Girls getting high at Rammstein parties? Thousands should not drown out the voice of the weakest victim

The band started its next European tour on May 22, 2023 in Vilnius. One of the participants in the event was 24-year-old Irish Shelby Lynn, who created a Twitter account to report the disturbing events she was supposed to attend. She was selected to participate in a “pre-party” before the concert, during which she had two drinks (vodka and prosecco) and then a shot of tequila from a bottle that the singer had brought with him. According to her account, everyone in the room drank from the same bottle, including Lindemann. Shelby reports that around At 20, her memory began to fail, and the recordings she has on her phone show that she is under the influence of some substance. She also points out that in none of her entries does she claim that singer Till Lindemann raped or beat her.

What happened in Vilnius?

Shelby Lynn describes being pulled aside at the party by Joe Letz, who offered her a brief meeting with Lindemann. She was to immediately indicate that she did not want to engage in any sexual activity, to which she was to hear that this was not the kind of invitation and that the singer was an absolute gentleman. After this event, another participant allegedly told her that she sneaked into the party thanks to the wristband from Saturday (that day there was a dress rehearsal before the tour) and clearly warned her that the singer expected this type of rapprochement.

Shelby reports that she was invited to meet the singer during the concert, when there was a short musical break. Then she was to say in person that she did not want any intimate contact, which Lindemann took note – he was supposed to be irritated, but he did not force anything. According to her account on Twitter, she was going to get really sick afterward, which ended with nausea. At the event, she lost her ticket and hotel card and had to be helped by other partygoers to get back to her room. She describes that the next day she had symptoms such as chills, cold sweats, diarrhea, and vomiting. The girl who was supposed to help her during the “afterparty” claims that she and her friends had similar symptoms.

An ambulance was also supposed to come to Lynn’s room, but no drug test was carried out because one was not supposed to be on the ambulance’s equipment. Shelby claims that she took a test available at the pharmacy (it showed nothing) and the police would not accept her report. Lynn posted footage of the concert itself and photos of large bruises. It indicates that some of them are fingerprints.

Messages from the victims photo via shelbys69666 / Instagram

What are others saying?

Shelby in one of the entries said that she was contacted by girls who had an intimate relationship with Lindemane and their stories were shocking. She emphasizes that these are not her stories, and she will not publish them without proper permission. She also showed a recording from a post posted on: its author indicates that she herself was at two Rammstein afterparties and at the first of them she literally “cut off the film” which she blamed herself for. And although she doesn’t remember much from the party itself, she knows she spent it kissing other partygoers.

In connection with the events in Vilnius, the team released a short statement on May 28:

With regard to the allegations about the events in Vilnius circulating in the network, we can rule out that the alleged event took place in our vicinity. We are not aware of any official investigations into this matter.

Afterparty after the Rammstein concert. Hundreds of participant testimonials

Make no mistake, Rammstein is a thriving entertainment company, and tours are projects planned with literally German precision. Not only the concert, setlist and pyrotechnic effects are carefully planned, but also the “afterparty” with girls who stand in front of the railings on the sides of the stage during concerts – this is the so-called “zero row”.

From the descriptions of the participants of such events, published in numbers probably reaching thousands, emerges a well-written scheme of action. Alena Makeeva is engaged in determining the list of participants or participants in “VIP” entrances to concerts. The group on site is looked after (or supervised) by former member of Combichrist, drummer Joe Letz. Once his band supported Rammstein’s tours in the US and Europe, he became friends with the band members so much that he takes part in the tour of Lindemann’s solo project and works with musicians during their European tours as a DJ at post-concert events.

The procedure is undoubtedly rehearsed, in 2019 at a concert in Prague I saw meeting places for the “afterparty” marked with clearly visible cards. No one who was not on the list or didn’t have the right armband could enter – I know because I asked. What happens at such events is, of course, largely for people not admitted to this circle, a matter of guessing and possible search for descriptions published on the web by the participants. Considering how aggressive and fiery Rammstein concerts and music look, everyone expects Dantesque scenes.

On Shelby’s Instagram profile, there is an allegation that cannot be verified – Makeeva is supposed to treat alcohol with drugs, propose cocaine use and encourage female fans to have sexual contact with the singer or drug them against their will.

Alena Makeeva also publishes fan reports on her profile. Of course positive. It indicates that she is called “the good fairy”. “A few years ago I was at such an afterparty with a friend. We didn’t feel threatened, quite the opposite. The staff very clearly described the rules: alcohol is available, but don’t abuse it, don’t take pictures. The atmosphere was amazing – everyone was very caring, friendly and witty” – we read in one of the reports.

I was on row zero and I’ve never seen fans so cared for. We got our bodyguards, they made sure we weren’t too drunk and we were drinking enough water. The band invites not only girls – friends, acquaintances and family also appear.

