Kraftwerk

Evoluon
Eindhoven
The Netherlands

First performance, 17th October 2013 (2013-10-17) at 19:00


RECORDING:

Type: Audience master, recorded standing almost at the balustrade of the
lowest circle, in front of the soundboard and directly opposite the
stage; approximately 15 metres back from the overhead PA.

Source: Factory-matched pair of Schoeps CCM 41V microphones (DINa mounted) ->
Marantz PMD661 recorder with Oade Concert Mod
(-18 dB gain/44.1 kHz/24 bit WAV)

Lineage: Audacity 2.0.4
* Amplified right channel by 1 dB.
* Applied variable amplification across recording for consistent
listening experience.
* Attenuated audience noise.
* Added fades.
* Split tracks.
* Converted to 16 bit.
-> FLAC (compression level 8) [libFLAC 1.3.0 20130526]

Taper: Ian Macdonald (ianmacd)


SET LIST:

01. [02:43] [intro]
02. [05:36] Spacelab
03. [07:27] The Robots
04. [05:05] Metropolis
05. [03:12] Numbers
06. [03:17] Computer World
07. [06:07] Home Computer
08. [04:53] Computer Love
09. [05:20] The Man-Machine
10. [03:42] The Model
11. [05:57] Neon Lights
12. [07:22] Autobahn
13. [04:04] Tour De France
14. [00:27] Prologue
15. [03:46] Tour De France Étape 1
16. [01:11] Chrono
17. [05:19] Tour De France Étape 2
18. [06:30] Airwaves
19. [00:23] Intermission
20. [01:08] News
21. [00:31] Geiger Counter
22. [06:05] Radioactivity
23. [03:11] Ohm Sweet Ohm
24. [03:20] Trans-Europe Express
25. [00:46] Abzug
26. [03:40] Metal On Metal
27. [02:32] Boing Boom Tschak
28. [02:46] Techno Pop
29. [07:15] Musique Non Stop
30. [01:09] [encore break]
31. [06:55] Aéro Dynamik
32. [08:34] Planet Of Visions

Total running time: 130:29


MD5 CHECKSUMS:

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NOTES:

I haven't seen Kraftwerk for 22 years. I'm somehow always in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

The last time I saw them was at Brixton Academy in 1991, coincidentally also
the last gig I saw in England before emigrating. In fact, I actually delayed
my departure by a week or so in order to attend the gig, not knowing when my
next chance would be. 22 years later, it turns out.

I was in Indonesia when the tickets for these concerts went on sale. Luckily
for me, the pre-sale launched with very little notice and at an inconvenient
time for Dutch people: 18:00, if I remember correctly, when a lot of people
wouldn't have been checking their e-mail.

As I fumbled around in the darkness of our Balinese hotel room at midnight,
the rest of the family already having retired for the night, I was both
surprised and delighted to find myself able to secure tickets for both nights
over our constipated Asian Internet connection.

Unusually, I had to provide a form of ID in order to make the purchase. This
same ID would subsequently need to be shown at the door to gain admittance to
the show.

This was apparently a requirement stipulated by the band in order to thwart
the parasitic secondary ticket market. After all, no-one wants to give a
complete stranger their passport or driving-licence along with the ticket
they've just sold them.

I can only applaud these efforts. Any hoop that makes it hard for those
bastards to make a living is a hoop I'm happy to jump through, even if it does
mean more bureaucracy for all involved.

At the time of the pre-sale, no mention was made of the fact that the band
would be performing two shows each evening. There had simply been tickets
available for the two different dates. It wasn't until the main sale began
that I saw mention of there being two shows per evening. I logged onto the See
Tickets site and was pleased to discover that the pre-sale had been of tickets
for the early shows.

An early show is a mixed blessing. On the plus side, the gig is supposed to be
over by 21:00. With no traffic, Eindhoven is a 75 minute drive from Amsterdam,
so I could feasibly be back home again earlier than if I were cycling back
from a local gig at the Paradiso.

