Kraftwerk Pay Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto with Cover of “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” in Japan: Watch

The post Kraftwerk Pay Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto with Cover of “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” in Japan: Watch appeared first on Consequence.

During their set at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival this weekend, Kraftwerk carved out time to honor the late, great composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto. After delivering classic tracks like “Autobahn” and “Computer World,” the band performed a cover of Sakamoto’s theme from the 1993 film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Watch it below.

Before beginning the song, Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hütter introduced the cover by saying, “The next composition is by my friend, Ryuichi Sakamoto.” The backdrop then transitioned to a photo of Hütter and Sakamoto. “We are friends forever since our first concert in Tokyo in 1981,” he continued. “For the No Nuke Festival in 2012, Ryuichi wrote new Japanese lyrics for me for ‘Radioactivity,’ which we will play.”

Sakamoto’s estate recently confirmed a posthumous album from the legendary composer titled Opus. The project will arrive on August 9th and is set to include reimagined versions of songs from throughout his career. In a statement prior to his passing, Sakamoto described the album as “a way to record my performances — while I was still able to perform — in a way that is worth preserving for the future.”

Following the set in Japan, Kraftwerk are next scheduled to perform in Dresden, Germany — secure tickets here.

Watch the performance of “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” followed by “Geiger Counter” and “Radioactive,” below.

Kraftwerk Pay Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto with Cover of “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” in Japan: Watch
Mary Siroky

Popular Posts

• Michael C. Hall to Return as Dexter for Two New Series

• Gojira Deliver Unbelievably Epic Performance at Olympics Opening Ceremony: Watch

• Billy Joel Joined by Axl Rose for Three Songs at Final Show of Madison Square Garden Residency: Watch

• System of a Down's John Dolamayan Granted Patent for Shipping Container Invention

• 50,000 People Watched Taylor Swift's Concert on a Hill Outside of the Stadium in Munich

• Robert Downey Jr. Returning to MCU to Play Dr. Doom in New Avengers Movie

Subscribe to Consequence’s email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.