Dates:
Washington, DC. - November 19, 1998
Philadelphia, PA. - November 21, 1998
East Rutherford, NJ. - November 22, 1998
Dates:
Washington, DC. - November 19, 1998
Philadelphia, PA. - November 21, 1998
East Rutherford, NJ. - November 22, 1998
The mighty KISS was back on their second tour after the original members reunited in 1996. The main difference this time is that they were supporting their latest effort, Psycho Circus. There was a lot of hype about this new KISS show with the main new element being the "KISS in 3-D" thingie. A strange, yet, intriguing concept. How would they pull it off? Suprisingly, they did a pretty good job of it.
The band kicked off with their new hit, "Psycho Circus"; lyrically the most perfect opening song for KISS ever. There was a ton of energy flowing throughout the arena when this one kicked in. Now, as a longtime KISS fan, I enjoy basically everything they've done over their 25 year existance. Unfortunately, the reunited version of the band only acknowledges material that was done during their makeup years. By doing this, they limit the amount of songs that they can choose from which they could play live. Even though they are still left with nearly 100 songs, they decided to play the majority of the same songs that they did on the last tour. That, for me, is the biggest disappointment of the show. Overall, they played three new songs from the Psycho Circus album ("Psycho Circus", "Into The Void", & "Within") and managed to throw in one extra classic gem which was not performed on the Reunion Tour, "Makin' Love". Other than those 4 new additions, the rest of the songlist consisted of 17 songs that were played on the last tour. Not all of them are bad of course (actually, none of them are "bad"), it just wouldn't hurt if they had added a little variety.
But, even with some of my disappointments of the new tour, it still cannot be denied that they put on the best show in the world. Nobody comes close. Even though they still seem to pull the same rabbit out of the hat which includes: Gene Simmons' fire breathing and blood-spitting-then-flies-to-the-ceiling incidences, Paul Stanley's guitar smashing, and Ace Frehley's smoking & rocket shooting guitar tricks, it all still is entertaining everytime you get to see it.
However, they added a few new wrinkles to the show as well. Ace also had a pinwheel-type of sparkler thing on the top of his guitar that spun around and spashed sparks all around while he did the guitar solo in "Rock and Roll All Nite". Peter Criss' drum riser elevated high above and then hovered over the front of the stage while he did his solo. Paul Stanley continues a new gimmick that he developed halfway through the Reunion Tour in which he hangs onto a rope and flys overtop the audience to the center of the floor of the arena. When he gets there, there is a small stage in which he performs the song "Love Gun" and then flies back. I have to admit, that is my favorite part of the show! And who could forget the new 3-D effect. First off, the whole show is not in 3-D. It might be about half the show. You are given 3-D glasses when you enter the arena (yes, decorated w/ little KISS faces and all) and the screen behind them tells you when to put them on. They point their guitars into the cameras and tease the audience a little by trying to enhance the effect at some points in the show. There were also pre-filmed footage and effects that was used to enhance the 3-D event. And it did work. I had my doubts about the whole idea but they proved me wrong. I did, however, find that the thrill wore off after a while and felt that it was a little distracting to the actual show at hand. I mean, the bottom line is KISS is music, first and foremost. The show is great but the music shouldn't be overlooked.
Musically, some of the highlights were the new "Psycho Circus" and "Into The Void" songs from the new album. Others were "I Was Made For Loving You", "God Of Thunder", "Do You Love Me", and "Black Diamond". Some of the lower points were the new song "Within" which just doesn't sound right live. It is a great song on the album, but it just doesn't work here. "Calling Dr. Love", "Cold Gin", "Firehouse" and "King Of The Nightime World" have just gotten so old. I have had it with these tunes and I just wish they would retire them already.
Band memeber-wise, Paul Stanley is the heart & soul of KISS. He has the best voice, has the best songs and he is the ring leader of the show. He definately is the most lively and entertaining to watch as well. Gene Simmons is still going stong and still is ominous as ever. While I am not as crazy about his costume this year, he still looks cool and that certainly is his appeal. His blood spitting will never get old. Speaking of old however, drummer Peter Criss comes to mind. Honestly, I thought his drumming sucked on the Reunion Tour. It's no secret that he is far from a great drummer but he even seemed to lose a step from his old self last time round. I have to give him credit, on this tour he sounded much tighter and better. That's not to say he is great, but just that he was pretty good for Peter Criss. Finally, Ace Frehley is a great guitarist but is pretty sloppy as well. But, I think that is his appeal. He's no technical wizard but he plays with a lot of heart and has a great feel for the instrument. But, Ace has some good nights and bad nights because of that factor. During the jam session part (which is toward the end) of "Let Me Go, Rock 'n Roll", either Gene or Ace lost track in the song and it ended pretty dreadfully. With those two on different pages in the song, Paul Stanley made it clear that he was lost and laughed while they struggled to finish the song. After it was over, Paul said, "Ya know, most band like to play their songs perfect....but not us, we like to live dangerously". The band, as well as the fans who picked up on their blunder, found it quite amusing.
The bottom line is, KISS puts on the best show on the market and it is even hard to complain about the song list when it is overflowing with their hits. A smaller group of diehard fans, including myself, would love to hear those songs that aren't classified as "hits". While they have managed to throw us a bone or two, we have been disappointed with the diversity, or lack there of, in the new setlist for this tour. That is the only reason I don't give them a five-out-of-five star review.
You know, a lot of bands get back together with the insincere idea of making one more quick truck load of money. While KISS is certainly making the money once again, they seem to be at least sincere about their wanting to reunite and remain together until the end. They seem to be really enjoying themselves and so do the fans. As long as they continue to stay fresh and keep "wow"-ing the audiences, they should and will continue on. And heck, for a band who still comes off as youthful as they were 25 years ago (for a bunch of guys now pushing 50!), that has got to be worth something!
If anyone out there has never seen this band play live just once, reguardless if you have never heard them or even particularly care for their music, you must see this spectical once before it ends. You would be robbing yourself of a once-in-a-lifetime rock event. This is the band you'll tell your kids' kids about! They are truely still one-of-a-kind!!!
