From: bigredx5@gateway.net

December 16th marked the triumphant return of KISS to the OMAHA Civic Auditorium. Just over two years ago the band played two sold out shows here and topped the sell out record set by Elvis Presley. While the band played only one show in town this time around it was indeed one for the record books.

I have had the pleasure of seeing KISS on every tour for the last 15 years and this show was by far the best overall concert experience I have had. Here are some overall observations of the show.

1) I was amazed at the great variety of people in attendance. Everyone from 50+ years old to parents with their children. I stood in line with several families who were bringing their kids to see KISS for the first time. Ironically this show was somewhat rated "G". There were no four letter words or even a good vulgar story or two.

In the first few minutes of the show, Paul Stanley had to pluck a kid out of the front row to prevent him from getting "squashed". He took the kid up on stage and then seated him in the V.I.P. section right off the right hand side of the stage. Ironically this same kid was presented the "neck" of the guitar during the encore. That's one way to get a loyal young fan.

2) The show overall was fantastic. Musically KISS sounded even better than the reunion tour and everything seemed extremely "tight" and right on the mark. They rocked through the entire show and even allowed Ace and Peter their own time at center stage. Ace seemed especially at ease and as a resulted played some blistering licks.

3) The 3 -D effects were cool but for the most part they seemed a bit much. The "ON" and "OFF" of the glasses got old after while and for the most part people left their glasses off as the show progressed. The action on the stage was enough to captivate everyone's attention. For the most part the audience seemed to marvel at the performance. I heard several people commenting to each other during and after the show that they could not believe that "these guys could rock so hard after all these years".

4) DISAPPOINTMENTS - Where was the demon??? While Gene did his normal fire breathing and blood spitting act, he was the only one without a major "stunt". Paul swung out over the crowd to a small stage in the middle to sing. Peter did a tremendous drum solo with his kit moving out and over the audience. Ace did the normal "smoking solos" along with his new flaming spinner trick on the end of his guitar.

Gene on the other hand sang "GOD OF THUNDER" from center stage and did not do his "flying to the top of the light truss" for the song. While he was definitely into the show, he just seemed somewhat calm for his character.

OVERALL - This was a fabulous show and if you enjoyed the reunion tour you will love the Psycho Circus. One warning the pace of this show seemed slower than the reunion show. They played a good number of songs but no where near the number on the reunion show.

WAS IT WORTH THE $30.00???? HELL YES!!! Catch this show. You never know when the KISS ride will end.

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