What if Rammstein were an emo band? Chances are if you've got a tween in your household, especially one that sprechens the Deutsch, you already know. That would be Tokio Hotel, the quartet of German jugend that has sold more than five million albums in its native Deutschland and, this year's English-language debut Scream (Interscope) - aka Schrei - in tow, has set its sights on the States.
"Tokio Hotel TV": The lads clown around a New York City photo booth
Formed in 2001 in Magdeburg - capital of the north-central German state of Saxony-Anhalt, noted for its cathedral (of course) and being one of Martin Luther's early "Reformation" tour stops; composer Georg Phillip Telemann was born there - Tokio Hotel is like Kraftwerk with more acoustic guitars and a lot more eyeliner. Actually, that's not true, but AFI fans and weirdos who enjoy watching MTV Europe on the satellite dish will think they're a hoot. - Chris Gray
8 p.m. tonight at Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas (Bayou Place), 713-230-1600.