08/25/2010
KISS AT JIFFY LUBE LIVE REVIEW
Sun writer (and wrestling blogger) Kevin Eck saw Kiss at Jiffy Lube Live. Below is his review.
Photos by Jay Gilbert
To many people, Kiss has long been Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and two other guys.
Even when fellow original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss returned to the iconic glam rock group in the late '90s, it was clear that Simmons and Stanley were steering the ship and the other two were simply along for the ride.
That's not the case with the band's current lineup, though. While "The Demon" and "The Starchild" are still Kiss' main men both on and off stage, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer - who have assumed the "Spaceman" and "Catman" stage personas made famous by Frehley and Criss, respectively - are more than just bit players.
In fact, they provided some of the more memorable moments from Saturday night's Kiss concert at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Va. ...
Sun writer (and wrestling blogger) Kevin Eck saw Kiss at Jiffy Lube Live. Here is his review:
To many people, Kiss has long been Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and two other guys.
Even when fellow original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss returned to the iconic glam rock group in the late '90s, it was clear that Simmons and Stanley were steering the ship and the other two were simply along for the ride.
That's not the case with the band's current lineup, though. While "The Demon" and "The Starchild" are still Kiss' main men both on and off stage, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer - who have assumed the "Spaceman" and "Catman" stage personas made famous by Frehley and Criss, respectively - are more than just bit players.
In fact, they provided some of the more memorable moments from Saturday night's Kiss concert at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Va. ...
Thayer and Singer have been given the opportunity on this tour to step into the spotlight and sing lead on a couple of Kiss classics that had been signature songs for Frehley and Criss back in the glory days.
Thayer sparked the crowd with his version of "Shock Me," which included a guitar solo that was at the very least equal to Frehley's. Thayer's solo morphed into an entertaining jam session between him and Singer, as they showed that they make Kiss a better band not only because they are free of the personal demons that hindered Frehley and Criss, but also because of their playing skills.
During the encore, Singer emerged from behind his drum kit to sing the hit ballad "Beth." Unlike when Criss would perform the song to pre-recorded strings and piano, Singer was accompanied by his bandmates playing acoustically. Also unlike Criss, Singer sang with conviction and actually hit the notes.
As for Simmons and Stanley, even at this stage of their careers, it was obvious Saturday night that the tongue-wagging bassist and pouty-lipped rhythm guitarist are not just going through the motions.
Kiss, still going strong as a live act 36 years after the release of their self-titled debut album and a decade after their "farewell tour," played a spirited 21-song set that went two hours and 10 minutes and had everything you would expect from a Kiss show (pyro explosions, flashing lights, fake blood, fire-breathing and, of course, Simmons and Stanley flying above the crowd) as well as something you wouldn't (Kiss leading the audience in reciting The Pledge of Allegiance).
Kiss opened with "Modern Day Delilah," the first track off its latest album, "Sonic Boom," and then played three songs from its first two albums � "Cold Gin," "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" and "Firehouse," before going back to "Sonic Boom" for "Say Yeah." The other track Kiss played off the 2009 album was the plodding "I�m an Animal," which actually is the only song that I skip when listening to the CD.
Another curious addition to the set was "Crazy Crazy Nights," which was one of three songs in the show from the non-makeup era. It�s not a great song to begin with, and the vocals here sounded flat compared to the slickly-produced studio version.
My only other complaint about the set list is that "100,000 Years" was retained from last year's tour while sing-along Kiss standards such as "Strutter" and "Hotter Than Hell" were dropped. Then again, when a band has a catalogue as extensive as the one Kiss has, it's impossible to please everybody.
Kiss wrapped up the main set with concert staples "Love Gun," "Black Diamond" and "Detroit Rock City" before returning to the stage for a six-song encore. Among the highlights was Stanley's rendition of "I Was Made For Lovin' You," which he sang after riding a zip line from the stage to a platform in the middle of the pavilion. Usually when performing the song live, Stanley grossly over-emphasizes the vocals, but he was much more subdued and thus truer to the studio version of the song.
As is often the case, Kiss saved "Rock and Roll All Nite" for its bombastic finale, once again proving that Kiss members and their fans may get old, but standing up and singing along to this song while being showered with confetti never does.
SET LIST
Modern Day Delilah
Cold Gin
Let Me Go Rock 'n' Roll
Firehouse
Say Yeah
Deuce
Crazy Crazy Nights
Calling Dr. Love
Shock Me
I'm An Animal
100,000 Years
I Love It Loud
Love Gun
Black Diamond
Detroit Rock City
Beth
Lick It Up
Shout It Out Loud
I Was Made For Lovin' You
God Gave Rock And Roll To You
Rock And Roll All Nite
Photos by Jay Gilbert
To many people, Kiss has long been Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and two other guys.
