From: Rick Barnes

As an avid KISS fan, dating back to the first time I saw them in December of 1977 in Atlanta, GA, there isn't much that could be disappointing in a KISS show. Having seen the Halloween Special on FOX I had some idea of what the stage looked like and of course the costumes...vintage Destroyer era. The show opened with Psycho Circus and I was amazed that the crowd was singing the words. Not just some of them, but all of the words. This was really refreshing. It was kinda like stepping into a time warp and hearing the crowd sing along with "I Want You".

The most obvious observation would be that the band looked tired. Gene and Ace specifically. Ace was a bit off for the first few songs. "Shock Me" seemed for Ace like it was old hat and the ending was a bit awkward with no solo. As the show progressed, the intensity grew and it seemed that they shook off their sluggishness and things became tighter. I enjoyed watching Gene spit blood on the audience below the platform during "God of Thunder", which by the way, the audience sang as well. Paul Stanley was, as always, the perfect showman and frontman. The going out into the crowd trick proved to be even more of a treat when he jumped off of the platform he was singing from, and actually went into the crowd. Talk about security shitting their pants! He talked to the crowd quite a bit, thanking them for being there and allowing the band to play "one more time". As the show came to the end, I was surprised when Paul said (while he was trying to get the crowd to participate) "You don't have to yell if you don't want to, you've already paid for the tickets". Truth be told though, I would much rather him have said that than do like the newer bands and jump up and down acting like a clown trying to get a reaction. It was obvious that it was the end of the show and that the crowd was winding down also.

The closing encore was "Black Diamond" and it went out with a bang. Pyro, pyro, and then some pyro.

In closing, I will say that the concert was great. I have seen KISS on 5 occasions with the original members, 1 occasion with Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr, and 1 occasion with Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer. There has never been a "BAD" KISS show. There have been some that were better than others, when the guys were tired or sick, but no bad shows. Besides, there is really nothing to compare them to.

After the show, myself and my accompanying friends went back to the hotel, which was the same hotel the band was staying in. We waited for their return, but sadly they did not. We did speak with one of the bands supporting people (I believe she was a hair dresser judging by the things she was carrying with her) and she told us that they had decided to leave straight from the arena and go to the airport. I suppose that they were in a hurry to get home. Can you blame them? Nope. After the show they had just put on, I'm sure that all the people waiting for them forgave them.

By the way, I hope the girl waiting with us got her Ace Frehley photo back.

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