KISS brings a flame-filled ‘End of the Road’ to Nashville
By Matthew Leimkuehler, Nashville Tennessean
For Kiss, the end of the road comes paved by hair-raising flamethrowers and ear-splitting explosions.
But, did anyone actually expect this band to go out quietly?
Platform heels, face makeup and plenty of fire took to Bridgestone Arena Tuesday night as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame outfit Kiss returned to Nashville as part of the “End of the Road” tour.
Presumed to be the band’s last trip ‘round the world (and a second “farewell” tour from Kiss this century), the 1970s favorite brought a 130-minute set of arena-sized rock antics to stage — complete with fire-spitting, high riser rides and an indoor fireworks show.
“Everybody here tonight is important,” said Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley, introducing the show. “We can feel ya. We can feel ya.”
The night launched with Stanley and co-founder Gene Simmons descending alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer from rafters above the stage. Fire flared as the group rocketed into back-to-back crowd pleasers,1976’s “Detroit Rock City” and “Shout It Out Loud.”
From there, Stanley, Simmons and company dug in their platform heels to follow the long-standing promise of being “the hottest band in the world.”
“Here we are, in Music City on the ‘End of the Road’ tour,” Stanley said. “This is a night where we get to play stuff from our whole, whole career.”
A founding figure in radio shock rock, each of Kiss’ biggest touring hits made an appearance — and that’s not including the music. Prefacing “War Machine,” a slobbery Simmons earned chants of “Gene” as he vomited blood; Stanley kicked off “Love Gun” by flying on a tightrope; Thayer caught his share of shouts by topping a guitar solo with sparks flying from the neck of his instrument.
A shrill-voiced Stanley played the night’s pithy emcee. He both lauded and tested his audience, jesting for louder cheers at one moment and praising onlookers for decades of support the next.
And, early in the set, he gave nod to the band’s long-running Nashville history.
“We still remember the first time we came here,” Stanley said. “In 1974, we played a club called Mother’s Music Emporium.”
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