PINE CONE JUICE

 KRAFTWERK - A CONCERT REVIEW

March 19, 2025
Dr. Phillips Center For Performing Arts / Orlando

***No history lesson here. Background and historical significance of the band are easy to find elsewhere.

To be truthful, Kraftwerk has mostly existed as a prime footnote for me. That is, I felt more of a fan to the countless bands & artists that their undeniable influence was felt through. Fort instance, I tunneled through a devoted Art Of Noise phase - a band that would be impossible to imagine without Kraftwerk's impact coming first. However, I have given their key albums close listening over the years and when I heard that founding member, Ralf Hütter (the only original member still carrying the legacy), was staging a 'farewell' tour, I felt obligated to attend. I was excited to experience the multimedia show in person.

I will say upfront that the key to enjoying the show was surrendering to the performance art of it all - the specific aesthetic of the Kraftwerk stylistic commitment was proudly adhered to. 

For all intent purposes, they could have sent out four stand-ins, pushed play on the pre-recorded show tape & let the impressive aspects of the matching video & augmented displays do their thing. That is, with very few exceptions, you never really saw the performer’s faces or could even specifically tell who was playing what - or that they were actually playing at all. 

Didn’t matter - I got what I came for. 

The concert was two solid hours of literally everything that even the deepest fan would have wanted to hear. Often, 2 or 3 tracks from a given album were reformed to create a sort of jigsaw, Frankenstein-ed new reworking - with fragments being seamlessly used to create as close to a ‘live jam’ as Kraftwerk could ever offer. 

These creations, in the live setting (& through the stellar sound production) definitely brought some very infectious grooves to the evening. Had the venue been a club as opposed to a pristine & more formal venue (truthfully more appropriate for classical concerts), I have no doubt that folks would have given-in to the strong desire to dance. I know I would have. 

What was ‘lacking’ was a more human, live music experience. But again, I am quite aware that this would have not been true to the Kraftwerk legacy. 

I love seeing musicians in a live setting react to each other (& the audience) in real time. This doesn’t exist in Kraftwerk’s universe. The singular combined entity of the Kraftwerk computer-mind was on full display in the strictest sense. And it was just beautiful. 

The set (both the band’s constantly changing 'Tron' laser-suits & keyboard stands - along with the designs/footage on the crystal-clear main digital screen) perfectly matched (& augmented) the music. In fact, the images added made clear the humor & levity sometimes only hinted at in the original albums. The old-timely B&W images of models from the ‘50s, in all their era-locked glory, was a literal LOL-moment during “The Models”.

ALL of the usual/expected setlist suspects were on display. But a highlight  for me was the inclusion of “Spacelab” (a lesser-known track from The Man-Machine) as it has always been a personal favorite. This number benefitted from a ‘personal’ touch as the video screen showed a 1950’s spaceship pinpointing Orlando on a very Google Maps-like display and then, specifically the downtown area, before landing on the venue’s ’front lawn’. The crowd’s cheers & laughter were audible. 

Though no mystery, it was also strikingly clear during the show what a wide & and impactful influence Kraftwerk had on synth/electronic music that followed. Particular numbers seemed to be included as an unavoidable reminder - 'Oh, that’s were OMD got that riff', 'Art of Noise sure lifted that sampled beat', 'Gary Numan used the hell out of that synth patch', etc. 

The audience, as you’d expect, was pretty generationally  locked in. I’d say the vast majority were from my generation (mostly mid-50s males wearing black shirts & gleefully committing to the insanely long merchandise line to snatch up tokens of this ‘farewell’ occasion), though there were younger & older attendees in the mix. I loved the inter generational family all wearing faithfully recreated versions of the classic Kraftwerk uniform - red colored dress shirts w black pants & neckties. 

I was sandwiched by two pairs of such 50-year-olds - two of which shared that they had been childhood friends, with one traveling down from Georgia to use the concert as a chance revel in their memories of listening to Kraftwerk when they were young. And if you don’t think Kraftwerk is a band to inspire fist pumps and air-playing of signature keyboard parts, don’t tell the guy that sat on the other side of me. 

Perhaps my favorite moment was the outpouring of admiration and gratitude felt in the standing-ovation Ralf Hütter (the only original member) received as he stood alone on stage at the end of the show, hand on his heart, basking in the applause. It was the only time we clearly saw his face for the entire performance & and the emotion was palpable - it definitely brought a tear to my eye.