On the other hand, an early finish dictates an early start. Doors are at 17:45
this afternoon and Eindhoven is typically not a 75 minute drive at this time
of day.

I therefore leave at 15:30 to play it completely safe. I don't know how long
the drive will take, I have no idea how long the queue at the door will be,
whether it will even matter to be one of the first to make it inside, whether
it's standing or unassigned seating, etc.

I take a wrong turn just a couple of kilometres from the venue, having made
pretty good time up until that point. This puts me on a section of motorway
with no exits, resulting in a white-knuckled 26 km detour before I finally
pull up at the venue at 17:30. Fun, fun, fun auf der Autobahn, it most
certainly wasn't.

As I park, I can see that a queue is quickly forming at the doors. I grab my
gear and join my fellow early birds. I had hoped to grab a bite to eat
beforehand, but that's out of the question now.

A few minutes later than scheduled, the doors open and the queue, amorphous
and several bodies wide, squeezes itself through the narrow entrance to
Evoluon. There's a cursory ID check at the door, but they're more concerned
with checking whether you're holding an officially issued document than
with ascertaining that its details match those on the ticket.

It's quite an orderly entrance, given that no-one knows quite what situation
awaits them inside.

I'm desperate for the toilet, so that's my first port of call. I set up my
gear in a cubicle as fast as I can, then make my way downstairs, where venue
staff sit behind desks and perform full ID checks on the arriving punters.

I hand over my passport and ticket. They're scrutinised and the passport
number is matched to the one printed on the ticket. I'm approved, fitted with
a wristband and handed a pair of 3D glasses.

I stop briefly at the merchandise stand to see if there's anything that I just
can't pass up, but there isn't. I then make my way outside. The gig will take
place in a second building. It's already shaping up to be one of the weirdest
gigs I've ever attended and not a single note has been played yet.

A wristband check follows at the door to the second building and then I'm
inside.

I jog up the stairs, through some doors and then up yet more stairs. Just as
I'm wondering where to go next, I spot the stage on my right and realise that
I'm already there.

Wow. Are they really going to play here? I'm at the top of a stairwell, on a
large circular landing. Above and behind me are two further landings. Directly
in front of me is a huge circular balcony overlooking the ground floor. I can
see people pouring into the foyer through the entrance corridor.

The balustrade is already lined with a row of people, so I stand directly
behind them. I survey my surroundings and this seems like the optimal vantage
point for me, both for viewing and recording the show. The presence of the
soundboard directly behind me confirms that this is the place to be.

Many are tempted to walk around the circular landing to the opposite side of
the gigantic hole in the ground. Although this places them closer to the
stage, said stage is elevated high above the ground, which means they'll be
peering steeply upwards all evening.

More importantly, the PA is rigged just below the tessellated ceiling and
they'll be standing forward of it, so the sound will pass right over their
heads. It's definitely not a great location to stand.

Speaking of the sound, there are speakers situated along the full
circumference of the landing, suggesting that the sound tonight will be coming
at us from all directions. The main PA, however, is mounted high on either
side of the stage.

Shortly after 19:00, the lights are dimmed and the band can be seen rising in
a glass elevator. It's a striking entrance that befits Kraftwerk.

A thousand people don their 3D glasses and prepare for a thoroughly unorthodox
gigging experience.

Herr Hütter and whoever else is in the band these days take their places
behind their anonymous lectern-like consoles. They are wearing black suits
adorned with fluorescent strips that will soon be glowing multicoloured under
the lights.

As the gentle strains of 'Spacelab' start to emanate through the strange space
we have congregated in, the visuals kick in and the audience are instantly
mesmerised by the sight of satellites and other space junk, as it apparently
reels towards us from the stage. The 3D effect is quite brilliant.

Any fears I might have had about the acoustics of this improvised music venue
immediately evaporate. The band sound bloody marvelous!

What follows is a greatest hits show whose composition comes about as close to
perfection as I can imagine. I can't think of any songs I would add to or
remove from the set.