One of the participants of the concert and event in Vilnius reports the whole incident from her perspective (and does not hide the fact that her friends are in close relations with Makeeva). Her proua.emo account has eight posts, the oldest of which is 18 weeks old. She also has 133 followers and 170 followers and links to two other profiles – with tattoos and graphics of a 20-year-old from Estonia. He points out that he does not drink alcohol and remembers the party very clearly. He describes that during the afterparty the drinks were poured by the bartender and the glasses were upside down. Everyone could pour what they wanted. She recalls sitting across from Shelby, who seemed to be having a good time, and was constantly recording and taking photos of who and what she wanted. He adds that there were actually two rooms, one of which could not have telephones with you, but they were guarded by security guards. The smaller room where the band members were sitting could be entered voluntarily, no one was forcing you to do anything.

proua.emo

What does the afterparty look like?

I admit that I was also at such afterparty after the Rammstein concert – in 2011 (Gdańsk), 2013 (Warsaw) and 2016 (Wrocław). Then, in fact, after the concert, security guards or technicians with armbands walked around the concert, approached selected people and asked if they wanted to come to the party with the band. If they talked to a single girl, they also let you take your girlfriends with you if you asked. For a fan of the band, this is an offer that cannot be refused.

The course of such a meeting was, on the whole, disappointingly normal. People were invited to a specially designated room, also marked with an appropriate card. Only individuals with armbands were allowed to enter, and access to other rooms, such as dressing rooms, was forbidden. The passage was guarded by security guards.

A variety of drinks – non-alcoholic and alcoholic – were available on site. Everyone could take what they wanted. Music was playing, people were dancing and talking – with each other, with members of the crew or with musicians, if they decided to attend such an event on a given day. Usually, there was a queue of people willing to sign autographs and chat with each of them. There was also a hard rule – no photos at the party or with the band. Compliance with it, of course, came out in check – some did not do and did not ask, others have these photos. I only had autographs and I still hope that one day I will be able to hunt down a photo.

Over the past few years, these “procedures” have changed. And although there is no tab on the band’s official website with information on how to get to the “afterparty”, active participants in social media, Reddit and members of fan clubs exchange “know-how”. I didn’t have to search very hard to read in the comments of the Polish fan club that invitations to the “afterparty” and “zero row” in 2022 were handed out by Alena Makeeva. Once there, the participants are piloted by her, Joe Letz, and guarded by security guards. Reports on the course of various concerts in recent years show that security procedures have even been extended: drinks are distributed only by bartenders, events are guarded by even more security guards, participants can carry telephones, and if they enter rooms where telephones are not allowed, these they lie in plain sight – also guarded by bodyguards. But that might just be the “official” and innocent part. Because, on the other hand, the descriptions of these “private” meetings are so disturbing that it is difficult to remain indifferent. And the more they appear, the more doubts arise.

photo via shelbys69666

My experience certainly cannot be taken as proof that the rule is always respected, that no one intoxicates the participants with drugged alcohol during the “pre-party”, and even more so that there are no orgies in which not everyone participates equally rights. Here, as evidence, we only have written accounts of individual people – it’s word against word. Roughly, it is easy to estimate that if after each concert on Rammstein’s tour, a dozen or so girls take part in the afterparty, so far there have been thousands of such people over the years. It is statistically impossible for all attendees to keep a secret and not talk about the course of such events. It is really difficult to confirm the credibility of such claims – regardless of their content.

Thousands of accounts of safe and innocent meetings behind the scenes of Rammstein concerts, published in the thousands, prove that these people have positive experiences, but they do not exclude the possibility that others have been harmed. Nor that sometimes extreme behavior that some people agree with will be accepted by others. Where there is money, fame, alcohol, drugs and a lot of consent to non-standard practices, there is a real risk of abuse. In the event of violence, thousands should not drown out the voice of the weakest victim – our task is to help them. Because when a teenager meets a 60-year-old idol, there is no balance of power.

A few things are certain here: no one should be forced to do something they don’t feel safe with, and no one should lie about such a serious matter because it harms the real victims. It’s hard to go out of line and accuse the idol of hundreds of thousands of people, even harder when you were a fan yourself. Such a person can be publicly lynched, and most often they do – more admirers testify against Shelby, and the group of potential victims will certainly be statistically smaller than the entire population of admirers of the controversial musician. So far I read online that the band canceled the pre- and afterparty before the concerts on this year’s tour.

You need help?

Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual contact. UNICEF data shows that around 15 million teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 have experienced this type of violence worldwide, but only 1 percent of teenagers turn to a professional for help. Research shows that 80% of rape victims develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If you are a victim of sexual violence, you can get help by calling, for example, the “Blue Line” Telephone Clinic – 22 668 70 00 (7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or the 24-hour hotline of the Women’s Rights Center – 600 070 717.