Kraftwerk @ Myth
Posted on April 20th, 2008 – 12:57 PMBy Jon Bream
The mainfloor was packed on Saturday (and the upper level closed off by curtains) for this German cult fave. It was Kraftwerk’s first local appearance since 1975. My friend Tim said he was disappointed that they didn’t play “Pocket Calculator.”
Here’s what they did play:
1 MAN MACHINE 2 PLANET OF VISIONS 3 NUMBERS 4 COMPUTERWORLD 5 TOUR DE FRANCE 6 VITAMIN 7 AUTOBAHN 8 COMPUTERLOVE 9 MODEL 10 Neonlicht11 SHOWROOMDUMMIES 12 RADIOACTIVITY 13 Trans Europa Express ENCORE 14 ROBOTS 15 Elektrokardiogramm 16 Aerodynamik 17 MUSIK NON STOP
What did you think of the show? Please post your comment here:
25 Responses to "Kraftwerk @ Myth"
True, nothing new was presented here, but I still felt priveleged to have had the opportunity to see and hear Kraftwerk perform live.
I found the band to be a bit more animated than I had seen on the “Minimum-Maximum” DVD or on other video clips. I even got the impression they were enjoying the show.
Mr. Bream failed to mention core member Florian Schneider wasn’t present; I found his absence a bit disappointing although his replacement (or stand-in?) did a fine enough job.
Perhaps Jon Bream isn’t familiar with the image and mystique Kraftwerk have built for themselves?
It was great to see Kraftwerk live after all these years of enjoying their music.
I think the extreme minimalism of the performers is an intentional juxtaposition against the more kinetic (albeit primitive, they’re not pulling down Pink Floyd money here)video which results in perpetual commentary of one of their primary themes- dehumanization via mechanization.
This comes to a head as they are replaced by robot versions of themselves, but are then reborn or subsumed- either interpretation works depending on how full your glass is- as grid-suited beings of the future. Or perhaps they just really like Tron.
In any case, it was a very enjoyable show and satisfying enough for this fanboy that objectivity becomes irrelevant, and that’s exactly what I look for when I peer into the soul of art.
I could have sworn they did either It’s More Fun To Compute or Home Computer early on in the set. Maybe I’m wrong.
As mentioned, if you have heard Minimum Maximum, you’ve basically heard this show but with a different sequencing, arrangements, and a couple songs taken out and others put back in. I was somewhat disappointed with this, but when you consider their output over the past 20 years, it is not that surprising. Throw in that this was really their main staples, and it is even less surprising. A couple times between songs, I found myself thinking, “Oh, please, don’t play….”(the next song on Minimum Maximum).
Having said that, it was indeed a privelege to see these legends (or the latest incarnation of them) in person. To me, though, the loss of Pocket Calculator was greatly made up by the addition of Computer Love.
I tried jotting down the tunes throughout the set and actually had them down for 20 songs; and like an earlier post, I too heard It’s More Fund to Compute.
I wonder what the deal was with Florian Schneider? I was disappointed he was not there, but found the concert to be very enjoyable. The show was very similar to what you see on YouTube — Man Machine starting things out, the first “encore” with the Robots, and then a couple more tunes with the funky glow-in-dark suits.
Here’s a news flash for Jon Bream: KW stand at laptops and deliver the music without emotion. It’s how they do it, it’s what they are, it’s what the personna has always been. If you’re looking for something else, maybe the Strib will send you to cover the next Styx show at the State Fair. That’s more your speed anyway.
Awesome show, weak review.
Comparing Kraftwerk to typical rock shows misses the point that they have always been about artistic statement rather than entertainment in the radio-friendly, low comm denom sense.
Their stage act perfectly complemented the enduring and evocative soundscapes that are their music.
I don’t think that you can fully appreciate the band unless you consider the originality and prescience of their music in its original context of the 1970s and early 80s.
The reporter does not mention the most important part of the show in that one of the founding members of Kraftwerk, Florian Schneider was not in attendance and was replaced by an a man half his age.
