The members of KMFDM and the audience might all be a little older, but walking into Metro for the Wax Trax! Retrospectacle still felt like walking on set for the filming of the club scene in the Matrix – minus the Rob Zombie. The KFMDM roster for the evening included En Esch, Günter Schulz, Raymond Watts, Mona Mur and Mark Durante, but was lacking one noticeable name – Sacha Konietzko. Apparently the father of KMFDM had Visa problems/wouldn’t play for free/hates fun. Whatever the reason (we’re not speculating), the rest of the original line up had no problem carrying the show without him.
Esch still looks like Voldemort. Schulz still makes speed metal style licks look easy. Mur still looks like a German fräulein (albeit much happier). “Juke Joint Jezebel” is still a revelation live. Even though “Brute” had to be started over due to “technical difficulties,” it felt exactly like a KMFDM show – a head-banging, fist pumping, leather-clad industrial dance party sing-a-long.
Esch, Mur and Watts symphonically resonated eardrums at a deafening pitch. Schulz melted faces with his stereotypical – but still amazing – guitar mastery. The audience happily obliged the re-assembled talent by digressing into the versions of their former selves without inhibitions, kids, jobs and responsibilities (presumably when they started listening to KMFDM) and responded with an energy matched only by the musicians on stage. The industrial symphony that is KMFDM (in this iteration) is as good as it has ever been.
