Fans really wanted the KMFDM show to be a good one. They really did.
But when the house lights flickered on and the music stopped, there was an undeniable feeling that the band's set was merely OK.The last time KMFDM came to Salt Lake City was in October 1995. Before that the pioneer techno-rock group headlined
X-96's "Death to Alternative" show earlier that same year.
While those shows were pretty successful, Tuesday night's concert didn't even come close.
First off, less than 1,000 people attended the show. It could have been the weather. It could have been the cost of the ticket ($17) or it could have been the KMFDM trend is out the window. At any rate, there was a long way to go for Saltair to reach its sell-out point at 3,200. The security guards even closed the balcony.
Secondly, Sister Machine Gun and Rammstein played better sets.
Sister Machine Gun opened the evening with its unique blend of hard-rock, guitar-based modern keyboard tunes. And there were times when SMG's set became a bit unorganized with long pauses between songs and such. But once the music began, the beats, guitars and lighting seemed to mesh well.
By the time Rammstein stepped onto the stage, the audience was more than ready for some harder, gothic-sounding music.
Rammstein, a band that KMFDM opened for in Germany this last summer, brought a little fire to Saltair - literally.
During the opening segment, singer Till Lindemann took center stage with his arms and back engulfed in fire. The other band members - keyboardist "Flake" Lorenz, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph Schneider and guitarists Richard Z. Kruspe and Paul Landers - cranked out some loud and heavy music.
Lindemann's vocals were brooding, menacing and vampirish as he sputtered and shouted all the lyrics in German.
The singer also used flash pots fastened to his feet and hands to create some visually stunning pyrotechnics. And to top it all off, the band used explosions and an elaborate light show.
However, the band found itself wallowing in unnecessary mire when Lindemann and Lorenz explicitly simulated a sex scene.
Although KMFDM added new songs from the most recent album - which has a four-symbol name not unlike Led Zeppelin's fourth album - the set was a bit pretentious. Guitarist Gunter Schulz, vocalists En Esch and Sasha Konietzko (with help from Tim Skold and Skinny Puppy's Ogre) played to the audience and tried to get the fans involved with the music.
As dynamic strobe and spot lights pulsated to the rocking techno beats, the band pranced around the stage which was backed by a shroud of black and red (the facist colors).
But other than a few mosh-pitting kids, the rest of the concert-goers stood without motion and stared at the stage. KMFDM - an acronym for Kein Mehrheit Fur Die Mitleid - which is roughly translated in English as No Pity for the Majority, was definitely a favorite among Salt Lake City's music-loving minority Tuesday. And there were times when the band members' faces showed they felt it.