It takes a lot to get a bunch of robots out of Düsseldorf’s Kling Klang Studios. Which is to say it was a miracle that ultra-reclusive German sonic scientists Kraftwerk made their way to Bass Concert Hall on Friday night for two performances. Hence the packed house for even for the 10:30pm late show.
Kraftwerk in concert is as rare as Metallica covering the collected works of Gordon Lightfoot. And this tour arrived as extra special, since Kraftwerk’s electromechanical orchestrations were presented in 3-D. You got a pair of glasses after having your ticket torn, and found yourself riding on the band’s iconic “Autobahn.”
The computer-animated driving sequence accompanying the classic ode to the open road – the group’s first international (and best-known) hit – demonstrated a real sense of movement. First we followed a Volkswagen, and then a Rolls Royce, across the German superhighway of lore. You also got a real sense of depth in the hilarious, hand-drawn space station and outer-space vistas circa 1978 for The Man-Machine’s “Spacelab,” rendered even funnier by UFOs flying at you in cheesy Fifties 3-D movie effects straight out of House of Wax.
At times, the effects could be overpowering and nauseating, such as a pulsating oscilloscope projection that saw many audience members removing their 3-D glasses. Yet the eyewear also added to the effect of the four men manipulating the machines from neon lit podiums in front of the screen, clad in suits featuring similar neon lines and resembling the outfits used in Disney’s Eighties computer-game flick Tron.
Most impressive was how the dinky, beep-beep-swish-zonk! sonics of Kraftwerk’s pioneering electro-pop has been beefed up by being transferred to digital sources and laptop control. This was thick and loud, and lush where it needed to be. Most fascinating was simply witnessing the group at work up close.
Sole founding member Ralf Hütter handled most live play via keyboard-activated melodies and his vocals delivered through a headset mic. Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz, and Falk Grieffenhagen controlled other elements, including visuals and beats, from their respective stations. As rigid, clean, disciplined, and utterly Teutonic as the show and the music came off, it wasn’t devoid of warmth, humor, or humanity.
In fact, laughter and joy became natural responses.
There was also a surprising sociopolitical thrust to much of the material, from the consumer culture/beauty process/dehumanization critique of “The Model” to the obvious anti-nuke sentiment of “Radioactivity.” Kraftwerk’s utter discipline also meant minimalist lyrical statements, rather than the strident preaching of most hardcore bands. They made their points in as few words as possible.
Still, the high point was obviously the appearance of robots during the first encore of (yes) “The Robots.” For some, that was all that was necessary. It was thrilling as aided by their enlargement onscreen.
At the end of the nearly three-hour extravaganza, Hütter took a final bow and offered a closing “Goodnight, auf wiedersehen.”
This article appears in September 25 • 2015.
