KISS Go Back To Their Club Roots And Take Over Sunset Strip
By Steve Baltin / Forbes.com
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Before they elevated the arena rock spectacle to an art form, KISS were, like any young rock band, playing in their hometown clubs of New York, trying to build a following and perfect their sound.
That was more than four decades ago. Since then they have become one of the top-selling rock bands of all time, members of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and, as stated, absolute masters of the arena rock show, right up there with AC/DC and Alice Cooper as the ultimate purveyors of the rock show.
Now, as the band embarks on the "End Of The Road" tour, calling it a day from the touring lifestyle, it seemed fitting to pay tribute to those early days. As Paul Stanley said from the stage tonight at the legendary confines of the intimate Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip, if bands want to make it, they have to get out and play in front of people, not on a TV talent show.
So, KISS took the stage at the Whisky February 11, for a SiriusXM show that marked their first club gig on over 20 years. In the smaller space there were no pyrotechnics, though there was a lot of confetti from the ceiling. In fact, Stanley joked the band couldn't do an encore because they were too big to leave the stage.
Of course, this is still KISS so they had a few tricks up their make-up clad sleeves, like pulling up across the street from the venue in a bus, then, with police help, closing off Sunset Blvd. for a few moments as the band made their way across Sunset to literally walk straight from off the street to the Whisky stage, stopping for photos with fans, who had lined up for hours.
But once they got inside, it was just a rock band. So without many of the famous KISS bells and whistles it put the focus on songs like "Do You Love Me?," "Love Gun," "Lick It Up," "Shout It Out Loud" and the closing "Detroit Rock City."
Before they elevated the arena rock spectacle to an art form, KISS were, like any young rock band, playing in their hometown clubs of New York, trying to build a following and perfect their sound.
That was more than four decades ago. Since then they have become one of the top-selling rock bands of all time, members of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and, as stated, absolute masters of the arena rock show, right up there with AC/DC and Alice Cooper as the ultimate purveyors of the rock show.
Now, as the band embarks on the "End Of The Road" tour, calling it a day from the touring lifestyle, it seemed fitting to pay tribute to those early days. As Paul Stanley said from the stage tonight at the legendary confines of the intimate Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip, if bands want to make it, they have to get out and play in front of people, not on a TV talent show.
So, KISS took the stage at the Whisky February 11, for a SiriusXM show that marked their first club gig on over 20 years. In the smaller space there were no pyrotechnics, though there was a lot of confetti from the ceiling. In fact, Stanley joked the band couldn't do an encore because they were too big to leave the stage.
Of course, this is still KISS so they had a few tricks up their make-up clad sleeves, like pulling up across the street from the venue in a bus, then, with police help, closing off Sunset Blvd. for a few moments as the band made their way across Sunset to literally walk straight from off the street to the Whisky stage, stopping for photos with fans, who had lined up for hours.
But once they got inside, it was just a rock band. So without many of the famous KISS bells and whistles it put the focus on songs like "Do You Love Me?," "Love Gun," "Lick It Up," "Shout It Out Loud" and the closing "Detroit Rock City."
