Information
Date: October 5, 2001
Title: Pledge of Allegiance Tour
Source: Guide Live
Press Article
The Pledge of Allegiance tour may sound like just another bit of resurgent patriotism, rampant in these post-attack weeks.
But the tour got its name long before the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. And the context was decidedly different.
The name, the tour's organizers note, was "inspired by the music fans that have pledged their continual support and loyalty" to the bands. Those bands would be Slipknot, System of a Down, Rammstein, Mudvayne and No One - hardly the most all-American bunch.
They do have a guiding principle, says Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein: a flair for the theatrical.
"We were glad to join this tour - we said, 'All right, let's do it,' because we realized that these are all visual bands," he says, his German accent giving his words a thick, melodious flow. "Like Slipknot - they have a show. And Mudvayne, and System of a Down, there is a visual thing. We were interested to have a little friendly competition."
Rammstein, an East German sextet that blends elements of metal, industrial and classical music, has a catalog of head-thumping releases including Mutter, which came out earlier this year.
But the group is better known for its extraordinary, over-the-top performances, in which elaborate pyrotechnics play a central role. Singer Till Lindemann often dons an asbestos coat and is set on fire; flames shoot from the tops of keyboards, drums and other points on stage.
Such displays made Rammstein an audience favorite on the '98 Family Values tour and helped spark the pyrotechnics boom in rock and pop shows.
"Every band is a little influenced from other music," Mr. Kruspe-Bernstein says. "You don't live in a vacuum. The good thing about Rammstein is that nobody else sounds like Rammstein. We are something unique." On this tour, Rammstein will continue to use fire, only because it's the most effective device.
"We thought about using other elements onstage," he says. "The problem is, it's so complicated. We thought water would be really nice. But when you're working onstage with electricity, it's so hard to make it work."
Besides, fire is intrinsically fascinating. "You cannot control fire," he says. "When you don't know what's going on, it's a thrill."