New York), slapped on dark purple eye shadow, and joined four Germans for Rammstein’s Sunday night concert at the Velodrom.  I have to admit, they put on a pretty fantastic show.  Although I’m not a huge admirer of their beloved shock tactics, every song was impeccably choreographed, full of pyrotechnics, lights, props and crazy narratives.  I’m certain that there wasn’t one unrehearsed moment in the whole show, but the audience ate it up and sang along to every word.

We (and by we, I mean mein Schatz) captured some fabulous photos of the event and you can see the whole album here.  Or if you’re craving a taste of the drama of the live performance, we also captured Rammstein’s performance of “Ich tu dir weh” on video (the fireworks start at about 4:00), which you can watch by clicking here.  Have fun!

Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to light some advent candles and wrap a few presents.