From: lost_kitty@webtv.net
Skid Row-I've read all the previous reviews and after seeing the new incarnation of the band I have to say that I think some people have been way too hard on them. I liked Johnny Solinger quite a bit. He's not Sebastian Bach,but hey,only one person can be Sebastian(the world might not be able to handle two of them anyway.) I thought Solinger looked very comfortable and confident in front of a decent sized group of early arriving fans and I believe he has a bright future. The crowd popped big time for "18 And Life","I Remember You",and especially "Youth Gone Wild". Many people obviously remember the band and that gives them something to build on. Kudos to "Snake" Sabo for gutting it out despite his broken leg. He must be getting better because he stood for most of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed the Skid's set and I'm looking forward to seeing them again after they make a new record. IMO people who don't get there in time to see them ARE missing something good. I hate the fact that Sebastian is gone but I'm looking at this situation from a positive perspective(in stark contrast to my cynical and pessimistic nature.) The guys weren't comfortable together anymore but they seem happy enough now that Sebastian has his own band and Johnny has joined Skid Row...now we have two pretty good bands instead of one really good band. It's not perfect but hey,didn't your momma ever tell you that life sucks?

Ted Nugent-I had seen Ted once before(opening for Aerosmith in the mid-80's) and I enjoyed this time around a lot more. This trio is seriously tight and talented. I have to join in with the rest in heaping praise on Tommy Aldridge who is one of the best rock drummers ever. I have to say that until last night I had never really given the Nuge the credit he deserves as a guitar player. I knew he was wild and crazy but I hadn't really listened closely to his playing because I'm not a huge fan of his and I tend to be more into lyrics than pure musical ability. I want to mention bass player Michael Mendoza as well. Everyone has talked about how good Nugent and Aldridge are and rightly so,but Mendoza holds up his end really well too. It would be easy for him to get lost in the shuffle playing with Ted and Tommy but he makes a valuable contribution to this band. One previous reviewer said he thought the trio sounded thin. I must have missed something because they sounded pretty damn good to me. I wasn't as captivated by the early part of the set because I'm not real familiar with all of Ted's songs but the last four("Kiss My Ass","Cat Scratch Fever","Stranglehold",and "Great White Buffalo") kicked some serious ass.

And just when I thought that I had seen something pretty awesome KISS came along and made it all seem like nothing. To give a little background and perspective I'll point out that I'm 31 and this was my 41st concert. My first was KISS in '83 on the Creatures of the Night tour and I've seen all the 80's LA hair/glam/pop metal bands that borrowed from KISS by using a little pyro and wearing a little makeup and dressing in fancy outfits. I've seen Aerosmith three times. I saw the no-makeup version of KISS on the Hot in the Shade tour. I've also seen my three favorite bands;Queensryche,Metallica,and Megadeth multiple times. I've enjoyed it all but ALL of these mighty bands must bow to the original members of KISS;the undisputed kings of live rock. I like some other band's songs more than KISS. Metallica and Megadeth can floor a live audience without a ton of pyro or a huge stage and lighting rig. But no one can match the full audio/visual assault of a KISS show...no one. On to the main event...

The Ringling Brothers circus calls itself "the greatest show on earth." Oh please...give me a BREAK. I love the new intro with the band playing as they're lowered down on to the stage. It provides a faster start than bringing them down without instruments. Everyone should be pretty familiar with the basics so I'll just make a few comments on things that struck me about certain songs,issues,and the individual members. The '80's songs-"I Love It Loud" was okay but it's not one of my favorites. "Heaven's On Fire" and "Lick It Up" were awesome. Ace really gives these two songs a kick in the ass. I,for one,am glad they decided to do them on this tour.

Psycho Circus-A lot of people have complained that they shouldn't be doing this song and that they don't play it well live. Without being violently argumentative I'll just say that I disagree completely and I thought it sounded great.

Let Me Go Rock n' Roll-I've never been very fond of this song and I was a little disappointed when I heard they were playing it on this tour. I've always thought it was a little flat on record,but in a live setting it comes off really well;a good old fashioned kick-you-in-the-teeth jam.

Rock and Roll All Night-And the Lord Paul said "Let there be...CONFETTI?" A perfect ending.

The set list-Much pissing and moaning has been done about this and I would have done a few things differently also(me mumbling under my breath..."play Strutter,play Strutter,play Strutter") but hell,these guys have about a thousand songs to choose from and it can't be easy to do. They could play for three or four hours and still have people complaining about what they didn't play. It wouldn't have hurt my feelings to hear a couple of more older songs but it was a great overview of their entire career. Loosen up and enjoy the ride instead of looking for something to complain about.

Paul Stanley-Showmanship at it's finest and the best frontman in rock music. I've never seen anyone who can have a crowd eating of his hand like Paul. His voice sounds great and he's still got plenty of energy. Even though he laid it on a little thick with telling us how great we were and how much they appreciated us,I did sense some genuine feeling behind the words. WAS able to fly to the mini-stage and back without incident.

Ace Frehley-A cool customer. I thought he had a great night;not perfect but great. Solo was pretty cool but I have a personal creed that I wish bands would adopt...less solos,more songs.

Gene Simmons-Totally into his character and loving every minute of it. No problems with his flying trick either.

Peter Criss-He can still get the job done. He may not be as spectacular or dynamic as he used to be but he really turned it on during "Deuce" and "Black Diamond". Sang really well on "Black Diamond" and "Beth". He does look a little rough but I think people should be glad he's willing to do this last tour and that his arms didn't fall off before he got to your town instead of slamming him so hard.

All in all the best show I've ever seen. It's a great lineup with the Skid's and Uncle Ted warming the crowd up and KISS blowing them away for the finale. If this is the end I can live with it but I think I can speak for most of us when I say that if the guys decide to do it again...I'll be there.

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