Kiss was phenomenal last night. Just amazing. The whole thing, from the songs to the entire legacy of the band got to me. I teared up as the band got to the heads down syncro-headbang of the Duece finale.
From the classic as always ridiculous Paul Stanley rants between songs made me laugh and cheer, Gene Simmons in his seventies still high at the top of the arena spitting blood and singing God of Thunder lets me know how much an old guy still loves to rock (and earn all that money legitimately that some people always give him shit for making…) to the ‘lets blow everything up fiery finale’ they are famous for on the live front, it all just gave me super smiles!
All the nonsense about going on without Ace Frehley and Peter Criss that some choose to side with? Not me. Ace and Peter choked once in the seventies/early eighties, turning to drugs and ‘rock and roll lifestyles’ and then got a second chance years later and choked out again. Paul and Gene kept going. i don’t care if it’s ‘imposters’ in that Catman and Spaceman gear, blah blah blah, they show up and play the stuff right! – something Peter nor Ace have done since truthfully about 1977. I don’t even think Peter or Ace could do one night of this two hour fifteen minute show anyway. This was four guys all in on one helluva energy laden show with no time to catch your breath or fall out of whack! The songs were fantastic! a jam packed arena sang every word of every song, and so did Paul for those wondering/assuming/guessing… He was singing all night live in person (though choruses of some songs at times were widened out via backing tracks along with the high bits of bring the house down toppest of mountains showstoppers like I Was Made For Loving You as well as a flown in Eric on piano bit).
I sang and sang and sang, everyone did! From early faves Duece, Cold Gin, Black Diamond to mid era faves Dr. Love, Makin Love and Love Gun to the ‘glad they do these songs too’ moments of Lick it Up and Heaven’s on Fire, it all was there. the ‘Kiss aint nothing but a show’ bullshit is always laid to rest when the band has that many good choruses and songs on the live front, and for two and a quarter hours they shook the roof off the Baltimore Civic Center where I’ve seen them twice before over the years (for the Lick it Up tour in ’83 and a reunion show in the late nineties). and as for those ‘imposters’, well Tommy Thayer is still an average guitarist on the lead front while Eric Singer is an amazing drummer, even adding extra bits to the classic tunes on hand. they show up and do it! Gene still has his voice and onstage charm. Paul, of course, runs the show and was brilliant running all over and showing the younger generation how much you gotta give to the crowd to really rock and roll all night and party every day.
This was my twentieth time seeing Kiss. it all started in 1979 with the Dynasty tour and through Vinnie Vincent, Bruce Kulick, reunion, and beyond I’ve seen every line up there really could be over the years – and this show was Kiss in top gear! With Paul and Gene both going into their seventies Kiss has nothing else to prove on the live front obviously. No one upstages them still and the fifty years of kiss music has been an absolute amazing moment in time for me and many others with 1974-1983 period being far and away my favourite era of the music. They will always be one of my five favourite bands on the planet and their tunes will always be played, sung and loved by me. “You wanted the best and you got the best the hottest band in the world KISS!!!!!!” gets a 100 out of 100 score from me in concert in 2023.
Thanks for everything you’ve done good, bad and otherwise for decades upon decades. a genuine legendary band with heaps of great songs and a show no one else can ever keep up with, I love you!
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