From: Courtney Ross

First off, let me say that I am very surprised that no Omaha representatives shared their reviews of the two sold out shows from the first reunion tour. If I would have known about KissAsylum.com back then, I would have definitely represented! Alas, now is my chance.

The review that you are about to read comes from a 28 year-old African-American (black) male perspective. By this review's end, you will understand why I shared that bit of information. I will give you a unique perspective of the concert, as well as my thoughts on Kiss as a group.

Before I begin, I will analyze the words Psycho and Circus:

-Psycho...psychosis, psychotic; a mental disorder in which the personality is very seriously disorganized and conact with reality is impaired

-Circus...a traveling show of acrobats, clowns, etc; a company of people giving displays; noise, disturbance; loud extravagant behavior

The billion dollar question is, is Kiss living up to the title of their tour thus far? Keep that question in mind as I reminise for a spell.

Of course, I saw them on the first reunion tour, and I was literally blown away. It was the first time I saw Kiss perform live, in person. I thought that I would be bored of Kiss after that show, but I was wrong. I continued on a Kiss bootleg concert video collection, as well as purchasing re-mastered cds, Kisstory-The Book, and my latest gem...The Second Coming home video. I basically spoiled myself with all things that are Kiss. So, I was expecting alot of "umph" that would top the last tour.

The "Good" Stuff: As far as I could tell, the auditorium looked sold out, although it was not officially confirmed that day. The 3-D effects were very cool. I happen to be a graphic artist, so it's always cool to see what inspires me to have a job. The Kiss sound is still loud and heavy...they sounded crisp on vocals, and sharp on musicianship. Although it didn't look like Peter was doing much on the drums, it sounded like he was playing his ass off! Yeah, he's no Eric Carr, nor Eric Singer for that matter, but damn...who is?! We practically missed all of the first set of verses on the opening number because of a microphone malfunction; Paul instinctively ran to the nearest mic in time for the first chorus. One of the "funnies" was that Ace didn't get on his knees during Black Diamond. But hey, I probably couldn't get on my knees in those boots.!! No one really stood out as far as individuality...it seemed like a very even night for all of the guys. All in all, Kiss was "the bomb"...literally!!

The "Could Have Been Better" Stuff: Consistant with the majority of reviews that I have read, is my opinion of the set list. I would like to see Kiss dig into that vault of untouched gems, and test the live waters with tunes like Almost Human--Rockin' in the USA--Rocket Ride--2,000 Man--Sure Know Somethin--The Oath--I (Believe In Me)--Creatures of the Night--I Love It Loud--War Machine. Also, it would be neat to see them perform some non-make-up material like Lick It Up--All Hell's Breakin' Loose--I've Had Enough--King of the Mountain--Rise To It--Unholy--Hate (I know..it will never happen). Can you just imagine Kiss performing songs like Almost Human, War Machine, and Unholy in the Destroyer outfits?...jaws would drop!! Not to mention, Psycho Circus has got to be one of Kiss's top 5 best LPs. They should be playing at least 5 songs from that package alone.

Stunt/Antic wise, I would like to see the blood drulling, fire-breathing, and grand finale thrown into different songs i.e. drull blood before Almost Human...breathe fire after War Machine. And use a song like Journey of 1,000 Years as the grand finale; somehow combine that song with an ending like the grand finale number from the Rio '83 concert, as seen on the Kiss Exposed home video. Simply surprise us with new antics!

To answer the billion dollar question, living up to the "Circus" aspect is a given for Kiss. If they were to throw in a few of their "darker" tunes, as well as newer, unexpected antics, the "Psycho" aspect will have been met entirely. I know, in a perfect world... Now that that's out of my system, I can still say, even on their worst night, the standards of a Kiss concert cannot be matched. It's All Good!

Digressing for just a moment...long before Run-D.M.C. paired up with Aerosmith, and others that followed the hip-hop/rock music trend, my ultimate goal, or dream, was (and still is) to do a rap re-make of I Love It Loud; by the way, I'm also a starving rap artist. I've already chizzled out the lyrics, and the beat pattern. If and when I ever make it big, hopefully Kiss will enlist me for the re-make in the same manner that they've enlisted past Kiss members...persons that were vurtually unknown. Trust me, this would be the ultimate rap/rock collaboration! If anyone can help me out, or has any contacts/connections, please e-mail me...and hurry, before Puff Daddy beats me to it (God forbid)!!

Finally, to ellaborate on why I mentioned my race. We get alot of "cheesy" flack for being Kiss fans...that's nothing new. But, do to our f@#$%d up societal "norms", you're not supposed to be black, and listen to Kiss at the same time. When I informed co-workers and such that I was going to the concert, responses were along the lines of, "You will probably be the only black person there"...which wasn't the case, by the way. My thoughts were, "That's okay...while you're at home watching re-runs of Beverly Hills 90210, I'll be at one of the biggest legally held parties in the world...a Kiss concert!" No one cares about color/race at a Kiss show. Kiss does not represent a particular race or age; hell, Gene and Paul are 40-something year-old Jewish men! To me, Kiss truly represents a way of life...like hip-hop does. For Kiss, their only competition is their past. No band has, and no band will ever come close to the "Hottest Band In The World".

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