Radioactiva, MTV, and a ticket to Mexico

I work in healthcare, and I’ve listened to Rammstein since 1998. I remember hearing them for the first time with “Du Hast” on Radioactiva, the rock station where you could find this kind of music in Colombia back then. Over time, MTV — which was the biggest thing in rock at the height of the grunge era — started airing their videos, and that’s when I got completely hooked, without understanding a word of German but feeling how it made me vibrate.

I couldn’t see them when they played Colombia: I wasn’t living in Bogotá at the time, and work made it impossible. So I flew to Mexico to see them instead, and it was worth every cent and every effort — the stage, the production, the warmth of the band members, and sharing the experience with fans from so many different countries made it something unique. I have keychains, CDs, T-shirts, and I’m still adding little pieces to the collection; I don’t have any tattoos, but they still take up a huge place in my heart.

Over the years they stopped being just a musical taste: I’m part of LIFAD, and that’s let me meet people from different countries, get information straight from the band, and build friendships that have lasted over time. This year I’m seeing them in Barcelona, and the idea isn’t just to enjoy the concert from the front rows, but to share it with those friends from other countries, all of us united by the same passion. Among my wildest dreams is getting to meet them and interact with them someday.