To overview life and work of :: KRAFTWERK :: it probably needs an encyclopedia. Their role, importance and influence on today’s music scene, especially the electro scene should fill scientific papers. Books can be written about the pioneers of electronic music. KRAFTWERK is a German object of cultural value and KRAFTWERK have influenced numberless bands and musicians. So, everybody out there, who is interested in electronic music, should have seen KRAFTWERK live at least once in a lifetime.

:: pics ::

I actually needed a long, long time. But finally, it’s going to happen: my very first KRAFTWERK show. And it was everything but easy to land this gig. All shows of the last years were sold out in a twinkling of an eye. To get a press accreditation is likewise difficult and to get photo pass is almost impossible. This scenario of course got repeated for this autumn tour too. Ticket pre-sale started in spring and it was a long fight against the ticket server to finally catch me one. It was only possible with some help. Meanwhile many additional shows were announced and at the end even doubled shows each day. The • Lichtburg • in Essen offered 4 days in a row with doubled shows each night. I caught my ticket for those Sunday late night show :) But none of those 8 shows was really sold out…

The late night show was set to begin at 11:59pm. To hit the road that late towards the Ruhr area for a concert is a strange matter. Normally I’m on my way home at this time. But the late hour had the advantage of empty roads. I reached Essen at record speed without breaking records in speed ;) And it was good to arrive a bit untimely, because body, bags and clothes got meticulously checked by the securities. ID cards as well (personalized tickets). Such thing I experienced last at a Tool show in 2006.

However, with a hot coffee (definitely a wrong choice at this time) I try to cuddle in my very small seat. Lights went out and the spectacle began.
KRAFTWERK play a very best-of set, including all classics. The setlist is just great. The music gets accompanied by 3D visuals. The 3D goggle is a bit too big and uncomfortable, the 3D technique not so optimal. It is definitely not that kind of experience you have at a cinema watching a 3D movie. At the beginning and at the end there was kinda surround sound to hear, generally there was not.
The meanwhile grey operators Ralf Hütter, Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz and Falk Grieffenhagen rather acted sedately, while singer Ralf Hütter suffered a bit from breathlessness. Ok, it’s the second show already and the performance is not meant to jump around. It didn’t narrow the pleasure of the show.
Apropos jumping… That was indeed a problem for me. KRAFTWERK, that is electronic music, heavy beats, that is Techno and Pop. This is music to move and to dance to. Instead I was damned to bounce with my feet and to slide on my velvet seat. KRAFTWERK played a 2 hrs. show, including 2 encores. Every song dot welcomed by applause but there was nothing frenetic in it. Well, the average age in the audience was high and it was already 2 am. An actively responding crowd that was not.
For me it was though a great show! It was my first (and probably only) one. Now I can say: I have seen KRAFTWERK playing live ;)

The photos here are done with my small digi cam (it was allowed). 3D visuals can’t be shot properly, that’s way they are blurred.

Setlist: Nummern, Computerwelt, It's More Fun To Compute/Heimcomputer, Computerliebe, Die Mensch-Maschine, Spacelab, Das Modell, Neonlicht, Autobahn, Ätherwellen, Geiger Counter, Radioaktivität, Electric Café, Tour de France 1983, Tour de France Étape 2, Tour de France 2003, Trans Europa Express, Metall auf Metall, Abzug // Die Roboter // Aéro Dynamik, Planet der Visionen, Boing Boom Tschak, Techno Pop, Music Non Stop

story & pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography