Monday, 21 Apr 2008
For a group that is rounding the corner and heading towards their 40th year together (in 2010) it’s hard to argue against the longevity and staying power of Kraftwerk. The foursome graced the Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee last night, one of four US performances scheduled for the year. Though I’m not what you would consider a long-time fan, I also wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to see a group that has no guarantee of touring these parts again.
I like the many others in the crowd waited with heavy anticipation for the shadowy images to appear behind the red-drenched curtain a little after 8pm. After a thunderous roar from the audience the curtain was lifted to unveil their minimalist stage presence: four guys with four concealed electronic stands, which for the duration of the show, you never get much of an idea of what is they’re exactly doing back there.
The visual accompaniment of vintage Tour de France footage to their song of the same name was probably be biggest thirll for me. Not only was the music top-notch, but I was simply riveted with the powerful legs, packs of riders, and high mountain climbs. Many songs throughout their set would also benefit from the visual augmentation, including tons of “Vitamins” (pills) falling gently which seemed somewhat appropriate consider the days date and prompted a regretful gentlemen behind me to announce his remorse for “not taking those mushrooms.”
Though “Tour de France” was probably my favorite part of the night, “Autobahn” was equally impressive, though the biggest crowd reaction came from “Computer Love,” most likely due to it being sampled on Coldplay’s “Talk,” which I’ll admit having that song swimming through my head throughout the drive home as a result. As far as straight electronic shows go, this one ranks up there for me categorically in terms of what I’ve seen, only being topped by Daft Punk at Lollapalooza last summer. I’m glad I made the trip, now I just need to get your advice on essential Kraftwerk albums to add to my collection…
Update: MKEONLINE Review and Photos
Myspace: Kraftwerk
Find MP3’s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic
April 21st, 2008 at 6:57 am
Can’t go wrong with Computer Love, Man-Machine, or Radio-Activity (my favourite)… of course Autobahn and Tour de France are classic. The Minimimum-Maximum compilation is actually really good too.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:27 am
Mensch-Machine, the german release, w. english lyrics to refer to. sounds like an amazing show!
April 21st, 2008 at 8:18 am
my fave album is the german version of trans europa express
April 21st, 2008 at 9:03 am
They played Showroom Dummies! Oh, hate the new guy already and the solos from Boing Boom Tschak were REALLY short.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:00 am
Can’t believe they actually came to Milwaukee, was it the German connection?! Great show!! I was worried about the sound of an electronic group in that ballroom, but it was very good. The crowd was prety big and I was surprised how many young folks were there (including my 15 year old son). For a moment it was like listening to Computer World on vinyl in a dark room all over again! Glad to say I was there!!
April 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
I can’t complain… It was a great show…
Plus this amazing blog writer got me in to it.
Gotta say, it was a pretty sweet night overall..
And as far as introducing Kraftwerk into your music library… the Minimum-Maximum compilation is probably the way to go.
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I was in the second row near middle and totally enjoyed the show! My first time seeing them live and it totally blew me away. I was wondering if anyone had pics from the show that they would be willing to share?? I managed to snap photos from my cell phone, but was wondering if there was something of higher quality out there. I will be checking this page to see if anyone leaves any comments. Thanks much!
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
What? Dude, it took me about 3 minutes to figure out your lame allusion to “4/20.” You need to be more precise in your language.
And “Vitamin” is about conditioning your body for bicycling, not about taking drugs.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Buying advices for a Kraftwerk newbie:
In this order
- Minimum Maximum DVD
- The Mix
- Computerworld ( Kraftwerk`s masterpiece! )
- The Man-Machine
- Trans Europe Express
- Electric Cafe
You seem to be a biking fan, so I can really recommend the “Tour de France Soundtracks” a s well
April 25th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Doh! I can’t believe I didn’t hear about this until now, I totally would have driven up. I’ve seen them twice in the last 10 years and they amaze everyone I bring. Even my girlfriend, who hated them before seeing them, loves them now. Maximum-Minumum is good and the DVDs are cool because it’s like being there again. I really like how no longer do videos show people’s lighters, they show the screens of their camera phones.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
was midstage 30 feet from the stage and the sound was very good. even at that distance the bass was penetrating. how good was the show? 5 days later and its still reverberating around my head!
May 13th, 2008 at 10:01 am
The fourth man from the left is NOT Florian Schneider!