By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | July 13, 2022 | People, Music, Art, Events, Entertainment,
The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium entered a wonderfully immersive digital soundscape last night as legendary German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk filled the arena up with neon lights and an unforgettable 3D show extravaganza.
After halting performances since the onset of COVID, Kraftwerk triumphantly returned to reinvigorate both their devoted fans and San Francisco’s overall live concert scene with an electrifying spectacle that underscored their pivotal contributions to music history.
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The entire show was a visually immersive feast for fans new and old, modernizing their iconic sounds by accompanying them with a multimedia show that enhanced the ambience through fluorescent effects.
The four talented pioneers opened by immediately immersing the audience into the 3D landscape with special glasses. A waterfall of large numbers cascaded on screen and out onto the crowd as they manned their four seemingly simple musical stations, all donned in sleek futuristic bodysuits.
Committing fully to their cyber electronica world, the quartet began with their 1981 hits “Computer World” and “Numbers,” powerfully reminding the audience of their musical prowess which allowed them to rise to such historic prominence.
By utilizing modern technology of Matrix and Blade Runner magnitudes, their other melodies of “Pocket Calculator,” “The Model,” and “Autobahn,” were both brought to life and to the contemporary age, fully stimulating and mesmerizing the crowd.
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As for the vocals, founding member Ralf Hütter seemed timeless, layering the sounds with his distinct timbre.
Kraftwerk was formed in 1970 by Ralf and partner Florian Schneider in West Germany, eventually gaining overwhelming popularity with their innovative use of electronica essentials of vocoders, synthesizers, and drum machines.
Kraftwerk accepting the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
These pioneers continued to later generations of synth-pop and more, garnering a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, and recently becoming inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 for being early influences.
Such prestige was captured in the arena Wednesday night, continuing their artistic exploration of human-robot symbiosis with stunning visuals, liminal sounds, and even robot performances within the encore,
Afterwards the revolutionary group left their enthralled fans with a bow one at a time, with Ralf Hütter receiving grand adoration that seemed to epitomize all 50+ years of his life’s work.
It was a creative and cutting-edge evening which cemented that both electronica and the concert scene are still alive, appreciated, and headed into a bright future.
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Photography by: Francesco Prandoni/Getty Images