For half a century, German band Kraftwerk have pioneered electronic and synthesizer music. If you are a fan of synth pop and electronic music, Kraftwerk were and are the ones who paved the way. Last night's show in Minneapolis at the State Theater showcased several of the band's well-known composition for synthesizers and the fans knew them by heart. There were about four that appeared at various points of the set that this fan and reviewer really latched onto. Kraftwerk are able to take their songs and apply visual themes to each one. Each song played has a totally distinctive visual theme that is projected onto a screen behind the musicians when they are playing.
The current lineup of Kraftwerk, after the passing of their original founder, Florian Schneider, who died from cancer in 2020, includes Ralf Hutter, Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz, and Falk Grieffenhagen. Kraftwerk are able to inspire musicians and fans alike through electronic instruments, synthesizers, vocoders, electronic percussion, and even laptop computers. Their songs each paint vivid sound pictures and the visuals used accompany these portraits and landscapes of sound. Songs of note in the concert included such classics as "Numbers"/"Computer World", "Geiger Counter"/"Radioactivity", "Metropolis", "Autobahn", "The Model", and a newer composition by Kraftwerk released in around 2009-2010 entitled "Tour de France", a tune yours truly happened upon while randomly searching for some of the other aforementioned Kraftwerk tunes.
The set rounded out with "Trans Europe Express" and "The Robots", and their encore included "Planet of Visions", "Computer Love", and the medley of "Music Non-Stop" and "Boing Boom Tschak". Again, the amazing part of Kraftwerk's live show is to take their songs and through their extensive use of synthesizers and computers as well as their fellow band member who is a visual artist/lighting technician, take the music and create their own visual backdrops and themes to accompany this innovative sound which brings the future to life in the present. That is what Kraftwerk, are all about.
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