Even when fellow original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss returned to the iconic glam rock group in the late '90s, it was clear that Simmons and Stanley were steering the ship and the other two were simply along for the ride.
That's not the case with the band's current lineup, though. While "The Demon" and "The Starchild" are still Kiss' main men both on and off stage, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer - who have assumed the "Spaceman" and "Catman" stage personas made famous by Frehley and Criss, respectively - are more than just bit players.
In fact, they provided some of the more memorable moments from Saturday night's Kiss concert at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Va. ...
Sun writer (and wrestling blogger) Kevin Eck saw Kiss at Jiffy Lube Live. Here is his review:
To many people, Kiss has long been Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and two other guys.
Even when fellow original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss returned to the iconic glam rock group in the late '90s, it was clear that Simmons and Stanley were steering the ship and the other two were simply along for the ride.
That's not the case with the band's current lineup, though. While "The Demon" and "The Starchild" are still Kiss' main men both on and off stage, lead guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer - who have assumed the "Spaceman" and "Catman" stage personas made famous by Frehley and Criss, respectively - are more than just bit players.
In fact, they provided some of the more memorable moments from Saturday night's Kiss concert at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Va. ...
Thayer and Singer have been given the opportunity on this tour to step into the spotlight and sing lead on a couple of Kiss classics that had been signature songs for Frehley and Criss back in the glory days.
Thayer sparked the crowd with his version of "Shock Me," which included a guitar solo that was at the very least equal to Frehley's. Thayer's solo morphed into an entertaining jam session between him and Singer, as they showed that they make Kiss a better band not only because they are free of the personal demons that hindered Frehley and Criss, but also because of their playing skills.
During the encore, Singer emerged from behind his drum kit to sing the hit ballad "Beth." Unlike when Criss would perform the song to pre-recorded strings and piano, Singer was accompanied by his bandmates playing acoustically. Also unlike Criss, Singer sang with conviction and actually hit the notes.
As for Simmons and Stanley, even at this stage of their careers, it was obvious Saturday night that the tongue-wagging bassist and pouty-lipped rhythm guitarist are not just going through the motions.
Kiss, still going strong as a live act 36 years after the release of their self-titled debut album and a decade after their "farewell tour," played a spirited 21-song set that went two hours and 10 minutes and had everything you would expect from a Kiss show (pyro explosions, flashing lights, fake blood, fire-breathing and, of course, Simmons and Stanley flying above the crowd) as well as something you wouldn't (Kiss leading the audience in reciting The Pledge of Allegiance).
Kiss opened with "Modern Day Delilah," the first track off its latest album, "Sonic Boom," and then played three songs from its first two albums � "Cold Gin," "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" and "Firehouse," before going back to "Sonic Boom" for "Say Yeah." The other track Kiss played off the 2009 album was the plodding "I�m an Animal," which actually is the only song that I skip when listening to the CD.
Another curious addition to the set was "Crazy Crazy Nights," which was one of three songs in the show from the non-makeup era. It�s not a great song to begin with, and the vocals here sounded flat compared to the slickly-produced studio version.
My only other complaint about the set list is that "100,000 Years" was retained from last year's tour while sing-along Kiss standards such as "Strutter" and "Hotter Than Hell" were dropped. Then again, when a band has a catalogue as extensive as the one Kiss has, it's impossible to please everybody.
Kiss wrapped up the main set with concert staples "Love Gun," "Black Diamond" and "Detroit Rock City" before returning to the stage for a six-song encore. Among the highlights was Stanley's rendition of "I Was Made For Lovin' You," which he sang after riding a zip line from the stage to a platform in the middle of the pavilion. Usually when performing the song live, Stanley grossly over-emphasizes the vocals, but he was much more subdued and thus truer to the studio version of the song.
As is often the case, Kiss saved "Rock and Roll All Nite" for its bombastic finale, once again proving that Kiss members and their fans may get old, but standing up and singing along to this song while being showered with confetti never does.
SET LIST
Modern Day Delilah
Cold Gin
Let Me Go Rock 'n' Roll
Firehouse
Say Yeah
Deuce
Crazy Crazy Nights
Calling Dr. Love
Shock Me
I'm An Animal
100,000 Years
I Love It Loud
Love Gun
Black Diamond
Detroit Rock City
Beth
Lick It Up
Shout It Out Loud
I Was Made For Lovin' You
God Gave Rock And Roll To You
Rock And Roll All Nite