By the contents of the review I am sure the reporter would not know this. The show covered all periods of their discography. Different sounds for different eras, its very basic. Kraftwerk are not a rock out band, people go to see the band knowing fully what to expect, the band members letting rip is not one of them.
Maybe send someone with a little knowledge of the band next time. Wikipedia the night before does not cut it.
Oh yeah the show was amazing
A few comments on the show, review and Kraftwerk in general:
1) Why Florian Schneider hasn’t even come to the U.S. for this show is a total mystery and failing to mention his absence is a glaring omission by the reviewer. If there’s any flair to a KW show, it usually comes from Schneideer, the more secretive but playful half of KW.
2) Yes, It’s More Fun to Compute/Home Computer were played early on, part of the usual Computer World medley. There’s no mention made, however, that the 1984 version of Tour de France was played as well as the 2003 Tour de France Soundtracks version.
3) KW have not churned out just one album (TDF Soundtracks) in 25 years–Electric Cafe came out in 1985-86, when I was a college freshman.
4) The reviewer points out (seems to complain?) that KW traveled with more equipment back in the day. No, they now travel with the entire Klingklang studio, it’s just been digitized and made portable. They can do everything and more with less now. The time it took them to update their equipment at the expense of touring or producing new material is, I believe, a major reason Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos left the band.
5) Why did KW eliminate the longer video introduction to Radioactivity? The one spelling out the volumes of radioactivity released by certain accidents, how long their half lives are, etc. Strange.
6) As for Myth, I can’t say good things. It was packed as anything and badly laid out. Everyone trying to get to and from the bar bumped into me or stepped on my foot as they squeezed around a badly placed column. My back was against the staircase and I had hoped I could stand on the little ledge behind me to see over the crowd once the show started but, of course, the Keeper of the Stairs, the bouncer goon, tapped me right on the back and pointed down. There was NO reason why I couldn’t have stayed there–I wasn’t blocking anyone behind me from doing anything and maybe I could’ve seen over the tall androgynous freak in front of me who insisted on keeping its Little Red Riding Hood hoodie hood on all night–it was like having a KKK meeting right in front of me all night and part of the reason I couldn’t even tell Florian was MIA. It was so tight in there that my friend went to the men’s room and texted me that he couldn’t get back to where I was, would see me afterward–kills the point of going with someone. Audio was good but the bass was occasionally too much for its own good.
7) Even with these minimal gripes, I’ll pay $35 to see KW any day of the week in Minneapolis. I was supposed to see them in NYC around 1991 and they cancelled, never rescheduled. I had to wait until 1999 or 2000–lucky to see them then since they weren’t pushing any new product. I never expected a chance to see KW again, especially not once I moved to Minnesota. I certainly figured if I did, I’d have to drive to Detroit or Chicago, so good for KW mixing it up a bit.
I was lucky enough to see them in 1998 and 2004 in San Francisco and this show paled in comparison. Florian’s absence was a big deal - the technical perfection wasn’t quite there but you’d have to be really nitpicky to notice. Fortunately or unfortunately, I AM that nitpicky. This would have been a fine show for anyone who had never seen them before, and I still consider it money well spent to see them live, and I’m sure that I would go again if I ever get another chance, but I guess I have to admit that we’re all older now and in 2008 it’s much easier to tell that we’ve moved years away from their peak.
(My own review and setlist can be found at my website link.)
Jon Bream’s review really shows how out of touch he is with Kraftwerk and modern electronic music.
Reviewing Kraftwerk and complaining about “repetitious minimalism”?
No wonder the Star Tribune is failing - they send the wrong people out to do the job.
I wonder if Bream has listened that much to Kraftwerk’s music lately or if he’s stuck back in 1975. “Hyper-techno on quaaludes”? Interesting that he chose a drug that hasn’t been in fashion since ‘75. Also,too bad that he missed places the drug reference. “Vitamin”, another of their songs performed, is be much more befitting that description, both in sound and subject.
Describing “Aero Dynamik” to have “hip-hop scratching noises” clearly shows he’s not familiar at all with the songs. There are no hip-hop scratching noises in the tune (which is about bicycling technology), no Prince style bass lines (shows how much he knows about Prince’s music as well), and the musicians didn’t “shake any legs”. I was on the floor in front of them and if Bream thinks that their slight foot taps isf shaking a leg then he must be geriatric.
“Autobahn” didn’t drone on at all - it was a fairly faithful performance of the original tune and it got a rousing cheer from fans on the foor at the sound of the car door slam.
The joy of Kraftwerk is in the details. Most of which Bream either didn’t know to look/listen for or he just was not paying attention (at the bar trying to get a drink?).
Missing the absence of Florian is a big oversight and it gives me a clue as to how well Bream knows Kraftwerk (not very well at all). Stefan Pfaffe, Florian’s stand in, did a fantastic job and he looked like he was having all his dreams come true performing as a member of the legend that is Kraftwerk.
Computer Love was a major highlight as it hadn’t been performed in the last few tours. Showroom Dummies was performed in French - which was an unexpected twist. They did many live manipulations to their songs so that they weren’t quite as you’d expect them to be. This is allowed by their virtual studio software on the laptops. You wouldn’t be able to manipulate the sounds in the manner they did if you had truck loads of analogue equipment.
Comparing to their last US tour there were also slight changes in their video projections (which are always fantastic).
I know Bream had to write this for the “folks at home” but it really didn’t do the show justice.
Was Bream upstairs in the balcony that was curtained off to the stage?
His review reads like second hand knowledge.
It was a fun show — I went with my wife, NOT a music geek, and even she had fun. Anyone who enjoys dancing to electronic music would’ve liked it.
“Pocket Calculator” is my favourite Kraftwerk track and I was disappointed they didn’t play it. I could’ve very well done without “Musique Non Stop” — which was ironic, because the music stopped after that song!
I also thought it was lame that Florian wasn’t there at all. His stand-in was completely motionless the entire time. Actually, most of them never moved at all. I realise it’s “what they do,” but the whole setup feels more like watching a DVD whilst listening to Kraftwerk’s greatest hits. Where they actually doing ANYTHING on those laptops??
But like I said, it was fun, and I’m glad to have seen Kraftwerk. Never thought they’d come to the Twin Cities!
Previous comments have summed it up quite well. Mr. Bream completely missed the point of KW and their music. He was trying to compared KW to a typical “Rock” show. That isn’t KW. My son and I witnessed an exceptional experience. One we will cherish. They gave us exactly what we came to see. It was amazing. My only disapointment was the absense of Florian.
[…] execrable Star Tribune mini-review of the Minneapolis (well, Maplewood) Kraftwerk show. […]
Way off base again Bream. The above had said it all. They were more like a pre-recorded show, in fact it had to be to match some of the video *(when the train ca bumpers hit together). Yes, odd to pointy heads, that they had no instruments and were totally static. Elvis they are not! Bream does not seem to like a band if they are more than “the next thing”. He doesn’t still know that Kraftwerk is not a band. Time to early retire!
Doses kind of lieked teh show wiht the minimallist beets wases steady. I ddi dance when taht sequince part came on wehere it was liek “ung tisk ung tisk ung tisk ung ung ung” then the builddrop was like DUN DUN DUN and teh cowrd started moeving. Pepole were dancing to the techno good.
what kind of music critic is the star tribune sending out to review a show? he clearly doesn’t know anything about kraftwerk. i saw them at the milwaukee show and it was exactly like all of you describe.
i agree, no florian schnieder was a surprise. i’m not sure why he’s not touring with them. you people are correct in the fact that the playlist is inaccurate. the 5th and 6th songs in the set are dentaku/home computer. jon bream does not know the computer world album.
overall, the milwaukee show was fantastic. kraftwerk’s sound is much more expanded live than in the studio. deep full rich bass with excellent quality through-out.
star tribune, please don’t send someone out to review a show who has no clue what the artist is all about. to lead off the review talking about prince just shows his incompetency. this was kraftwerk’s night, not prince’s.
