Kiss News

10/12/2015

Review: KISS � Allphones Arena, Sydney

Written by Emmy Mack / MUSICFEEDS

Sydney clearly isn�t feeling uptight on a Saturday night as the KISS Army gathers in its battalions outside Allphones Arena.

Approximately one in four faces is smeared with black, white and silver warpaint, the flash of smartphone selfies sparkles across Sydney Olympic Park like sequins on Starchild�s shoulder pads, devil horns are raised, demon tongues are flapping, a fully kitted-up Spaceman casually walks his girlfriend past on a dog leash (Fifty Shades of Thayer I guess?) and a slick covers band playing at a nearby pub graciously soundtracks our approach to the arena with System Of A Down�s Toxicity.

It�s the first in what will be a night of monster hits, and the next comes from drummer Brian Tichy of supergroup support act The Dead Daisies, who beats his kit so hard you�d swear it had personally wronged him.

The now John Corabi-fronted band are everything you�d expect from an allstar crew of seasoned rock dogs. Musically tight, fearlessly interactive with a restless crowd and consummate showmen, they tick all of the boxes in the rock n� roll playbook.

The fellas even throw in a pair of classic rock covers with a side of guitar hero theatrics from touring axemen Dave Leslie (Baby Animals) to keep the punters salivating.

But it�s a bite of calamari compared to the king-sized Lobster Mornay that is KISS live in concert. And that�s no affront at all to The Dead Daisies; the same would be said of pretty much any other band in existence.

The Painted Ones explode onto the stage in an orgy of fire, lasers and dizzying coloured lights reflecting off the shimmering silver metal of their iconic stage duds, appearing from the sky atop a monstrous mechanical spider, like Gods Of Thunder descending from Mount Olympus.

They blast the crowd with Detroit Rock City and the sheer impact of this sonic and visual assault smashes everyone in the face like Thor�s hammer. The Knights In Satan�s Service have everyone completely stupefied from the very first power chord, and most of us won�t snap out of it until we�re halfway back to the car some two hours later.

I mean Ho. Lee. Fuck.

Don�t get me wrong, I�ve seen more than my fair share of blockbuster stage productions. Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Muse, AC/DC, you name it. But none of it has prepared me for the eyeball-exploding spectacle of KISS live.

The Psycho Circus unfolds with drummer Eric Singer conducting a symphony of flamethrowers as projected footage of a terrifying Smaug-like dragon flashes onto the towering stage backdrop during the crushing riffage of War Machine, as Gene Simmons breathes fire from a flaming sword.

The Demon�s iconic tongue is out in force, lapping up the spotlight thirstily as he stands between shadowy patches of smoky hellfire, gargles blood and lets rip one of the meanest bass solos this side of purgatory. 40 years on and Simmons still looks like he only just crawled out of the blistering pits of hell itself.

Also let the records show, he was rocking the topknot before it was cool.

The night ramps up into a monumental onslaught of iconic KISS moments: from Simmons flying like a hellbat above the crowd, to Thayer shooting fireworks out of his guitar mid-solo, to star-faced frontman Paul Stanley soaring out onto a podium in the centre of the arena to ensure maximum impact of his Love Gun.

It�s two hours of gratuitous, magnificent, dizzying eye-porn soundtracked by all of your KISS faves: Calling Dr. Love, Lick It Up, Shandi, Shout It Out Loud, I Was Made For Lovin� You and of course Rock And Roll All Nite all get a guernsey.

But the thing is, if you took away all of the flame jets, giant robot crabs, confetti canons, firework windmills, monster disco balls, aerial acrobatics, laser displays, bloody vomit, high budget screen projections and pretty much every other thing that makes a KISS live show one of the most gobsmacking visual spectacles in the history of rock n� roll, you�d be left with four outlandishly dressed but nonetheless talented musicians performing a setlist of sick tunes tighter than the star-studded spandex hugging Paul Stanley�s crotch.

Subtract all of the blockbuster bells & whistles and you�d still have yourself one killer AF rock show. It just wouldn�t be quite as much fun.

You wanted the best? Yeah. You got the best.

CLICK HERE to view the KISS � Allphones Arena Sydney Photo Gallery - Pics by Ashley Marr

10/11/2015

KISS 40th Anniversary Tour Review - Melbourne

KISS 40th Anniversary Tour Review

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne � 8 October 2015

Written by The Rock Man / Full Throttle Rock

Over the years I can say that I have been blessed to bear witness to some of the biggest bands in rock history come to Australia to perform. Yet having said that I can also say with hand on heart that I have never found anything that gives me the same kind of thrill and excitement as seeing a KISS show. And so it was that once again I found myself at Melbourne�s Rod Laver Arena eagerly anticipating what was to unfold.

As the lights go down there is a buzz of electricity that fills the arena; then the KISS battle cry comes roaring over the speakers: �You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world� KISS!� In an explosion of pyrotechnics, lights and sound, the black curtain drops and like magic our costumed heroes appear grinding out the opening bars of Detroit Rock City as they stand atop of the massive steel �Spider� construction which occupies the majority of the stage. Slowly the �Spider� begins to lower the band to the stage proper and away we go for a two hour thrill ride which includes many fan favourites including Deuce, Do You Love Me?, Calling Dr. Love and Lick It Up, alongside some of the band�s more recent tunes such as Psycho Circus and Hell Or Hallelujah.

Their 1982 album Creatures Of The Night has long been my favourite KISS recording and I am left in a state of KISS ecstasy as they churn out three killer cuts from that record: the title track, I Love It Loud and War Machine (complete with fire-breathing antics from bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons). Is it possible for this night to get any better? Oh wait� this is KISS; of course it can!

For example, I never get tired at watching frontman Paul Stanley fly through the air on a harness from the main stage to a smaller stage at the back of the arena to embrace the audience and perform Love Gun. Then there is the wickedly brilliant bass solo of Simmons which sees him spurting blood, then soaring high onto the top of the �Spider� stage to belt out God Of Thunder with authority and force. And not forgetting the guitar wizardry of Tommy Thayer with his shooting pyrotechnic effects from his guitar. The band have mastered these theatrics over decades and they simply never get old. As they work a few more classics, the band bring the main set to a close with Black Diamond which sees drummer Eric Singer take control of vocal duties. As the loyal crowd knows this is a massive dynamic song, and with Singer on vocals and in a live setting that dynamic impact is raised ten fold.

After a very short break the band triumphantly returns to the stage. KISS have left just enough room to take this energy charged spectacle to another level as they deliver a bombastic final set which includes a solo acapella version of Shandi performed by Stanley, and then they launch into the heavy hitters Shout It Out Loud, I Was Made For Lovin� You and the anthemic Rock And Roll All Night.

For music fans who often feel short-changed by artists who don�t deliver value for money with their live performances, KISS does not disappoint. Seeing this band perform live is an awe-inspiring experience; one that stays with you long after the confetti falls and the show moves on to the next City.

The Justin Biebers of the world should take note. You lip sync because it's too hard to sing, dance and breathe at the same time? Last night in Melbourne four men over the age of 50 took to the stage in seven-inch leather heels and they not only managed to sing and move at the same time (shock horror) but they also played instruments, flew through the air, were launched to the roof and rocked the house!

So to all the young artists finding it hard to do more than one thing at a time, get yourself to a KISS concert to see how the big boys do it. That is of course if it's not too hard for you to get there.

Collectables
Shop Official KISS Merchandise