Concert Review

9,500 people, most of which are teenage girls, went to Tokio Hotel's concert, Saturday at the Arena. If the hysteria of the fans has created problems at the entrance, the concert went along without any notable incidents. The security personnel was one of the largest ever put in place at the Arena.

Tokio Hotel rocked the Arena

Tokio Hotel in the Arena, it's done! Last Saturday, there were 9,500 spectators there to applaud the German band.

In the crowd, a majority of girls aged between 12 and 14, or approximately 80% of the public. And a few boys. And adults. Parents for the most part. "There were about 10%. Some are even fans," says Michael Drieber, organizer of the concert. "We were expecting only teens."

Put all those people in the arena. There, the singer Bill Kaulitz and his companion landed, delivering a set of rock as smooth as effective, in German. An hour and 45 minutes presentation. Now we must interpret the reaction of the crowd present at the concert on Saturday. People say Tokio Hotel triggers extreme reactions from fans. Is that true? There is only two options really. With or without hysteria.

"Eeeeeeeeeeee," the fans, mostly teenage girls, scream at the top of their lungs, almost ready to break your eardrums. A few minutes away from the lifting of the curtain, expected at 19:30, the least sound coming from the stage provoked screams from the public.

Finally the band arrives. We await with anxiety the first ones to faint. There are already 90, we learn with astonishment. Indeed the doors of the hall weren't even open, when the most bold fans start pushing for the best places. In the end, 375 people were evacuated urgently. Leading causes were fatigue and dehydration. However, three ambulances specially reserved for the evening were not used.

During the concert, barriers placed in front of the scene, the same we use for open air concerts with 50,000 people, have moved an inch. "Something never seen! The fans were concentrated in the center, in front of the stage. Imagine 8 or 9 people per square meter! The pressure on the barriers was extreme."

A concert like the others...
If the mass of the fans - one kilometer line - made it hard for security, the picture was different from their conduct during the concert. "We expected worse. Other than uneasiness, the atmosphere was good."

After the first quarter of an hour, the screams were more discrete. We expected constant screams? This wasn't the case. On the bleachers, mainly family space, were happy just moving and pacing, the more confident stood, sometimes imitated by their parents. We raise our arms, put out our hands and sing along. A boy, 9 or 10, mimes with his guitar, seated on the floor. Seated behind him, his mother smiles.

There it is, the Tokio Hotel phenomenon. Tokio Hotel is rock'n'roll without "sex" or "drugs."

(source: tdg.ch)