8 reasons you shouldn't have missed KISS' Milwaukee farewell at Fiserv Forum
By Dan Garcia / onmilwaukee.com
The days of rock and rolling all night and partying every day are coming to an end, as KISS' "End of the Road" farewell tour rolled through Fiserv Forum on Friday.
The bittersweet performance checked all the boxes for a memorable KISS concert and gave the band's Milwaukee fans a proper goodbye, in a city where the rock legends have a long 45-year history of live performances. From Gene Simmons breathing fire to the Catman, Eric Singer, performing "Beth" on a grand piano for a teary eyed crowd, Friday night's performance had no shortage of highlights for KISS' last hurrah on a Wisconsin stage.
Here are eight reasons you shouldn't have missed KISS' Milwaukee farewell at Fiserv Forum:
1. They have a 45-year history of memorable Milwaukee performances
You'd be hard-pressed to find a band with a greater history of Milwaukee performances than KISS. Currently comprised of founding members Paul Stanley (the Starchild) and Gene Simmons (the Demon), as well as lead guitarist Tommy Thayer (the Spaceman) and drummer Eric Singer (the Catman), the face-painted quartet has been taking its live show to Milwaukee since the '70s.
Friday night the band added one last stamp to their Milwaukee passport by performing at the brand new Fiserv Forum. From shows at the MECCA in the '80s, multiple appearances at Alpine Valley, the Bradley Center and Summerfest, as well as memorable sets at the Riverside, the Milwaukee Auditorium and more, KISS has a history in Milwaukee older than a lot of the fans in attendance last night.
KISS' run in Milwaukee is unmatched by any other rock band of their caliber, and after Friday night's farewell, everyone else will now have a chance to finally catch up.
2. "Detroit Rock City"
"Alright, Milwaukee. You wanted the best? You got the best. The hottest band in the world, KISS!"
An introduction known so well by Milwaukee's chapter of the KISS Army, fans heard those words likely for the last time on Friday while they enjoyed KISS' famed opening performance of "Detroit Rock City" from their 1976 album, "Destroyer."
A perfect way to kick off any KISS concert, "Detroit Rock City" is not only one of the band's biggest hits but its live performance represents everything that makes KISS great. It's flashy, it's rockin' and it has the energy and showmanship that made KISS a household name four decades ago. Instead of changing their introduction from tour to tour, KISS took the "if it ain't broke" mentality and turned their "Detroit Rock City" performances into an iconic opening.
With fireworks, pyro and Gene Simmons sticking out his tongue, "Detroit Rock City" gets fans to the arena on time and is one of the only Detroit-related things that Packer nation can get behind.
3. A+ production
After a few concerts at the Fiserv Forum that were relatively tame on the production side, Travis Scott's Milwaukee tour stop came off as a high-cost production masterpiece when compared to those before it. That all changed to some extent on Friday when KISS brought its live show to town.
With more fireworks than the lakefront's Big Bang and enough fire to burn the roof down, KISS' show made Travis Scott's performance look like an Adele concert. Friday night highlighted the subtle but huge differences between a concert and a show. Of course, without the music and decades of hits, fans wouldn't have came out in large numbers to see Paul Stanley and company perform, but the band's massive production, over-the-top costumes, giant stage, platforms that rose to the sky and endless supply of pyro made the show a real treat for the eyes.
KISS spare no costs when it comes to putting on one of the greatest rock shows on the planet.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story & view more photos!
