Kraftwerk at the Majestic Theater. April 22, 2025. Multimedia tour commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Autobahn.
Between Kraftwerk shows, it’s easy to forget how good their live extravaganza really is. For four guys standing at keyboards in front of a screen, it’s big and overwhelming. They’ve been around since 1970 so if they sound a little dated, it’s because they invented a lot of the musical tricks that have since become cliche. But if you know electronic music, you know most of what you’re going to hear at a Kraftwerk show, and more than they have time for because of the sheer depth and breadth of their back catalog.
Only one of the original members is still with the group: Ralf Hütter, after Florian Schneider died in 2020. Hütter is pushing 80 and you have to respect that he’s still out here pleasing the crowds when he could be home relaxing. The music keeps up with the times too: Radioactivity includes Fukushima on its list of disasters along with Three Mile Island (Harrisburg) and Chernobyl.
If you’ve seen Kraftwerk on recent tours, you have a good idea of what you’re getting into: the four band members at the podiums doing the music in the suits with light bands, standing still for the most part and letting the colored light do the work, with the visuals projected on a screen behind. The suits change colors to match what’s on the screen, which is hard to explain but easy to see. The graphics are for the most part computer animations, some of which clearly date back to earlier periods of Kraftwerk’s oeuvre but some of which are also clearly newer. In some cases they’ve put older and newer graphics side by side during the same song, which is interesting to watch. One song where the band used vintage film is The Model, where the fashion puts the film from the 50s or 60s, contrasting the fluid movement of the women and the clothing with the staccato sound of the synths.
The sound crept up on me in this concert. Usually I’m quick to grab my earplugs for hearing protection, but the bass was strong enough that it was rocking the seats in the Majestic before my husband asked for his. I probably lost a little hearing. It was worth it.