Venue:
Spark Arena, Auckland NZ
Date: 01/12/2023
I knew it wasn’t going to be a straightforward Kraftwerk gig when I discovered that each seat had a Kraftwerk whoopee cushion on it.
The first song was an authoritative and squelchy Numbers. If you are unfamiliar with this, this piece involves numbers counted in different languages and in different voices over the phattest beat known to man – influencing god knows how many people in its wake. A tremendous opener that nearly silenced the fuckwit community.
As Numbers ended, Ralf Hutter silenced the other three and directed the spotlight onto someone in the audience. “Who farted? Was it you? (consults his laptop screen) …Andrea Smith in seat CC129?” The audience member, now on the big screen, squirms in an embarrassed way, hiding her face with the whopee cushion. Cheers ring around the arena.
Hutter, throws his head back and has a hearty laugh at her expense.
The shows moves through and the visuals, although frequently stunning, do seem very familiar. For example, Spacelab is accompanied by footage you would find cool at the Science Museum in 1983. I guess the retro-ness of this is part of the appeal. They are heavily influenced by Tron and Atari video games. They seem to have one-minute long sequences that are repeated as many times as necessary before the song ends.
Back to Hutter – who good-naturedly tries out a few one-liners about New Zealand and then in we go to the majestic Tour de France section.
Another highlight was where the volume was certainly pumped up quite thrillingly was for Radioactivity. That – and the TEE/Metal/Azbug section were the blissful moments I came for.
As TEE finishes, Hutter silences the band again and says he wants to try something new. They look at him quizzically. He clicks a button and we hear Yakkety Sax. He then says in a sing-song voice “Oops! I don’t think the boys are very happy with me! “. And then “OK – here’s Planet of Visions instead!”.
The last high point was The Robots – which is one of their “proper” songs, like The Model and Neon Lights – also present here in this set.
Here is where I reveal to you that I am in fact an even bigger prankster than Ralf Hutter! He said and did none of those things, obviously. It’s just that there is nothing to say about Kraftwerk as they present themselves on stage. Only Hutter is directly responsible for any of the wonders we are hearing, so they might as well be those showroom dummies Ralf sang about 40-odd years ago.
Having said that, they did seem to be concentrating and doing things – so if it is all genuinely played through analogue keyboards, I take it all back
Very much worth the admission price, though. I am not sure if I will see them again because I have seen them in this formation twice now – about 12 years apart – and as the shows were so try similar I feel that very little will change in the future.
The audience:
Largely middle-aged and older but smatterings of youth were clearly seen dancing towards the end.
Was the fuckwit community out in force? Yes, of course! Loud chatting because the music is loud, see. The group near me did shut up eventually but only because they were told to and three of their number went out for a smoke/vape. Honestly, etc….
It made me think..
Kraftwerk are the only live act where seats up in the Gods at an arena is actually OK.
Great review, and you certainly fooled me, you wag. I do like the mighty ‘Werk, but the idea of seeing them live has never appealed because of the whole showroom dummies/lack of movement thing.
However, if they do go down the whoopee cushion and Yakkety Sax route, I might change my mind.
Well worth seeing once, although as BC mentions, perhaps not twice. It’s also worth mentioning that the live album they released this century, Minimum Maximum is fantastic.
When I saw them in Singapore, Ralf Hutter ended by thanking the audience in English, and then in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, the languages of the main ethnic communities here. I thought that was a nice and clever touch, and I haven’t seen another Western act do something similar when they played here.
Based in all that has been said here, and thanks for the review BC , what would make a live Kraftwerk album fantastic ?
All done on acoustic guitars “Unplugged”
Minimum Maximum is essentially a remix album and it is magnificent.
I have the DVD. Time I gave it another spin.
It works as a best of. Planet of Visions on there is the best thing they’ve done since 1981 (although it’s arguably not really their track)
The second side of Kraftwerk 2 is dominated by acoustic guitar, albeit very distorted. Whoever is on it doesn’t play it any better than I would have done.