Dear Mr Reviewer, KRAFTWERK IS GERMAN!!! They are minimalists! That’s their schtick. Are you just mad because you were actually hoping to go see Bret Michaels @ the Myth? How dare you sir. You insulted the granddaddies of all electronica. It’s like saying that you think James Brown just wasn’t trying hard enough towards the last few years of his career. They are icons! Take all the advances in modern music, and odds are that Kraftwerk started it. Just how many shows have you gone to that features animatronics? I was in the front row on the right side and I was raptured! Seeing Kraftwerk play was a dream come true for me! I have been a fan since I was a baby and that is NO exaggeration! My husband I played “Computer Love” for our wedding recessional. I wasn’t alive the last time Kraftwerk came to town, but seeing them on Saturday helped make my young life more complete.
I feel somewhat sad for Mr. Bream at this point. Here he is with no knowledge of how Kraftwerk was sampled over and over and over again by 70’s/80’s/90’s/00’s (let’s not forget Fergie sampling them) and never raising a fuss over their rights. He has no knowledge of how their pioneering spirit helped create Germanic music with electronics after two World Wars demonized their culture. He does not attempt to understand that the two septuagenarians in the group created a set of masterpieces not limited to themselves, and the absence of one indicates either some serious problem between them or perhaps with himself.
Not only did I go to this show but I also went to the show at the Monegros Music Festival ourside of Zaragoza, Spain in 2006. Truthfully, the members did a better job of staying motionless at that performance than at Myth. I honestly referred to Ralf’s activity to my girlfriend as ‘flailing away’ compared to Monegros. With most differences viewed as kindly as possible, I actually thought the show at Myth was better. The smaller setting made for better views (unless you ended up getting moved by a bouncer) and a more thorough enjoyment of the music, even if it left your guts gently bruised from the bass.
Rest assured, Mr. Bream wlll be forgiven provided that he does better research on future reviews. As for Florian Schneider, let’s simply hope that all is well. Even if he chose to retire at 61, he is certainly deserving; he has created something far bigger than himself or his works in Kraftwerk.
(So, how do we petition them to come back in less than 32 years?)
Dear Mr. Bream,
you don`t know a lot about Kraftwerk! OK! This music genre is obviously not your cup of tea. Fine, no problem!
But that you did not realise that Florian Schneider wasn´t even there….OUCH! Ralf & Florian are often called the godfathers of electronic music and working together for 40 years, at least you should have mentioned that Florian wasn`t on stage. You missed THE STORY man!
Here Here.
Still not mentioned much here is that Kraftwerk sound is FROM THE GROUND UP. The unitiated would say “What is that?” ie., sounds never heard before. Or those of us who know electronics understand this is all orginal generation of sound as well as composition. No sampling here. No doing anyone’s licks.
As one example, in Tour de France there was a sequence which involved several blocks of sound across the stereo spectrum, resulting in a perception of a spoken word. This is absolutely brilliant, takes lots of work, and results in a beautiful, emotional effect on the audience. A group of younger fans were dancing like crazy behind me on that one. Children also, so I don’t think they even know the depth of work here. Just loved the sound.
Kraftwerk has a completely unique sound, which is formed expression. Artists. Comparing them to James Brown is still not adequate since Brown worked within blues and soul genres. Kraftwerk creates its own genre. NEW MUSIC.
Also, the view of these old guys hanging on to their old glory, let’s remember they are (were) godfathers, etc–Way off.
They continue to be mentors and you will continue to see followers.
