Yesterday I posted about German Singer/Bandleader/Performance Artist Max Raabe. One of the things that Raabe and his Palast Orchestra does that distinguishes them from ‘nostalgia’ acts is create a compelling visual experience in their shows, using different color schemes, shadows and mood lighting and other techniques to bring you into the otherworldly nature of Raabe’s concept. In the case of the above video, you’ll see a gently floating model of a 1930s Zeppelin airship floating over the audience at the outset of the song (“Dream A Little Dream”). Why is it there? Well for one thing, it indicates the period that the song was written in. But that’s highly reductive. It indicates something else, something not entirely explicable; the notion of another world, one with futuristic thoughts and technical achievements that may seem outmoded now but were very much on the cutting edge of the day. It represent lost, floating hopes that ended with the war of all wars just a decade or so after the song he’s singing was written. That Zeppelin’s are now most famous because of the one that exploded (The Hindenburg), it’s metaphorical intentions are not hard to decipher. It’s also just a superbly haunting and unusual visual for an audience to experience. Enjoy Max!