From: Maris The Great
It is I, Maris The Great! Five friends and myself recently attended the KISS concert here in Denver Colorado on the 28th of March. We all dressed in makeup and costume. I was Paul Stanley. The two friends who dressed up like Gene and Ace were interviewed by E-enertainment, outside our new arena, the Pepsi Center. This new facility holds about 18,000 people.

This is the 7th KISS concert I've attended and definitly one of my favorites. SKID ROW and TED NUGENT were the openers. Having them open the tour's shows is much more appropriate than the weird 'alternative' acts that were opening the Reunion tour's shows. I did miss most of Skid Row's set due to purchasing merchandise, but I caught the last two songs, "Remember Yesterday", and "Youth Gone Wild". They were heavy and sounded good, but I think calling themselves SKID ROW without Sebastian Bach as the lead singer,is sick and wrong.

TED NUGENT was the evening's surprize. I've wanted to see Ted for years now, being I was a fan of his when I was growing up. Finally getting the opportunity, much less at KISS concert, was not only great for me, but somehow fitting, given the fact that both him and KISS got their initial fame in the 70's. But forget about the "classic rock" tag and let Ted show you how it's done. He has a loud guitar and an even louder mouth. He paused rarely from blistering us with Nugent classics, But when he did, it was to spout off some political view. While I didn't agree with most of them, I found them funny, appropriate in the rock and roll setting and refreshingly honest. If you get a chance to see KISS on this tour, definitly catch the 'Nuge'.

After about a 20 minute break that saw the road crew cover the entire stage with a black curtain with a large white KISS logo, the lights went to black and we were transported into the universe of KISS. Blue follow spots chased around the arena, briefly illuminating groups of screaming KISS freaks before gliding off to some other part of the Pepsi Center.

A loud 'bang' echoed through the place and the suddenly, the curtain dropped. There on stage, illuminating before us, was a very modern variation of the Love Gun stage. Forget what you've heard about the Reunion Tour replicating that stage and era. This one is much closer in theme and design. Like the previous stage from the Love Gun days, this one has lighted stair cases (albeit differently lit) jutting up both sides of the drum riser. Four teers of speakers flank both sides of the stage and are themselves, illuminated by multiple rows of lights. Two KISS logos stand majestically in the back on stage left and stage right, separated by the video screen. This configuration is a slight variation of the one used on the Psycho Circus tour.

KISS decended onto the stage standing, with fists up in the air, on a lighting rig in what has to be one of their grandest entrances since the 'Hot in the shade' tour. Jumping of their "transporter" onto the foggy stage, the introduction rang out and KISS launched into "Detroit Rock City". Since they played this one a little slower on opening night, I was keen to really listen to Peter on this one. He sounded fine. Totally up to snuff. Peter played great the whole night. This one had some computer animation left over from the "Psycho Circus" tour and sounds of a car crashing at the end. After an explosive finish (literally) KISS went into "Deuce" and "Shout It Out Loud", both equally punctuated by colorul bursts of pyro, launched from the speaker platforms behind them. Paul said his usual high pitched greeting and said "This next song is from CREATURES OF THE NIGHT". And with that, they played "I Love It Loud". Some of you fans disaprove of KISS visiting the 80's and think it's wrong for them to play any of those songs. But I am Maris The Great, and you're not. So when I say that it IS appropriate to this tour and sounded GREAT, just know that I'm right and you are wrong.

"Shock Me' came next. Personally, I am bored with KISS doing this song. Not that I don't LOVE the song, but with all the other Ace classics, one is left with nagging desire to hear "Rocket Ride" or "Rip It Out" (Wouldn't that be cool!) Ace was very animated on this song, doing little spins and "stumbling" backwards after the end of the first chorus. "Firehouse" was good, everything was on time and in place, including a computer animated image of a skeleton climbing a fireladder on the screen behind them. "Do you love me" was next, complete with a cool intro from Paul about how us "KISS Army" members "Have proved the critics wrong over the last 3 decades". The song was played with the Documentary playing on the screen behind them. When I first heard they were doing this rather than showing the documentary, in it's entirety, at the begining of the show, I was all ready to be disapointed. But you know what? It worked. In fact it was maybe one of the most touching moments of th! e whole evening. The song ended with the words "We Love You" illuminating the stage from the screen behind them.

"Calling Dr. Love" found Gene in top, snarly vocal form. People really cheered and sang along to this one but were a little muted when Paul next introduced "Psycho Circus". My friends thought KISS sounded better on this than I did, but I am happy they did it, being that PSYCHO CIRCUS is a very good album (Remember I'm right, you're wrong).

