Fallujah vocalist Alex Hofmann just submitted a pretty fun read to our bros at MetalSucks about tips for bands touring Europe. One part stuck out to me that I thought I'd share here and that's how different European metal fans are with the bands they approach:
When you are visiting twenty countries in a month, you begin to realize that the culture of a country is pretty pivotal in how they communicate and respond to your band. You will most likely spend a lot of time in Germany, as it is Europe’s biggest metal market, and you’ll begin to see their tendencies and social differences pretty clearly. You will hear statements such as, “I heard you on the internet, you are not as good live, perhaps you should practice?” or “Your lead guitarist was quite great, perhaps your other guitarist will be better next time.” These are not things you are used to hearing in the US out of politeness, but in Germany and surrounding countries, the population and culture are extremely blunt and to the point, which Americans may be misconstrue as rude or confrontational.
Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about European crowds is that the standards and regularity of crowd participation is pretty dull compared to the US. You will see a headliner play to a crowd of five-hundred kids, everyone cheers, everyone loves it… but you will not see anything close to a moshpit or crowd surfer to save your life. In regions such as Scandinavia, Holland, and Switzerland, don’t expect kids to be going apeshit for an opener the way they would in the US. The pattern tends to be that the richer and nicer the country is, the less they get down at shows. You go south and east, you’ll begin to see some more enthusiasm.
Now of course, they are not trying to offend you, they are just being honest right? I can't say I've seen much of this happen in the U.S., but maybe I'm wrong. Have you ever gone up to a band and told them they need to practice? Chime in below in the comments.
The whole post is worth reading, check it out on MetalSucks.
