Karen Mandall / Music Tour Reviews
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Rock �n� Roll legends KISS are celebrating an impressive 40 year career with their first-ever residency, KISS Rocks Vegas, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Wednesday, November 5, 2014 through Sunday, November 23, 2014.
I had the opportunity to photograph opening night of the residency then return to The Joint on November 15th to enjoy the entire show as a fan. I have included a couple of photos of that second night in my gallery below, taken from the crowd with my point & shoot camera, so you can see the incredible stage. On opening night, the band arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino via Maverick Helicopter, landing in the parking lot under the giant iconic neon guitar, greeting fans and posing for photos with military VIP guests and Hard Rock executives.
The show is literally an explosive stage production with fire and fog incorporated into the show from start to finish. They had the largest LED light screens I�ve ever seen, extending across the ceiling surrounding the stage, where graphics and closeups of the band were displayed throughout the show. Even the edge of the stage had been transformed with metal and giant rivets that looked like part of Gene Simmons�s costume. There was the anticipated God of Thunder segment with Gene spitting blood and playing his bass solo, and Gene was also breathing fire during War Machine. Paul Stanley flew through the air to an elevated walkway above the crowd for Love Gun and spent that song getting up close and personal with the crowd in the upper levels and the back of the venue. Tommy Thayer�s guitar was shooting rockets during Lick it Up. KISS ended with crowd favorites Shout it Out Loud and Rock & Roll All Night. The night was filled with newer songs and the classics the crowd was really craving including my favorite, Parasite. The show is such a huge success I wouldn�t be surprised to see KISS return for a return engagement residency on a regular basis.
