From: Jerry Hannon
Like any lifelong soldier in the KISS ARMY,to me, this farewell tour is very bittersweet ( perhaps much more bitter). I have been a fan for as long as i can remember, getting LOVE GUN for my birthday in 1977 when i was only 7, and being 29 years old now, is quite a lengthy tenure in any branch of the military.

So this show was indeed sad, yet there was great cause for celebration at the same time. I remembered all 15 prior shows that I have seen, starting on the ASYLUM tour and sheer joy flooded over me. If this was the last time I was ever to see my heroes perform, I had THE BEST seats I ever had. I was not in the first row, but I was in a rounded amphitheatre on the very end of the row only about 6 feet from the wall of the building, but only, maybe, 20 feet from the far left of the stage and about 15 feet from the GIANT KISS lighted logo. When one of the guys was up on that platform, I could see the whites of there eyes. I have never been so close. And when that logo lit up, I swear my hare moved and the left side of my face HAD to be tanned!! I loved it.

The show began as it always does, but I have always felt that the beginning was the best part of the show. From the moment that the lights went out until the first note was struck was only about 20 seconds, but it felt like hours. That low rumble you hear, the blue spotlights rolling everywhere, the anticipation, I just tried to soak it all up and relish in it because I knew I would never experience it again. Then all of a sudden, "ALL RIGHT MANSFIELD.........." You know the rest. It truly is spine tingling. WHAT a feeling !!! Everyone looked great. Pauls hair looked completely natural, and for some reason, he really seemed to look like he was 30 again, like this was the DYNASTY tour or something. Ace looked great. Sometimes he looks a bit weighty in the face, but not tonight. Gene as always looked mean, and Peter appeared to be pounding those drums a little harder than usual. But the best thing was that Pauls voice was the best I ever heared it. He hit every note effortlessly and with all the power you could ask for. Paul Stanley was the star of the show. Absolutely awesome!

No surprises in the setlist, but thats ok. Some little things of note, In the beginning of Detroit Rock City, on their way down from the platform is when they started playing. It usually has been that they get to the floor and then do the intro, THEN play. Not tonight. We heared the intro without seeing them ( The way it SHOULD be ) and they started playing on the way down. VERY COOL! Also Paul played solo and did about 1 verse of I STILL LOVE YOU before BLACK DIAMOND. Again very cool.

A nice note, during BETH, a parent had a little girl about 5 years old, front and center. Peter loved it! They looked into each others eyes for the whole song, each full of joy. After Peter GENUINLEY said that she was SO beautiful, and you could tell he was really caught up in the whole emotional farewell moment and he was moved. I hope that little girl gets a copy of that video because she can say that Peter Criss sang BETH just for her, and he did.

What can I say. It was the greatest show I ever saw. The only thing I hoped for was maybe a few words from all the guys and some sort of tip of the hat or video tribute to Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick. On the whole, it seemed like business as usual, like we'd see them again on the next tour. Anyway, WE LOVE BRUCE AND ERIC, TOO!!! On a scale of 1-10, this experience was a 100 !! LONG LIVE KISS!!!!!

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