Letters

A Review--KISS, Friday night, June 24th, Spokane Arena Well, it's been 15 years since KISS graced Spokane with their presence. The last time, everyone was on the high of the reunion and the re-introduction of the makeup, costumes, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. This time out was a different animal, but not different enough to keep the crowds away as Friday nights' house at the arena was pretty well packed. This review comes from a fan of 35 years having just attended his 4th KISS show, and his first without Criss on the skins or Frehley bending the strings. Ok, on to the KISS show. I quite enjoyed hearing Modern Day Delilah as an opener even more than I thought I would. It is a very strong song off of the Sonic Boom album, but hearing it live was a nice, fresh sound that I found myself singing along to immediately. Pauls' vocals throughout the night, were unfaltering in delivery. He seems to have made a few adjustments to his approach that allow him to avoid any strain while still hitting the required notes. At least one number (Love Gun for example) was even started A capella before launching into the familiar machine gun beginning. The set list was what you would expect from a band with 37 years and some 23 studio albums behind them, and 2 hours to cover it all. Now, this reviewer would have gladly sat through an evening of obscurities and rarities, but thoroughly enjoyed hearing the classics that were offered up that night. This was augmented by the excellent sound quality in the hall. The mix was about as close to perfect as it gets with everything cutting through nicely. Being able to hear the distinction between Tommy Thayers' and Pauls' guitars was a treat. The bass tone coming out of Gene Simmons Punisher bass was nothing short of spine-tingling (not sure what amp rig he is currently using). And not just during his solo, but throughout all of the songs that night, especially his breakdown in �Let Me Go...� wonderful growl and thump. Eric Singer's drum kit has a distinctive warmth in the toms that burns through everything when he executes a roll-down, and his overall sound definitely makes you want to move, as was evidenced by a couple of the ladies in the seats in front of me. Singer was particularly on fire that night, playing with an enthusiasm as if it was his first show and he was having the time of his life. All the while keeping the tempos even and exactly where they needed to be. The audience was, as most are at a KISS concert, very enthusiastic. You couldn't turn your head in the audience without seeing someone with a painted face. When the crowd was encouraged to sing along to the new Say Yeah, they were more than ready to comply and made a goodly amount of noise at it. The energy level displayed by the band as a whole was reasonably high the entire evening, the exception being Gene, who, typically plays up the the cameras at every turn and loves to chew scenery throughout a performance, as we would expect and demand from every member of this band. This night however he seemed somewhat subdued, with less spark overall than we are used to seeing. His vocals however were in fine shape throughout the night, all lyrics and lines present and accounted for. As well, his spotlight moments of fire-breathing and blood-vomiting contained all of the drama and power that we have come to appreciate. And, as one of the most under-rated bass players in rock and roll, he laid down the thunder with his usual melodic and groove-heavy style. �The New Guy�, Tommy Thayer, got his moment to shine during the Ace Frehley penned �Shock Me�, a number that, when announced by Paul, generated a decidedly LOUD response from the audience, both before and after the performance, indicating that a great song is a great song and when delivered right (as it was this night) it moves you regardless of who is at the helm. Thayer is fun to watch and as lead guitarist he keeps everything very solid, provides great vocals, interacts well with the audience and rips out those leads the way we want to hear them. From a musical and song performance standpoint, Tight-As-Hell are the only words that come to mind to describe this version of KISS that stepped onstage that night. These songs in a live setting haven't sounded this good, or accurate to the albums, since 1979. On one level, Ace and Peter were most definitely missed for obvious reasons, on another, Tommy and Eric were most definitely enjoyed. Among the highlights of this show, were those moments that were unexpected. For example: the portion of the show where Tommy and Eric take solos, the trade-off between the two was fun, and they broke into a rockin' jam that I hope shows up somewhere on the new record. Well executed solos by both parties as well. The breakdown in Lick It Up took them into a few phrases of Won't Get Fooled Again, which was unexpected and an enjoyable turn. Paul's intro to Black Diamond graced us with a few bars of Stairway To Heaven with Paul asking the audience if they wanted to hear it played. I was hoping they would but alas...this is a KISS show after all. One of my favorite moments came when, at the encore, Eric steps out to sing Beth and, much to my delight, Paul, Tommy, and Gene are backing him up on acoustic guitars....no backing track! Absolutely awesome. I will say that, while I think Eric has a great rock and roll voice and I hope he has more vocal spots on the new album, Peter's rasp was missed during Black Diamond. However, Erics' take on it was great fun to sing along to. I would have to say that, on a crowd pleasing level, Paul and Eric were the MVP's of the night. One really expects this from Paul of course, but Eric, once given the microphone to address the audience, seemed to just shine and be a natural. Stanley, as always, is the consummate front man. Another aspect that needs to be mentioned was the STUNNING amount of pyrotechnics at this show. More I think, than I've ever seen at a KISS concert and wonderfully over the top. The last time I saw them at this arena, on the reunion tour, I was a bit disappointed at the fire on display. Friday night made up for it about 50 times over. I was getting sweaty just from the barrage of heat from the firepots, and the fireworks and concussion bombs were in plentiful supply, making my wife jump at each one (much to my endless delight). I also felt that the staging and lighting was nicely done, as it gave a somewhat intimate feel to the evening, even in a medium sized arena. I went into the evening not knowing exactly what to expect and ready to call a spade a spade if it wasn't up to par. I can honestly say that I most definitely felt that I had gotten my moneys worth. And as a fan who grew up on the awesomeness of the Paul, Peter, Ace, Gene era, and watched subsequent eras come and go while appreciating all of them, I can state that KISS 2011 delivers on the promise that the name implies. Even to those who came on board with this band early on. A recurring thought that came to mind throughout the show was this: the folks over there at ye olde �Rock and Roll� hall of fame must exist in some parallel universe in that, if they were living in this reality, KISS would have certainly been at the top of a list of �Rock and Roll� hall of famers, because last Friday night at the Spokane Arena, was clearly one of Rock and Roll's finest hours.