[NY Times]

Sell-out rock shows usually mean a lot of shouting, some sweating, maybe a few drunken pass-outs. Kraftwerk inspired none of that on Tuesday night. The first of its eight consecutive sold-out performances at the Museum of Modern Art had reverence and stylistic weight; even for a New York museum crowd, there was a lot of black. Artfully swept hair, uncomfortable-looking shoes, architectural glasses: check, check and check. The high-design audience was rewarded with an equally aesthetically tuned concert, with the band, a foursome in graphic black-and-white unitards, playing neon-lighted synths. Behind them, a video screen offered a parade of simple 3-D images, like stick figure robots and spinning numbers, a retro-future in an MS-DOS font. …

The performance was held in the museum’s atrium, but the whole place seemed to be prepped for what the program called “the first synthetic retrospective of Kraftwerk’s oeuvre.” There were robots in the lobby, and dim mood lighting everywhere. Audience members sipped German beer and discussed the audio quality of the space. (Mr. Weed said he recognized at least one person from the listening party.) When the show started, with the familiar beats of “The Robots” and a video with the lyrics in spinning text, people stood gaping with their 3D glasses on. Reverence eventually gave way to rapture, even a little head bobbing and swaying. Fran Drescher was there — she posted a photo of herself in her 3D glasses on Twitter — and Michael Stipe was spotted in the gift shop later. …

See the full story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/arts/music/kraftwerk-retrospective-museum-of-modern-art-embracing-the-retro-future.html?_r=1