It has been nine years since Minimum/Maximum, Kraftwerk’s 2005 live album was released, but the thing about better living with computers is that even what amounts to the most important band of the modern age, the Kraut synth innovators, can sound the same as they were then and nearly anywhere else if their programming is nimble enough.
A quick study of the setlist Kraftwerk will be bringing with them to United Palace on Tuesday will find over half of the, er, songs will be repeats from the 2005 concerts, and five will be off 2009 Radio-Activity album. Ergo, however much the 3D Kraftwerk might or might not be cutting edge, they are working from the same template as everybody even if that template was their last album, released years and years ago.
Time hasn’t much changed Kraftwerk, computer chips are forever and sounds generated as synth walls of blips and bloops with melodies coming out almost despite themselves, ages extremely well. Kraftwerk remind me of the kid in “A.I.” who remains always the same. The incredible thing about Radio-Activity is how much of a piece it is with 1977’s Trans Europe Express…
The Robots
Numbers / Computer World
It’s More Fun to Compute / Home Computer
Computer Love
The Man Machine
Spacelab
The Model
Neon Lights
Autobahn
Tour De France
Tour de France 2003 (Étape 1)
Tour de France 2003 (Étape 2)
Airwaves / News
Geiger Counter / Radioactivity
Ohm Sweet Ohm
Trans-Europe Express / Abzug / Metal on Metal
Boing Boom Tschak / Techno Pop / Musique Non Stop
Encore:
Aéro Dynamik
Planet of Visions
