From: Brokenheater
There aren't many better ways to spend a Saturday night! At first I was a little bummed that my buddy couldn't meet up with me before the show (he had to go to a wedding--he did make it to the show after all, though!). However, I felt right at home because I got to hang out with fellow BBers (whatever, ParasiteLady, Doctor Zaius) & their friends. ParasiteLady had 2nd row seats & was so nervous she was pacing like an expectant father in a waiting room! She calmed down after a couple of drinks though! We all were basically pumping ourselves up for the big show, not that we really needed any.

We eventually all parted ways as the show neared, and I picked up a "Kiss Rocks Atlanta" t-shirt (it wasn't easy!), and headed to my seat, which turned out better than I thought. There was my buddy already at his seat. We spoke briefly before the lights went out, then the madness unfolded!

The moment I saw them being lowered from the ceiling while opening "Detroit Rock City", I knew this would be a special show. Now, I'm not a blind follower by any means--I've posted some harsh criticisms of the band--but there was so much EFFORT that went into this show that your jaw HAD to be dropping. There really weren't any "bathroom breaks" here; it was pure eye candy from start to finish.

The setlist was standard, but a few songs have eluded me til now. I finally got to hear 2000 Man live, which was as good as I hoped for. Since the Psycho Circus tour didn't make its way to my neighborhood, I'd never heard that live either. Also, when I saw them on the reunion tour, the Love Gun flying rig wasn't a feature yet, so that was kinda cool too. I was especially impressed with their takes of the 80s material. I Love it Loud chugged with the same heavy drumbeat, Heaven's on Fire had a crunchier sound (with continous flames in the background), and Lick it Up was a different song altogether and a crowd pleaser as well. The usual stunts were in place (Gene's fire breathing & blood-spitting, Ace's smoking guitar, drum risers, bombs galore!, sirens, fire, etc.), but what really was crazy was the CONFETTI that covered the crowd during Rock and Roll All Nite. They were shooting it from the beginning to the end of the song! It was like witnessing an all-out blizzard! After the! final bomb went off and the house lights came on, my buddy & I just stared at each other awestruck. What a sendoff.

Fortunately, I have two more shows to look forward to (Greenville & Raleigh), so the reality of this being the Farewell tour hasn't sunk in yet. Instead, for this night in Atlanta, was a total celebration of the hottest band in the world...

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