From: Jeff Browder
Well, the day finally came. I have to say that I am writing this 2 days after the show because KISS Asylum was down, so here goes...

First, about me. I am 32 years old and bought Destroyer in 1976 at the tender age of 8, and my life would never be the same. I'm not going to bore you w/ details, but let me just say that I honestly can't imagine someone being a bigger fan than me, even thru the 'lean' years (80's). So let's move on... The day of the show it was reported on the radio that Sebastian Bach was back w/ Skid Row and would perform w/ the band in Columbia. After changing my plans to make SURE I saw that (because w/o Baz I had no interest in seeing them even tho they were favorites of mine back when...), I got to the show and Skid was already on stage. I rushed in only to find out that the radio report was total BS!!!! No Baz, just some shmo trying to sing like Baz. Oh well, that was my excuse to go hang out by the beer trucks.

Ted Nugent Time. OH MY GOD!!! Not only was he in rare form musically, but his mouth runneth over! The whole 3 piece band was incredible (tommy aldridge especially). I've always enjoyed Ted. As I am sure most of you guys know, Columbia has been in the national news for some time concerning the confederate flag on the capitol building. This is a touchy subject that I won't go into, but Ted comes on stage wearing a confederate flag shirt and immediately began singing his praise for it. It might be just to get his name in the papers again, but he was relentless. Currently the NAACP is protesting the state and many celebrities and acts will not perform here because of it. Well, Ted Said the NAACP can kiss his a**, and dedicated "Kiss my A**" to them. He said they needed to turn their focus to getting their kids off crack before they start bad mouthing anyone. He ended the shw with, "God bless the USA, God bless South Carolina, And God bless the confederate flag."

Now to the main event. I'll have to say that from what I saw on opening night on VH1, and from reading reviews on this site, I was not expecting as much from KISS as i had in the past, especially Peter. But mam oh man was I wrong. Although Peter was not bashing his kit, he was very solid and played with enthusiasm. The tempos were not slow at all. He really had a good night. I was very pleased with his performance! The set list was the same as every where else I'm sure. They did an incredible version of Let Me Go R&R! Awesome! Paul's voice was stronger than I had ever heard it before on any tour (Iv'e seen them 11 times, first time being in 1978). A couple of funny moments. Paul said "ACe is going to sing a song for you tonight. It's a song about the new century." Ace got to the mike and said "No Paul, I'm not singing about a new century, I'm singing about a new millenium." Real funny. Both were laughing. During Ace's solo, he put his Les Paul on the hook to 'fly' away. When he came back on stage, he went to continue his solo, stopped, went to the mike and said "Now nobody thought that guitar really flew away did they?" laughing the hold time. He really played his tail off. I've played for 20 years, so it's not an uneducated opinion. Gene looked like he was having a good time.

Technical glitches: After Gene flew to the top to sing "God of Thunder" he hit his dramatic E string to signal the end of his 'solo'. One problem, No sound. So he hit again-no sound. The third time was the charm.

During R&R All Night, as Paul broke the guitar, well he always hits it on the ground several times, each time bringing a big EXPLOSION. Only one explosion went off. Oh well. No big deal.

Overall I was really excited to get a chance to see them. For everybody that's been bashing them, you're entitled to your opinion, so here's my opinion: SHUT THE HELL UP!!! Be grateful for what you get a chance to see. I thought I might actually get a little teary eyed, but as I listened to the last few notes of R&R All Night, I wasn't teary at all, but thankful. Thankful they came out one more time. Thankful that they have been part of my life for so long. And lastly, thankful to the years of hard work and dedication that culminated in one last night for me. I can honestly say: I WANTED THE BEST, AND I GOT THE BEST!!!!!

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