Georg Listing on Instagram: Breakfast in #boston
déjeuner à #boston
Interview for “Well done Boston”
Tokio Hotel plays Boston for the first time tomorrow as the Feel It All World Tour stops at the Paradise.
With a new record released in September of last year and a new tour launched in March of 2015, Tokio Hotel are still at the top of their game. Massively successful across the world, they have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide and have been at the top of the charts every time they release a record. As they play Boston for the first time ever, tomorrow August 11th at the Paradise Rock Club, the anticipation is high to see these European legends grace the stage.
I got the chance to chat with frontman Bill Kaulitz via email about the tour, their music, and their lasting success.
WD) It’s been a while since you were out on tour, how is everything going so far?
BK) Everything is going very well. We are super happy we can tour in the US again. It’s been such a long time since we toured here last. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to bring this show over and share it with our American fans, but we weren’t sure it was going to work out due to the logistics. Now that is has, we couldn’t be more excited. We wanted to bring the whole production over and deliver the same show we did in Europe. Our idea was to bring an arena production to small venues and give the audience a once in a lifetime experience. Something they haven’t seen before. There is a lot going on. We have a massive light show, costumes and lots of special effects. We wanted to turn the small venues into nightclubs and have a massive party with everyone. So far it is working out perfectly. We are having the best time!
WD) What have your experiences in Boston been like when you have toured here before?
BK) This will be our first time playing in Boston so we are really excited to come and play for our fans. We love visiting new cities, but the bad thing is that you never really get the chance to actually see it. We are in and out. We spend the entire day at the venue, play the show and then we are off to the next one. We’ve heard great things about Boston so i hope we get to at least see a little bit!
WD) How do international audiences differ from American ones?
BK) We feel like the fans have been waiting so long for us to come to the US that they really appreciate that we are back on the road. We see so many different types of people and it feels like our audience here is more mixed than in other countries. From super young girls to older guys and everything in between, and that is great. I love that! That’s what music does. It unites all ages and genders. Nothing matters but the music and the experience. The energy we get back in America is overwhelming. We love it.
WD) For those that haven’t seen you before, what can people expect at a Tokio Hotel show?
BK) They can definitely expect a “show”. We don’t show up and just bring our amps and instruments. We really put on a show and always try to give our fans something new and unexpected. There is so much going on stage that it’s hard to describe. We have different sections in the show and also play some of our favorites from the old albums, but the concept of the show is mainly about the new album. It’s very electronic and we tried things we’ve never done before. Everyone stepped out of their comfort zone to make the songs come alive on stage. The guys play drums, piano, synths etc. it’s a big electronic party with snow, lights, costumes, air guns and more.
WD) You guys have been deeply involved in the fashion world for some years now. What is your favorite item of menswear for touring?
BK) Well that’s different for every tour. For me, a good show needs good fashion and it’s totally different from street wear. When I’m on stage I turn into different characters and I love that. My costumes are super loud. Every song and section of the show has a different feeling and I tried to reflect that with my outfits. I have about 5 costume changes in the show. I always work together with different designers for each tour. On the humanoid tour I worked with Dan and Dean of D-Square. For this tour I designed everything myself with Marco Marco. He’s a LA designer and we immediately clicked, so I was happy.
WD) The new record came out late last year sounds great. It was number one in 30 countries and in TOP5 in 17 more countries. What do you attribute to the lasting success of the music?
BK) Success for me is to have a real fan base. For people to come out all over the world, to see you and share the music with you. Having a number one record is great of course! But nowadays it doesn’t really mean anything anymore. The music industry has changed so much. There is a new song or artist that pops up every week with lots of hype. Most of them only gain momentum for a quick minute and then they are gone. Also, the competition is harder than ever. Music is everywhere and record companies don’t really matter as much anymore and their power is mostly gone. The future in the music industry is not going to be within major labels, I can tell you that! So in this crazy circus the best thing you can have are fans that are passionate about the band and your music and not only one song. We are so lucky to have that. That’s real success to me!
WD) What’s next for you guys after the tour is complete?
BK) Well, there are plenty more shows to go. After the US leg of the tour we continue the world tour to LATAM. After that we go to Russia and Ukraine. We are also planning a part 5 of the tour in Europe and Asia so we basically gonna tour the rest of the year.
Tom and I are also writing a book, our first novel. It’s a dark, twisted, and sarcastic story about the music industry we grew up in. The plan is to finish it this year but you never know. It’s a lot of work since we do it on our own and have no ghostwriters or anything. It’s a lot of fun but so much fucking work. We are also constantly in the studio working on new music and some solo projects. We definitely don’t get bored or get any rest, that’s for sure.
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Georg Listing on Instagram: Sightseeing in #boston with #torg 😎😉
visite de #boston avec #torg 😎😉
Bill Kaulitz on Instagram: a rainy #Boston today #feelitallworldtour
un #Boston pluvieux aujourd’hui #tournéemondialefeelitall
Tokio Hotel on Instagram: #Boston that was special #thankyou
#Boston c’était spéciale #merci
PS: I will post a new post soon of my own experience in Boston & New York. I have A LOT of pictures and things to say about the Meet & Greet, so stay tuned!!!
Je vais poster un nouvel article bientôt à propos de ma propre expérience à Boston et New York. J’ai BEAUCOUP de photos et de choses à dire à propos des M&G, alors restez connectés!!!
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TOKIO HOTEL CANADA 