From: Honda164@aol.com

Just got back home from the January 2nd show in Nashville. Now, I've ben to 15 different Kiss shows since 1975, and this one needed some help--although it really wasn't the bands fault.

The set list stayed the same, for the most part, as it has for the whole first leg of the tour, although they dropped I Was Made For Lovin' You and Makin' Love. Psycho Circus sounded tight from the opening, and the band as a whole was in top form.

Gene--typical Simmons. He seemed a little tired and reserved at times when he was not the front man for a song. God of Thunder was much better on this tour than reunion. Simmons flies up to a special platform seperated from the overhead lighting rig--much better visual setup than before. Although Within is a good studio song, it really brings the concert to a halt. It's too slow, and really needs Peter's drum solo to save it.

Peter--Unbelievable! He seems to get tighter each time I see him play. No misses, good steady beat, and the floating riser for the drum solo is a highlight of the show. Nice job on Beth and Black Diamond, as well. Ace--I was a little worried about Ace, because I didn't think he looked in good health on the Fox shows. He was fine in Nashville. He moved a bit more, although the guitar solo was not up to what I think Ace can do. His voice sounds better now than on the Reunion tour, and he looks comfortable around the other guys. Two problems: he couldn't get the guitar hooked on the cable during the solo, which was a little awkward, and during the middle of 100,000 Years he fell behind on his part and had to quickly catch up.

Paul--Ran the show! Vocals were great, worked the crowd (including the front row girls) very well, and his flying stunt during Love Gun was the highlight of the evening. In all the years I've seen Kiss, I have NEVER seen Paul any better.

The 3D effects are cool, but it wears off on you after a while. The best shots are the stage shots showing Ace. You really get the full effect. The produced effects are nice the first time, but after that they should be dropped as they get old. Plus, the lights to the sides of the screens hinder your ability to focus on the effect. It's a really good idea, it just needs a little more work. On the good side, the effects don't clash with anything else going on. Most of the 3D is during the new songs, and it's basically the band playing, so you can watch the effects and not miss anything thats happening on stage.

Now for the downside. The lighting scheme, pyrotechnics, and screens were very good, but the crew seemed to have problems throughout the show. Some of the flames didn't shoot up on cue, a couple of the rotating fireworks didn't spin, the giant screens went to the test pattern during Peter's drum solo, and finally, right at the end of Rock And Roll All Nite, the house lights in the Arena came up, leaving the band on stage at the end of the song in full view of the audience. They had no way to sneak off stage, actually running into the road crew while they were bringing out Peter's stool for Beth. After about 5 minutes, the lights went out again, but after all of these miscues, the band seemed a little rattled. It was the last night of the first leg of the tour, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I get the feeling that Gene and Paul read the riot act to some members of the crew after the show was over.

All things considered, it's definitely a show you want to see. Better than Reunion. Hopefully, they'll add Memphis to a leg of the tour, so I can go to show #16.

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