Rock before Christmas #1 - Billy Talent burning Düsseldorf down

 

I've been to my last Billy Talent headline show in 2013 in Bochum and I actually did not like it. I do not know why, it was just the people, the choice of songs, the location. So I decided I would not necessarily go to another show. But when I saw the guys at Rock am Ring, they just killed it. They finished the whole festival for (which I hated so much because nothing worked out and I could not see two of the bands I came there for) and just touched me. They chose the best songs they could play.

It was hilarious.

So I bought a ticket for the show in Düsseldorf and went there with my brother and two close fans. We made it to the front and met two super kind people we spent the whole show with.

And so it began. Two supporting bands - The Dirty Nil and Monstertruck - opened up even though Billy Talent does not need a warm up. As soon as they hit the stage, everything's on fire. They opened with "Devil in a Midnight Mass" and the audience went crazy right away. It was pure fun and the setlist was gold.

Besides the big hits like "Fallen Leaves", "This is how it goes" and "Surrender", they also played some surprising stuff like "This Suffering" and "White Sparrows". And of course there were many songs from the new album; not just "Afraid of Heights" and "Louder Than The DJ", but also "The Crutch", "Ghost Ship of Cannibal Rats" and "Leave them all behind". However, I missed hearing "Diamond on a Landmine", which they played at every show I had been to before.

Lead singer Ben talked a lot about serious topics like Donald Trump, but also the sickness of their (former) drummer Aaron Solowoniuk who suffers from MS. Judging by the reaction of the audience, this is one of the points that a) belongs to every Billy Talent show and b) is deeply loved by the fans - because we like being talked to, being taken seriously.

In the end, there is not much left to say but this: I will definitely go to the next Billy Talent concert again. Pure fun, exhausting like hell, great choice of songs, awesome live music. Thank you.