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introTurbinenhalle, Oberhausen, Germany
3rd November 2017
Tokio Hotel - “Dream Machine World Tour 2017”

TOKIO HOTEL were already coming back to Cologne after their celebrated world tour 2015 in spring 2017. Now in autumn, the band is playing a few more shows in Germany. The multi award winning band presents its 5th studio album ‘Dream Machine’. The band has sold more than seven million albums worldwide and received a number of international awards, including the US MTV VMA Moonman, five European Music Awards, four MTV Latin Music Awards and the MTV Japan Music Award. 

TOKIO HOTEL was founded in the year 2001. After all these years the band knows how to reinvent themselves. The Electro-Pop quartet promises an extraordinary live performance of their latest work under the mysterious name ‘Dream Machine’ and the autumn concerts (we reported) were already a success. The electro-pop quartet delivered a glamorous and theatrical live performance at the Turbinenhalle without any support act in front of about 2,500 people. http://www.tokiohotel.com / https://www.facebook.com/tokiohotel

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Music & Performance
When I arrived in Oberhausen I was kind of surprised. I saw a lot of blankets, camping mats and rescue blanket in front of the venue. It seems, TOKIO HOTEL are still that popular that people are camping overnight in front of the hall to get a good spot in front of the stage. Furthermore, several VIP ticket options were available to grant people to be close to the band. When finally at 21:00 the curtain fell down, the screams in the hall were unbearably loud. But TOKIO HOTEL are not the teenager band the once were. They have grown up and presented a remarkable metamorphosis, even though in the first rows still mainly girls were standing and screaming… or taking pics with their mobile phones. There were not so many fans from Oberhausen presented this evening, not even German ones. You heard various languages in the hall… French, Dutch or English for example. The fans were coming from afar to see their favourite band. When the lights went out there was big cheering and yelling. The loyalty of their fans is clear since the public is not exclusively teenager as it used to be.

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There wasn’t any support act. The stage design was retro-futuristic with a two level lighted platform. On the upper level all electronic instruments were placed on a spaceship-like control panel layout. The platform was given different shapes throughout the show by constantly changing neon-style lights. Tom Kaulitz, who used to only play guitar, played a variety of instruments. The musicians moved up and down of the platform on a dynamic and entertaining performance. That was also possible for Gustav as there were was one drum set on each level of the stage. The show was theatrical. At the beginning, Bill was wearing a mask which he took off during the second song. I personally was amazed by his shoes… I wondered how he could perform in such high heels with plateau. The quartet performed song after song like a well-oiled machine with almost no break. Bill’s voice sounded really good with fewer effects than a few years ago. Especially the high tones were crystal clear. Still, the focus of the show was on the entertainment rather than the vocals.

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Musically, the focus was on the newer albums ‘Kings of Suburbia’ and ‘Dream Machine’. Only a few older songs were added, needless to mention ‘Durch den Monsun’. Overall, it was a great performance with danceable tracks and a grownup band, who concentrates more on music between Indie influences and Synth Pop. They don’t fill the big arenas anymore, but the show at the rather “small” Turbinenhalle had something cosy where the fans were connected close to the band.

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 9
Sound: 7
Light: 9
Total: 8 / 10

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All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)

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