KISS Asylum: KISS at MCI: Forced Bussing

KISS at MCI: Forced Bussing
From: Washington Post Online via David Stephenson
By Richard Harrington
Louder than life, sonically and sartorially, Kiss continued its Kiss 'n' makeup reunion tour by bringing its "Psycho Circus" to MCI Center Thursday night. Packing the most fireworks this side of a Fourth of July on the Mall, the thundering show wisely drew mostly on the band's '70s repertoire and costume closet. The performance, while still over the top, wasn't quite as sharp or delirious as on the band's 1996-1997 tour, the first time Kiss's reunited original lineup had toured in makeup in 15 years. At MCI, the band seemed more workmanlike, as if it had been there, overdone that before. The playing was almost rote 'n' roll, the obligatory drum and guitar showcases mundane, the vocals only occasionally convincing. At times, the roar of the greasepaint was muted with perfunctoriness.

Thank Heaven for those old reliable special effects, and, on this tour, the added gimmick of 3-D, proof against the critical notion that Kiss was always a one-dimensional band. Concertgoers were handed paper glasses as they arrived, and subsequently took them off and on over the course of the two-hour show. The effects were great fun but somewhat limited -- how many times did we need to see the neck of Ace "Space-Ace" Frehley's guitar, or the perpetually flickering tongue of bassist Gene "The Demon" Simmons jumping out from the giant video screens? On the other hand, during "Into the Void," one of two new songs from the reunited band's first album in 18 years, Frehley's guitar literally shot off into the MCI rafters and, through 3-D magic, seemed to float through that space and outer space. Later, on the anthemic "Rock and Roll All Nite," the guitar shot rockets into the lighting rig. In fact, flashy fireworks and flaming effects sometimes overwhelmed the music itself.

So did the band's look, from the kooky Kabuki-comic book costumes to the giant platform boots contributing to the larger-than-life impact. Kiss also made full use of the MCI space: On the ominous "God of Thunder," the blood-spewing, fire-breathing Simmons rose like a bird of prey onto a platform 60 feet above the crowd. For "Love Gun," rhythm guitarist Paul "Starchild" Stanley became a trapeze artist gliding over the crowd to perform on a small stage in the middle of the arena floor. Even Peter "The Catman" Criss proved unearthbound: During a long, otherwise forgettable solo, his drum kit rose to the occasion and hovered above the stage.

The mostly rollicking repertoire included such shout-alongs as "Shout It Out Loud," "Firehouse" and the closing triumvirate of "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Detroit Rock City" and "Black Diamond"; hard-rock love thumps like "Do You Love Me," "Makin' Love" and "I Was Made for Lovin' You"; the uncharacteristically tender power ballad "Beth," performed solo by Criss karaoke-style; and two out and-out rockers, "Cold Gin" and "Calling Dr. Love," that were preceded by unusual public service announcements in which Kiss counseled, respectively, against drunk driving and for flu shots!

Whether the near-capacity crowd took either message to heart is unknown, but fans certainly walked out of MCI with enough Kiss T-shirts and merchandise to outfit an army. Whatever sensory overload the concert provided, the fans' pockets, like their spirits, were considerably lighter by night's end.

KISS ASYLUM --

Photos