From: Alexander Pfeil

KISS live in Frankfurt, Festhalle, 3/9/99

It's Wednesday, 9am, and I just arrived in my office. I feel I have to tell you first about the KISS-Concert yesterday, and then start with my work J Well, what can I say? Being a KISS-Fan for more than 20 years now, I really enjoyed the Psycho Circus show yesterday. Actually the guys could come up and play the same song for twenty times and I still would enjoy this. Don't get me wrong, I'm very much into the music (as I'm a musician myself), but a KISS-Concert is just such a great experience. It's more than an usual rockconcert. Larger than life, you know.

That's why I took my wife Christel and my 6 year old son Gene (not kidding) for the 2nd time to a KISS-Concert. And I took my 3,5 year old son Julien (my wife wouldn't let me name him Paul) to a KISS-Concert for the 1st time. Yes, my kids had earplugs and they were not sick this morning. Believe me, my kids had so much fun and it was great seeing their faces and their reactions with the 3D glasses on. Julien just asked me if we're going to the show again tonight. The concert I attended yesterday was my first Psycho Circus Show, and my 12th KISS-Concert experience all in all (my first one was on the Unmasked-Tour, on 13. September 1980 in Frankfurt).

Now let me get into the show and my thoughts about it.

I guess the Festhalle was * packed with ca. 9000 people, so KISS this time did not sell out Frankfurt as they did the last time on the Reunion Tour. Nothing really interesting to say about the opening act Chuckberry. Nobody was really interested in them. A lot of noise, a lot of f-words from the band. But their set went by fast.

Around 8.45pm the Psycho Circus curtain fell down to cover the stage and at 9pm KISS took the stage. They opened with P.C., followed by Shout It Out Loud. I remember the last time KISS played Frankfurt in 1996, Shout It Out Loud was somewhere in the middle of the setlist. Which I found was much better. That time back in 1996 the audience went really nuts after the song was finished and everybody kept on singing the chorus, so the band started into the song again!! This time there was no chance to sing on and go nuts, because Paul immediately went into the opening for Deuce. The setlist anyway was not that exciting. I think everyone of you knows it in and out. Unfortunately there was no Makin Love, She, Strutter, Take Me or else. They played 3 songs from P.C. So no changes to the setlist at all. As many others I also wish that KISS would change their setlist a bit. I guess they will never play songs like Rocket Ride or Flaming Youth, but they should shuffle around the setlist with well known songs like I Stole Your Love, Nothing To Loose, Ladies Room, I Want You or Got To Choose.

The band played very tight and the sound was good (which is not that easy to achieve in the Festhalle, because of its horrible acoustic). All the special effects (Gene's and Paul's flying, Ace' smoking and rocket shooting Les Paul and Peter's drumriser) worked good. But I miss the cherry pickers, and I wish they would have these cool stairs back again on stage. I also enjoyed the 3D effects very much. When I read the reviews from other P.C. Shows, I thought that the 3D would suck. Perhaps it just depends from which point you look at the screen. So I was very glad it didn't suck. I think the 3D is a good addition to the show and the glasses are a nice collectors item.

Now I will have a quick look at Gene, Paul, Ace & Peter.

Gene seemed to be a bit tired. His singing and playing was good, but I remember him moving around the stage and kicking his Boots in the air much more the last time. Paul was excellent as ever. Greeeeaaaat singing!! Perfect moving and dancing. Paul is just THE Entertainment-God. The protection he's wearing on his knee doesn't seem to bother him. Oh man, I wish I would be in his shape when I'm in his age.

Ace: Seemed really to be out of space. His guitarwork was good and his singing better than ever, but to me it looked like he was not really there or having a ball. I couldn't catch a smile from him the whole show. His solo was better than the last time. Somewhere in the middle of his solo Ace said something about "that's 2001 ...". I could not understand it too well, but it seemed like he was giving a tribute to the late Stanley Kubrick.

Peter's drumming has improved. But he's still not the drummer he was back in the seventies. Like some others said his solo is indeed better this time, but I don't see he is hitting the skins any harder than on the Reunion Tour. And I wonder why he's sitting so stiff on his chair. He's just like a robot. Does anyone of you readers remember how cool Peter was moving and swinging around while playing his drums back then? OK, I know he's not the youngest. But I tell you what: These Fu..in' drugs back then killed some of his groove and temperament. Fortunately this did not have any influence to his singing. He singing was again over the top.

All in all I think it was an average show, not many high fives, no laughing from the guys, same old setlist as ever, no fooling around on stage. I knew it would be a challenge for KISS to beat the show from Frankfurt in 1996. But as I said before: I still enjoyed the show very much.

Oh, here some words on the merchandising: This time we could buy t-shirts (several P.C. and an event Frankfurt-shirt) with the original logo on it. Last time they had only the censored German logo on it. Beside the t-shirts and the tourprograme there were only the action-figures, caps and I think some (signed) posters.

Well, that's it for today.

My advice: Go and see the Psycho Circus!

And: Keep on KISSin'!!

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