[Dixielandjazz] Sturm Fire & Drang

[Stephen G Barbone]

Kevin Yeates commented on Rammstein and Sturm Fir & Drang, saying  
essentially that we could learn from their presentation.

Yes indeed Kevin, we surely could. They know how to grab their  
audience and get them involved actively in the event. And that  
audience follows them.

For example, see this robot parody of their performance of "Feuer  
Frei". We may hate the "music", but note that this one parody got more  
than 9 million hits on You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxUZUnRwH7s

An actual live performance of this tune in France has 1,391,492 hits.  
The pyrotechnics at the end are spectacular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulOScofQXns&feature=related

Note well how the audience becomes a part of the show. That's what  
today's audiences want, to be part of the action, not to be a passive  
listener.

The Britons may want to check the side bar and click on the London  
gig, "Du Hast". Some audience there. That song is a play on words. Du  
Hast means "you have". Du Haast" means "you hate".  The songs asks two  
questions about ones lover; "Do you want to love her even during bad  
times until death parts you?" and then "Do you want to be faithful to  
her until death intervenes?" Both times  a loud "nein" is shouted by  
the lead singer. (AND THE AUDIENCE)

Ah well, Rammstein pales in comparison to Shakira's "Waka Waka" which  
has almost 257 MILLION hits. Or Justin Bieber singing "Baby" and over  
409 MILLION hits.

I think by comparison Louis Armstrong's Hello Dolly has around  
2,250,000 hits on all of his versions on you tube. And he knew how to  
grab the audience. Note that his Muskrat Ramble recorded in Munich has  
only about 140,000 hits.

And his Hot 5 & Hot 7 sides combined have, I think,  well under a half  
million hits.

Bitter pill to swallow. Perhaps we should go see Rammstein live. Maybe  
they would light a fire under us.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband