From: Tim Noyes

Kiss is indeed BACK!!!! Larger than life as always.....I was not at the show in person, but heard it all via satellite. I did catch the Fox Network coverage....IT SUCKED BIG TIME!!!!! What a sham considering the hype that Fox prepared us for. All it amounted to was one full song (the opener, Psycho Circus), two stupid circus stunts, unknown hosts engaged in useless gab with audience members, The Smashing (THAT'S DEBATABLE) Pumpkins, and a half a Kiss song with the closing credits running all over it. I know many a Kiss fan were pissed off at Fox for poor delivery of our PROMISED heroes!!! But, I digress.....on to the show:

The set list was pretty decent, a few surprises, but overall excellent for any "older" Kiss fan. I'm sure fans of the mid to late 80's line-up were disappointed, because except for the three "Psycho Circus" tunes (PC, Within, and Into the Void), there were literally no Kissongs played from any album after "Dynasty". I understand the significance of NOT playing any "more recent" tunes (Lick It Up and Tears Are Falling would have been welcome additions to the set list), but not doing them sort of denies the last 18 or so years, ever happened! It also would have been interesting to see what Ace and Peter would have done with songs like those. I rate the 4 of them as follows:

Paul: Vocals were (as always) PHENOMENAL!! He is one of the most underrated lead vocalists in rock history. Rhythm guitar was solid, and two-part lead riffs with Ace were also tight.

Gene: Vocals were stronger than I anticipated, particularly on "Within". Bass was also solid, solo really sucked.

Ace: Vocals sucked as usual. Lead was pretty good, but the lead solo from "Shock Me" was disappointing. To me that solo on the "Love Gun" album is one of the most outstanding in Kisstory!!! It just didn't measure up last night.

Peter: Solid, uncomplicated beats. Simplistic fills, but overall definitely vintage Peter!! His solo was also pretty pointless, and unimpressive. In comparison to say Alex Van Halen's live solos, Peter is really sucking wind!! Could use some more thought...

Overall the sound was pretty well balanced, but they seemed a tad sloppy on some of the older tunes. I would have expected that on the first reunion tour, but these songs should be old hat by now. Love Gun's backing vocal was good, for example, but Paul chose not to sing the lead part in that section of the song. As a result, it came across hollow. Either that or he was doing the backing vocal with Gene, and couldn't do the lead as a result. Detroit Rock City was weird. It started out labored. Peter had to slow down a bit, and it took a bar or so for the rest of the band to catch up. Then towards the two- part lead break, Peter sped up a bit too fast and again, the rest had to catch up. One thing the show did not lack however, was emotion and ENERGY!!!! They are a bit rusty, but in a few shows, I'm certain it will go smoother.

KISS ASYLUM -- KISS Museum News Archive Features Tour Dates Photos