On another topic, the club. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE BEEN PATTED DOWN SEARCHED AND ASKED TO REMOVE ITEMS FROM MY POCKETS AT ANY CONCERT OR CLUB TYPE VENUE. PERIOD. AND I HAVE BEEN AROUND. THEY DID IT TO EVERYONE. WHATS GOING ON HERE!!! THERE WERE NO METAL DETECTORS FROM WHAT I COULD SEE, AND THEY DIDN’T GO DOWN THE LEGS, SO THIS WOULDN’T EVEN ASSURE SAFETY ANYWAY.
THIS SHOULD BE A BIG STORY AND I PLAN TO PURSUE THIS. INVADING PRIVACY OF MIDLE AGED PROFESIONALS LIKE ME AND MOST ATTENDEES; AS WELL AS THE YELLING, ORDERING, AND CONDESCENSION; WHILE NOT ACCEPTABLE FOR ANYONE, WERE PARTICULARLY ASSININE. THIS WAS A MODEL BEHAVED CROWD, CONSIDERING WE WERE PACKED IN LIKE SARDINES IN A CONCRETE BOX. ODDLY, THE COAT CHECK LADY WAS VERY SWEET (CLOSER TO OUR AGE)AND WATCHED MY HAT AND GLOVES.
I WILL NEVER ATTEND THIS VENUE AGAIN.
Reviewer obviously does not understand that Kraftwerk are the godfathers of electronic music and in fact are half computer/half men. There’s this one sequence of bleeps and bloops during Autobahn that invokes a sweeping feeling of complete bliss that momentarily overtakes you. It was at that point I realized that when I go, I want a computer to kill me.
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/04/21/minneapolis-hates-kraftwerk/
Way to continue to propagate the view that Minneapolis is a musically retarded culture, especially when it comes to music journalism. The fact that it’s now the 21st century, seems to have escaped the notice of most of the music journalism outlets in the twin cities. Perhaps hiring writers with some awareness of what been happening in music for the last 20 years would help.
Kraftwerk sure hasn’t been happening much in the last 20 years..it’s great to respect pioneers of a genre but that shouldn’t make them immune to criticism when they decide to go on tour at 60 years old. The same thing happens with every single review written here that isn’t glowingly positive and slobbering all over the artist. From Bon Jovi to some Idol reject to Kraftwerk. Of course most of you thought the show was fantastic, you were there and you’ve been a fan.
I think you kinda missed the point there TRG. It’s not about giving a positive/negative review. It’s about having knowledgeable writers on staff who actually know what’s going on. I’m not really a fan of Kraftwerk (I do, however, respect their place in the development of electronic music) but if you’re going to write about them, at least bother to do a small amount of background research. This is merely one example of how clueless the TC music press is about what’s going on outside of the rock/hip hop scene and that is even debatable. Ever wonder why your dead tree music press is irrelevant?
As for patdowns, etc., yeah, they were a bit intrusive, but I’d prefer that than being stabbed/shot at a show and that’s happened before. Would be helpful, say, if the guys doing the patdowns checked the small of your back, best place to conceal a handgun….
As for Kraftwerk “not happening” much for the past 20 years, they’ve been busy digitizing their entire recording studio, which in the process makes the whole thing portable for touring. Kraftwerk have earned the right to be as productive or laid back as they choose to be. This is a group that has always set its own rules. Their studio has no phone, etc.; even EMI always had a hard time reaching them. When KW has material, they take it to the studio. It’s their way.
One more side note: why is KW not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for all their influence???
What a lame review. I’d like to pile on.
I enjoyed the show immensely, as Kraftwerk are, well, Kraftwerk, and twice before I have been thwarted from seeing them, in Detroit in 1980 and in Tokyo in the late 90s. Their movies really enhance their music.
This was in spite of the poor layout, crowded conditions, poor bass reproduction and inhuman staff at Myth. My first and last visit.
And in spite of the absence of Florian Schneider. What kind of journalist are you? Your ignorant comments about the group and their music are bad enough - you shouldn’t have been sent to review the show in the first place. But when the group launch their tour in the Twin Cities, and one of the co-founders is missing, that’s news! And you completely missed it!
Par for the course for today’s Strib.
