From: donald@unidial.com

Finally getting to sit down and collect my thoughts to write a review of KISS bringing the Psycho Circus tour to Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY last night, and oh, what a show!! The show started right on the dot at 8:00 PM with Econoline Crush hitting the stage. I'd like to forget about this opening act. They played six songs which sounded exactly the same and the lead singer looked like Bob Geldof as he appeared in Pink Floyd's "The Wall" on the silver screen... let me not waste time on them!

KISS wasted no time in hitting the stage and making an impact. "Psycho Circus" lacks the bite and punch to be the show opener in my opinion. I'd rather hear them open with "Detroit Rock City" or "Deuce" anyday, but I'm not one to complain. Paul was in top form, working his way to every hot girl that graced the front row. Gene seemed bored early in the show. He had a blow up during "Let Me Go Rock and Roll" as he was really ripping the ass of one of the crew guys. He was so mad that he even stopped playing bass altogether, leaving Paul glancing at him, wondering what the hell he was doing. As the show advanced, Gene started to enjoy himself a lot more, cracking a lot of smiles, especially during his "God Of Thunder" prelude as he seemed to get a real kick out of having the whole arena chant his name. He really hammed it up! Ace sounded really good. His solo was good but a lot of it sounded too distorted. The part in which he played "2001" during his solo was almost unrecognizable due to this, however, Rupp Arena has really lousy acoustics and the sound there is quite undesirable. Still, Ace rocked through the whole show and he seemed to be having fun. And as for my man Peter Criss, well, he sounded GREAT!!! His playing was very tight and his fills were really, really good as well (especially during Cold Gin and God of Thunder). I don't particularly enjoy watching him on the screen however, cause it looks like the poor guy is about to fall asleep! His new solo really kicked ass! He plays some really jazzy patterns alternating from the cowbell to his snare, which may bore some people who just want to hear speed patterns, but hey, Peter played the kind of solo I really enjoy. And I was almost shocked by his use of triggers near the end of the solo which kinda reminded me of the space ship on "Close Encounters"! Overall, Peter is better than ever!!

Trust me people, the show is much tighter this time than the reunion tour, and the band is even experimenting with new styles to refresh the sometimes time-worn set they play. Sure I'd love to hear "Baby Driver" and "Almost Human", but let's be realistic, people. It's not going to happen, so let's stop complaining about the set and enjoy the show for what it really is. The reality of the original four on stage playing together better than ever is good enough for Me. No complaints here! Get out and see the damn show if you haven't yet! I have plenty more to go to!

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