Minimum-Maximum is great, as the songs are given some real oomph. I’ve also got the red 3-D Catalogue box set featuring live versions of songs from all their albums, but for some reason those lack that same oomph.
The crowd make the difference on Minimum Maximum. Especially the Tokyo audience singing along to Dentaku.
Agreed, that’s a highlight. Must be a lift for a Japanese audience to hear a Western band bothering to sing to them in their own language.
In the version of Dentaku on Min-Max, I’m sure he’s laughing with the singalong.
It’s ‘cos they were built for 2-D, Cap…🙃
Yeet.
As others have said, it’s beefier versions of some of their material and the collection serves well as a “best of”.
Although Trans Europe Express is the one I want to marry and have children with, I play the double album Tour de France Soundtracks a lot more these days.
*it has
Ahem! Is that Tour De France Soundtracks or Tour De France?
Tour De France. I only know that because I just went to look at it just now – have always referred to it as “Soundtracks” cos that’s what I thought it was.
It was, in 2003. They dropped Soundtracks for the 2009 reissues for some reason.
I think TDFS/TDF must hold the record for the shortest gap between original issue and being remastered. First issued in August 2003 – remastered for the first version of the box set in, er, 2004. The 2009 remaster is different again. Gott in himmel.
Referring to it as “Soundtracks” also quickly establishes that I’m talking about the album release rather than just the single from the 80s.
Oh, I’m with you. I don’t know what they’re playing at with the change . The original 1983-4 versions need a proper reissue though but.
Andrea Smith AGAIN?? I know she’s on statins but I think she needs to be banned.
Pleased to see the Ralfster is still the Archbishop of Banterbury.
But was it in 3D? Not the greatest live band ever by any means but one of the greatest live experiences I have ever had. However, as you say, it hasn’t really varied much in 20 years. Seen them (him?) 3 times and it was virtually identical each time.
They have done tours where they play different albums in full (more or less) each night which might bring me back for one more go, but as he must be pushing 80 I wonder if that will happen again
You didn’t fool me!
Genius in action, managing to milk a dead cow for decades. Ralf has attained his dream. They don’t really need to be there, do they? His minions put it all together and press play.
I bet he wishes he’d thought of abbatars.
One of my favourite acts of all time. Right up there with Beethoven.
Florian wanted to just send the dummies out on tour and operate the gigs remotely from Kling Klang. This was in the 80s.
As with Shane McGowan, what’s at the core of Kraftwerk is pathological shyness.
Remember the (pre-mega successful) Human League announcing they were going to do something similar while supporting Talking Heads only to get kicked off the tour
Anyone else taken a photo of themselves at Dusseldorf hauptbahnof? Forget your zebra crossings and Salford Boys Clubs this is the real deal.
I’ve had my picture taken next to the Trans-Europe Express – somewhere in the Rhine area (Bonn possibly). Will that do?
R5’s travel news often mentions Trans-Pennine Express, and it amuses me to add the appropriate accompanying musical noises in my head.
Anyone who’s travelled to from Hull to Liverpool by rail recently will tell you that there is nothing the slightest bit amusing about Trans-Pennine Express.
a.k.a. Trans Pennine Delayed or Trans Pennine Cancelled.
Just had a message from some friends they reckon it has taken them longer by TPE to Manchester airport than it will take them to fly to Rome.
Wrong type of snow?
From station to stoppin’
For no apparent reason
Meet drunken hen party
And wanker talking loudly on speakerphone
Thanks for a very entertaining review, Black. Having attended a stupendous Kraftwerk gig at Roskilde where they distributed 60,000 pairs of 3D glasses to the audience, I fell hook, line and sinker for the whoopee cushion story. Gullible? Moi?
Logically they shouldn’t be an excellent live band, but they are.
One thing I love about them is that they are so European. No aping the yanks here.
Thanks KFD.
“Aping the yanks” sung to the tune of “breaking the law” by Judas Priest is my new jam.