Everyone has experienced that one concert that just went above and beyond their expectations. It blew their minds and sat with them till the end of their days. For me, that would be when I got to see Rammstein at the LA Coliseum in 2022. The grandeur and spectacle that came with it has never been topped. Though the band doesn’t come to America that often, frontman Till Lindemann has embarked on a North American tour for his solo music, making a stop at another famous Los Angeles venue, the Kia Forum. Knowing just how outrageous this man can be on stage with Rammstein, I knew that his solo show would be nothing less than shocking as well. The night started with two amazing opening acts, Twin Temple and Aesthetic Perfection. Fans adorned in their favorite gothic attire or BDSM gear filed into the Forum, ready for a night of debauchery.

Starting off the night was hometown favorites Aesthetic Perfection. I have been fortunate enough to see them many times, but it was always in smaller 300 capacity venues. So, getting to see them perform on the grand stage of the Forum was an amazing experience. Vocalist Daniel Graves' charisma and stage presence engulfed the arena. The man should never be subdued to small venues. He makes the most of his set time marching constantly around the whole stage, and standing on the pit amps to get as close to the crowd as he can. Daniel has never been one to follow trends, and instead tries to always push the boundaries of the industrial scene. Aesthetically he does this wearing a basketball jersey and bucket hat, two things you would almost never see in the scene. But he then pairs it with latex skinny pants, and his personalized corpse paint. This uncanny unison may not work for most, but Daniel finds a way to make it fit. Daniel is backed by Noizith on guitar and keyboards, who looks like she’s stepping out of the industrial military regime. And drummer Brooke Colucci who blends her beauty and grace into slamming drum beats. Aesthetic Perfection played a set consisting of mostly his more modern songs like “Gods & Golds,” “S E X,” “TOXIC,” “Summer Goth,” “Rhythm + Control,” “Into the Void,” and ending with fan favorite “Love Like Lies.” I do hope this tour helps Aesthetic Perfection increase their fan base, as I need them to come back and tour California more consistently.

The next band up is one I have heard a lot about, and they have booked support spots on some major tours, but I have yet to have heard their music before this show. Twin Temple hit the stage and blessed us in their satanic holy water before slipping into their opening song “The Devil (Didn’t Make Me Do It).” For those of us not familiar with Twin Temple’s sound, I guarantee satanic doo-wop was not what any of us were expecting. The band consists of husband Zachary James on guitar and wife Alexandra James on vocals. Zachary, armed with his flame adorned Fender Telecaster, manipulates his tone to embody the old timey sound of 50s and 60s rock guitarists. While Alexandra seduces us with a voice that channels The Supremes. On the surface, Twin Temple’s music seems to be about worshipping Satan and falling in love with Lucifer. But truly listening to the lyrics you can find themes of feminism and individualism. Along with some of the most beautifully romantic songs I, personally, have heard in a long time. With Zachary and Alexandra being husband and wife, they have natural chemistry on stage, and you can feel how much they love performing together. Often taking part in a romantic dip and kiss throughout the show. Twin Temple only played five songs with the others being “Be a Slut,” "Let's Have a Satanic Orgy,” “I’m Wicked,” and “Satan’s a Woman,” but they left a lasting and lingering impression on the audience that no one will soon forget.

As the stage was flooded with fog, Till Lindemann finally took the stage. The entire band wore red bdsm-esque outfits, while Till himself also painted his face red. Kicking the show off with “Zunge,” the fans in attendance were ready to dance the night away to their industrial sound. Till has a deep powerful voice that commands the audience’s attention. Whether you speak German or not, every person was hanging on each word Till was singing. Lindemann is backed by an eclectic group of musicians, like Jes Paige and Emily Ruvidich on guitars, Danny Lohner on bass, Constance Antoinette on keyboards, and Joe Letz on drums. With Letz dressed as his alternate persona Sandy Beaches. Who has his mouth and nose pulled open, wearing a fake set of breasts and working vagina. How do I know it’s working? At one point, the band stopped playing so Letz could walk up to the front of the stage and pull fake baby fetus’s out and throw them into the crowd.

Something I didn’t realize until I got to the show and saw my ticket, that this was an 18+ event. Till Lindemann crafted a show that would have been pulled in front of the PMRC if they were still around today. Though the band members themselves weren’t doing anything too outrageous (other than Letz), the video package that accompanied the show constantly outdid itself. From starting the show with more tame visuals like an old man tearing off his skin, or overweight people jiggling their belly fat. To Lindemann having a swimming pool lube wrestling match with two naked women, a woman giving herself a golden shower, and creating a mosaic collage of vagina’s. Sometimes it was hard to focus on the live performance, as the visuals were baffling to say the least. Europeans tend to say that us American’s are prudes, and seeing how embarrassed and shy people were getting in the crowd as these visuals were shown on a 30ft LCD screen. I might have to agree.

Even with these visuals going on, there were still plenty of moments where Till Lindemann made sure the audience’s attention was on the band. For the song “Fish on,” Till pulled out what looked like a t-shirt cannon, but was instead shooting real dead fish out into the crowd. As the fish flew over the audience, fans were fighting for these souvenirs with just as much gusto as if it were a free t-shirt. For “Du hast kein Herz,” Till dawned a top hat with a live feed camera as he walked through the crowd interacting with the fans. Broadcasting it back on the LCD on stage. In this moment Constance Antoinette followed him with a keytar as fans happily danced around her in the pit. Till’s set also included songs like “Schweiss,” “Fat,” “Altes Fleisch,” “Allesfresser,” “Golden Shower,” “Sport frei,” “Blut,” “Praise Abort,” “Plats Eins,” “Skills in Pills,” and ending with a three song encore of “Knebel,” “Entre Dos Tierras,” and “Ich hasse Kinder.”

Walking into the Forum this night and seeing some of the attire fans were dressed in, I knew I was in for a unique kind of night. But nothing could truly prepare you for the experience you were going to have. The night played out like a drunken holiday out in Europe. Aesthetic Perfection started the night with a fun time at the industrial club dancing and drinking. Twin Temple was that weird couple at the end of the bar buying you drinks and inviting you to the after party. Till Lindemann then took you to the red light district and to the back alley after parties that you’re not quite sure if you want to be there or not. But you wake up the next day with a story none of your friends are gonna believe happened to you. If you’re brave enough, and Till Lindemann decides to tour again soon, I recommend the experience. You may be scared or questioning many things, but you’ll never have a concert experience like this again.