Live Review: Tokio Hotel – The Roxy, Hollywood

Who said glam is dead?

Last Friday, Germany’s Tokio Hotel sent a shockwave through The Roxy in West Hollywood, reviving the ’80s in the process. Their first U.S. show proved rapturous for the tween-set in the crowd, and served as a reminder of how fun rock and roll can be for the rest of us. Already a veritable European sensation, Tokio Hotel’s US debut Scream drops in April on Interscope, but that didn’t stop the crowd from singing every lyric to every song. From the early afternoon, teenage girls lined up down Sunset Boulevard with posters declaring their dedication to the European rock sensation. The strip came alive again that night, and Facebook Nation got its Bon Jovi.

The band’s hour-long set was culled primarily from Scream. Since the album already saw release in Europe, the songs weren’t new to the crowd. The band kicked off the show with a fast and furious rendition of “Ready, Set, Go!” The flurry of screams nearly drowned out singer Bill Kaulitz’s vocals, but the band still sounded tight. Bill’s twin brother Tom took up a Nikki Sixx-style pose shredding his licks right through “Don’t Jump” and “Scream.” He exuded a cock-rock cool, as he winked at various girls in the audience.

If the phenomenal Black Tide are the new Guns N’ Roses, then Tokio Hotel are definitely the new Bon Jovi. As a frontman, Bill knows how to play to his crowd. Right before “Don’t Jump,” he proclaimed, “It’s so good to be here in Los Angeles! We’ve come all the way from Germany to be with you here, tonight!” Cuts like “Breakaway” and “By Your Side” elicited the biggest cheers, and the band were gods to those teen girls.

At certain parts of the set, it was interesting to see all of these kids holding up cell phones instead of the lighters their parents probably held up during Poison shows in the ’80s. What 13-year-old needed a cell phone in rock’s heyday? It just goes to show how much has changed. Right before the band went on, two girls were talking about Tokio Hotel. “They’re so great to their fans; they love us!,” exclaimed a girl that couldn’t have been older than 14. She continued, “Because the show’s supposed to be out around 10, my mom said I could go.” At least it wasn’t a school night.

—Rick Florino
02.19.08
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