There is always so much pressure to have a great New Years Eve. To many, it's a marker for how the rest of the year will pan out for them. If there is any truth in that, I suppose my 2019 will be the year of whiskey, friends, laughs and lots and lots of pyro!
With the simple words "Rammstein, Beach in Mexico, New Years Eve" and not the most detailed information from the event site, I jumped on board not fully knowing what to expect, but as I settled into the resort town of Puerto Vallatra, Mexico it became clear this would be a very chill experience unlike any other metal show.
Entering the main gate you're immediately greeted with a festival vibe, complete with a DJ spinning 90's Nu-metal hits, an assortment of bars, incredible sponsor activations, beach sand, palm trees and a massive stage especially rigged for Rammstein. In the center of it all is the eloquently dressed guest riser, with the VIP ticket holders lounge to the side, taking up a good portion of the sand and decked out in all the amenities that remind you where you are, the fuckin' beach in tropical weather!
Although doors were at 2PM with DJ's and a cover band hyping things up in the back area, there was a sea of rabid fans waiting at the completely dark mainstage several hours before, to get some prime viewing angles of the spectacle about to come. As the DJ music died down and anticipation grew unbearable, Los Angeles based industrial-metal gems, 3TEETH ripped open the massive stage in their largest and best performance I've seen yet! Even from 60 feet away, the sound pierced you with drum hits to the gut and wrapped you in a warm blanket of crushing guitar tone, making their 50 mins of groove a welcomed infection to everyone in attendance. Although I've seen 3TEETH open for Rammstein before, this was an entirely new experience. They've really grown into being a band able to command a massive audience from a stage of this size, and were greeted back with a sea of accepting fans who stomped, clapped and incited a roar of cheers after every song.
After a quick change over, Rammstein took the stage with an epic display of fire works before even hitting the first note of their opener "Ramm4", reminding the audience this was a damn celebration! In true Rammstein fashion, the stage was dressed to impress, complete with factory fans, sheet metal, Lindemann donning a white coat and top hat, and enough lights to emulate the sun. The night was set in motion, as Rammstein took us on an adventure of crowd favorites and classic pyro moments which included one of my favorite performances of "Du Hast", where the crowd of Mexico chanted the German words so loud Lindemann stood back to let them at it, only to interject with "Si", a laughable moment that reminds you how universal music is despite language barriers.
The night was a celebration of Rammstein's epic career, of metal heads around the globe, of burning 2018 to the ground and trying something new. It was a night to remember, if it wasn't for all the alcohol making it a harder feat to do so. The band concluded with their rendition of Depeche Mode's "Stripped" and immediately went into the New Year's Eve countdown which was followed by an epic firework display you'd expect the kings of pyro to serve.
After a round of hugs, drinks, and admiration of the skies lit above, the band came back out to perform their first song of 2019, a track to conclude their night in Mexico, "Te Quiero Puta!". Not to let up on the fun vibe, the band quickly exited to bring on their following act, an actual Mexican mariachi band. The members of Rammstein even worked as stage hands setting up the mics for them to take over the stage. It wrapped up an incredible night in Mexico, with nothing but smiles ear to ear and some of the warmest hugs and beautiful backdrop I've ever experienced on a New Year celebration. It'll be a hard one to beat!
Set List:
Ramm 4
Reise, Reise
Hallelujah
Zerstören
Keine Lust
Feuer frei!
Seemann
Mein Teil
(first live performance since 2013)
Du riechst so gut
Mein Herz brennt
Links 2-3-4
Ich will
Du hast
Ohne dich
Encore:
Sonne
Amerika
Stripped (Depeche Mode cover)
Encore 2:
Te quiero puta!
