MTV European Music Awards 2007, Munich, November 1st

Review

First the not-so-good. I didn't watch the show right away - it's MTV right. 5 min of show, 5 min of advirtising, and Snoop Doggy Dog as a show host, with added French show hosts adding their own dumb comments since they couldn't do live translation? I lasted 30 minutes - after missing them getting the award - then figured that even for TH, it was more than I wanted to bear, and that I could find the TH-centered bits online later.

So before I could watch the band's performance, I read many reviews and comments on the event from fans, all very enthusiastic. I guess that gave me high expectations, with hindsight.

And of course high expectations are rarely met.

It wasn't TH's best live performance. Vocally or energy-wise, they've done way better. Also I'm not so keen on the English versions - I think it does play in inhibiting Bill's interpretation a bit. If it takes half the toll on him to recall the English lyrics as it does on me to recall the German ones, especially considering he must have two distinct complete sets of lyrics for the same melody, I don't see how he can be relaxed and giving his full when his brain must be working double to focus "English English don't fall back on the German lyrics and try to pronounce it all right".

Show-wise... The rain effect was stunning, but not as much as it looked like on the many still pictures of the performance that spread online right after, oddly. And I believe, it was probably more impressive when you don't expect it, while for me the surprise was totally spoiled (yeah, I should have watched it live).

Also obviously, pre-recorded live, right. Because otherwise we'd have have four fried Germans on stage, singing "Running through ble blonsooon, *coughcough aergh* beyonglougloub" while the rained-on drums would have emitted a constant back noise.
But pre-recorded live, not lip-sync on CD version, so it's not THAT bad.

And I figure I should add to the not-so-good the fact that the band was distinctly boo-ed when they appeared. Same people, I figure, who did a standing ovation for Amy Winehouse, when she went through her live set in a semi-comatose haze, looking like she didn't know what she was doing there. Uh.

(yeah, music-wise it's completely different - though I can't stand her singing and her style anyway. But work ethics matter, too. I don't care how good you can be on a sober day if I never get to hear you so...)

But on the video, the boo-ing was more or less equalled by clapping and singing along. So that wasn't as bad as I had been led to think.

And more interesting... It got us some killer looks from Bill.
I don't mean that as in the fangirl-squeal mode, "woo-haa he's so sexy when he's wet" - though visually, the rain-soaked band was a hoot (Georg's metal hair sticking to his face like a wet curtain? Oh dear, the laugh).
No, I mean literally.
As in : if it had been a Stephen King story, by the end of the song, you'd have realized that electric wires had been telekinetically spread at the crowd's feet. And all the nay-sayers would have fried when the fake monsoon starts falling. While Bill would have looked at it all with a little smile. Carrie style.

Since we're in our boring mundane world, instead the band just carried on playing as if they didn't hear, showing more guts than any of their critics. Bless them. The show must go on. They may be young but at least they know this much.
Nice to see a little glimpse of another side of Bill, though.

Also the show was worth it for the bouncy happy joy joy moment where the band landed an award that nobody thought they would, considering the competition, to begin with themselves. Best Interact, opposite old comers like Depeche Mode (... I was surprised they actually knew of DM) and hype bands like 30 Seconds to Mars. They were also nominated for Best Band 2007 but they didn't win this one. Which is okay, they're young still, it would have been a bit exaggerated.

Did I vote for them? At first no, partly since I don't deem them the bestest band of the world, and partly because I consider that the only good things that came from MTV are Daria and Dire Straits's "Money for nothing". So I didn't care much.
But later on I did for various reasons, and in the end I'm glad they won because it made them happy. Even their bodyguard was grinning. As I was while watching them.

Though at long last I found the definition of "InterAct" according to MTV : Band That Has Been The Most Interactive With Fans and Online. Aww, okay, this one they were DEFINITELY entitled to win.
(... this shameless fangirl has a signed Zimmer 483 CD booklet to prove it. Shuddup. I never did that before, but it was worth embarrassing myself by waiting with a couple of girls who were half my age it. They are very polite. They won me with the Trabendo session and the Eiffel Tower set, truly, but that extra bit takes the cake. Because it is an extra.
Also re: An Deiner Seite music video)