'The Man-Machine' is performed in full tonight and, if I had to pick one album
to see played in its entirety, this would be the one. I couldn't be happier.

For two hours, song follows song with scarcely a gap of a few seconds between
them. Many pieces are segued, such as those from the revamped 2003 'Tour De
France Soundtracks' and a bunch of tracks from 'Radio-Activity'.

The sound does, indeed, come from all around tonight. Most of the time, the
speakers that ring the circular landing aren't noticeable, but occasionally
one can hear effects coming from behind or the sides.

The 3D projections hold our interest from beginning to end, which is
important, because the four figures on stage barely twitch a muscle for two
hours; at least not perceptibly. They are virtually static behind their
consoles, so the 3D visuals provide some much-needed optical input.

In fact, we're going to have to take the band's word for it that any of this
is even live. After all, there's no equipment on stage apart from the four
nondescript consoles, which deliberately obscure whatever technology is being
manipulated to produce the music.

It's not until the end of the main set, which goes out on a segue of 'Boing
Boom Tschak', 'Techno Pop' and 'Musique Non Stop' that we get an inkling of
how the various musical duties have been divided. Each musician performs
something akin to a solo before abandoning his console, walking to the side of
the stage and taking a bow in the spotlight.

And so it's subtly revealed that one of the band handles the electronic
percussion, whilst another is in charge of the bass lines. Finally, his three
comrades departed, Ralf Hütter remains alone on stage, apparently responsible
for the melodies and, of course, the vocals. And then Hütter, too, takes a bow
and is gone.

I'm not expecting an encore tonight. They've got to clear this place out and
usher the next audience in, with all of the attendant ID checks that will
entail. It's quite the logistical operation and I think they'll probably want
to get started on it as soon as possible.

The lights, however, remain dim, and to my surprise, the band mosey back on
stage to finish with 'Aéro Dynamik' and 'Planet Of Visions'.

That really is our lot, however. The merchandise stand downstairs is doing
brisk business as I pack away my gear away and head outside.

A massive queue of punters is standing at the entrance, waiting to be allowed
inside for the second show of the evening.

For me, all that remains is to grab a much-needed slice of pita bread full of
döner kebab at one of the snack vans parked outside. I then make my way back
onto the A2 for the drive home, reflecting on everything that I've just
witnessed and wondering how the recording will have turned out.

Although I like all of my recordings to sound good, there are some that are
that little bit more special than others. This is one of those and I really
wanted to get things right tonight. Traffic en route, an unfamiliar venue, a
strangely configured auditorium and extra security are all things that could
have thrown a large fly into my ointment.

Happily, none of these factors proved an insurmountable obstacle on the night
and the recording has quite literally sent shivers down my spine as I listened
to it in the course of writing these notes.

I regard this an essential recording for anyone who considers themselves a fan
of good music. It's not often I make such a brazen statement, but it's fitting
here.

As always, samples are included in the comments to ease the decision-making
process. Or you can take my word for it and move straight to loading the
.torrent file into your client.

My recording of the second night's early show will follow in due course.

I'll conclude with a few words about how I've tracked this.

'Prologue' appears as a distinct track on the 'Tour De France Soundtracks'
album, but is included as part of 'Tour De France Étape 1' on the band's
official live album, 'Minimum-Maximum'. I have elected to track it separately
here.

'Tour De France Soundtracks' features three such 'étape' tracks, which form a
seamless whole. What was performed tonight, however, was an amalgam of all
three, bridged by 'Chrono'.

I have therefore tracked the two 'étape' halves as 'Tour De France Étape 1'
and 'Tour De France Étape 2', even though they also contain parts of 'Tour De
France Étape 3'. Others have chosen to track the entire extended piece as
'Tour De France 2013', but I wanted to be more precise.

Finally, I have separately tracked 'Abzug' as per the German release of
'Trans-Europe Express' and the international reissues of that album. The
version performed here is very short, but still distinct from 'Metal On
Metal', so I have chosen to reflect that in the tracking.

Images for all shows as well as full size images for this show.

Images for this show:











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