KISS is still Alive 35 years after they started. And that makes this fan, and the legion of fans that make up the KISS Army, very happy.
I've been listening to them since the 70s too and they're better than ever! Great review and love those photos too.
| KISS: Alive 35 |
| Friday, 23 October 2009 10:48 |
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Story and photos by John Davisson
I grew up listening to KISS. As a teenager in the late 70’s, I began getting into rock music, slowly, by buying an album here and there and listening to records at friends’ houses, or maybe borrowing the album. This was long before MySpace and Napster, before iPods and satellite radio. I read the magazines about KISS to learn my Kisstory, and today I still know there real names, their vices and motivators. On the Dynasty tour, I was able to sneak in a 110 instamatic camera (there was no such thing as a camera phone or even an affordable cellphone then). It was the start of a passion for photographing concerts (all I really wanted to do was document the show I attended) that moved from 35mm to digital photography; now I am a respected senior music photographer with photos published in many outlets. Maybe I really owe it all to the visual spectacle that was KISS. They definitely got my attention and refuse to let go. Someday I hope to photograph an entire KISS show. 
The current tour from the hottest band in the land celebrates 35 years of Kisstory with a return to the original Alive album. Last night it touched down in Tampa and I imagine they’ll be back in Florida next year. The set list was dominated by classics from the Alive album, which first propelled the band to the top. Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have replaced Ace Frehley and Peter Criss respectively. They carry the same make-up and similar personas, and it was still the KISS spectacle. They really can’t go wrong playing songs like “She,” “Deuce,” “Strutter,” and “Parasite.” Gene Simmons breathed fire during “Hotter Than Hell” and there was some nice pyro throughout, especially during “100,000 Years” and “Rock and Roll All Night.” Tommy Thayer’s guitar solo featured sparks shooting from his guitar, just like Ace used to do. Eric Singer’s drum kit elevated and revolved during his drum solo. They also threw in “Shock Me,” “Calling Dr. Love.” Gene spit blood and flew up to the top of the lighting rig during “I Love It Loud.”  The only new song was “Modern Day Delilah.” KISS just released Sonic Boom, available only at Walmart. It has several nice songs that might make it into the set list as the tour progresses. Add in a bonus disk of re-recorded KISS classics, and a live DVD, and Sonic Boom is a steal at $14, The show ended with a nice encore that began with “Shout It Out Loud,” and “Lick It Up,” (at one point they even threw in some riffage from the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again," in homage to the band that pioneered anthem rock). Then Paul Stanley stepped onto a winch that carried him over the audience to a revolving second stage at the back of the hall for “Love Gun.” The final song of the night, which everybody knew they had to play, was “Detroit Rock City,” with lots of pyro. The stage and costumes were a little different but it was still the pyro spectacle I know and love from KISS, and enough confetti was thrown into the air to make the arena floor look like it had been hit by a blizzard. The staging was new, with a giant video screen behind the band and video cubes lining the length of the stage on three levels. There were also hydraulic platforms at either end of the stage that elevated Gene, and Tommy far above the stage, almost to the lighting rig, while another hydraulic platform elevated Paul at the same time about half as high as he smashed a guitar. KISS is still Alive 35 years after they started. And that makes this fan, and the legion of fans that make up the KISS Army, very happy.
KISS is also a possible inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a country club for elite artists with the right connections much like the Grammy award. Considering they wrote “Rock and Roll All Night” (one of the all-time great rock anthems), pioneered the pyro that now sustains bands like Nickleback and Creed as well as the WWF, took merch to a new level, and sold more albums than most inductees, isn’t it about time? If you missed the KISS concert this time, you still can catch them Halloween weekend when they headline the Voodoo Experience in New Orleans. It is pretty much the final big festival of the year and features more than 100 bands, including Eminem, Lenny Kravitz, Jane’s Addiction, Gogol Bordello, Wolfmother, Janelle Monae, George Clinton, Ween, Black Keys, The Knux, The Flaming Lips, The Meat Puppets, and Widespread Panic. Tickets are only $180 for all 3 days, or $75 per day, and New Orleans is only an 8 hour drive from Gainesville.
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