"Heaven's on Fire" was a real treat. Having Ace and Peter play on it gave it a slightly different vibe, but watching them sing it, complete with costumes and makeup worked really well. It is easy imagining this song appearing on one the the origional lineup's albums. One of the best parts of this song was the sheer ammount of fire they used to punctuate the song. I've never have seen KISS use their flame throwers to such an extent and so creatively. Let's face it, fire is cool. "Let Me Go Rock And Roll" was next and pretty much falls into my, "bored with them playng it" category, but "2,000 Man" ruled! The song was followed along with by a computer animated story that is, I believe, from KISS' new "KISS Immortals". I may be wrong on that, but IT WAS COOL! KISS were "sucked" into another universe where they had to use their supernatural powers to overcome an evil nemesis. The animation fit the song perfectly, and was followed by an Ace Frehley's solo. I love Ace, but his solos since reuniting with KISS have been less than stellar. They seem to be more just noodling around than the killer solos of yester-year. With that being said, Ace got plenty of cheers when he worked peices of "Parasite" "Hard Times" and "Snowblind" into his solo. After Ace showed us just how much a guitar can smoke and how much destruction it could unleash on the lighting rigs above, the rest of the group returned to the stage and they launched into "Lick It Up". This sounded as good as the other 80's gems they did that night and sounded very natural with Ace and Peter playing. It basically sounded the same it always has with the exception of an extended breakdown near the middle of the song.

Next was "God of Thunder". Now, I've been ripping on Gene for awhile now because ever since the Reunion of KISS has taken place, Gene has moved on stage like a pregnant yak. Watch any of the 70's bootlegs and tell me that Gene didn't used to be an evil bastard on stage and now....well we'll just say I sized it up to age. BUT, I now stand corrected because, HOLY SHIT was Gene in top form as he spit blood! All my friends said that Gene hasn't looked this EVIL since the old days. It sent chills through my body. THANK YOU GENE! After belching gobs of blood out and shaking it all over himself, he made a little evil looking sign of the cross with his blood fingers before flying to his perch above. A friend of mine, who was in the 7th row, said he was purposely spitting bloody lugies on the crowd before. Now thats what I'm talking about! None of this, "I'm Gene Simmons, and you love me", "I'm Gene Simmons and I'm rich so I don't have to give it my all" , No, how about, "I'm Gene Simmons and I am going to kick your ass!" Oh my God was it great!...... OK let me get my composure......Ok, back to the show. Cold Gin and 100,000 years was next and were adequate, but it was "Love Gun" that brought the house down. It's a well known fact that Paul now "flys" out to a center stage in the middle of the arena to sing this classic. What I didn't know was how cool it really looks. At the end of the song, Paul "shoots" the lighting rig above causing a cascade of multi colored pyro bursts to rain down fire on the stage. This pyro display was much more complicated, varied and enertaining than on previous tours.

Black Diamond was next. Paul did his little "jamming thing" with his guitar like always, but didn't launch into "Forever", which would have been a treat. Peter sounded good on the lead vocal for this one, though he didn't sound as raspy as he usually does. Another interesting note was that Ace didn't get on his knees and rock in unison with Gene and Paul as he has on previous tours. Instead, he stood next to them, rocking back and forth as a part of a trio. When the drums rise, the pyro pinwheels of yesteryear are present, but on the front of the drums instead of the rear, making for a much more impressive display. The drums carry the "double cats" banner from the "Love Gun" and "Reunion" tours, and the song ends with the normal obligatory pyro bursts, though I must say that this time the pyro is again, more complicated, varied and enertaining.

After finishing the song, KISS left the stage briefly only to have Peter return alone, carrying roses. We all know this means that he is going to sit, stage front, and sing "Beth", which he did, and did well. At the end of the song he thanked us for "All the great years" we have given him and left the stage. A few minutes passed and all four members returned to the stage hugging and wrestling with each other a little before settling down to play, for the last time, "Rock and Roll all nite". KISS now use a confetti machine that fills the entire arena rather than the first couple of sections of the floor as it used to. The confetti shoots out from the front lip of the stage, and proceeds to the back of the hall through the entire song. It looked like a swarm of locust were invading the Pepsi Center.The song had the normal sing along parts, the usual spinning pyro wheel on the end of Ace's guitar (awesome!) and the normal Paul smashing his guitar at the end. But this time he was joined by Peter's drums rising yet again, along with Ace and Gene rising on their own lifts. The song, and the legend that is KISS, ended the show with Paul telling us "To never forget them, because they'll never forget us"! and with that, some powerful pyro exposions ended my 24 years of Kissteria.

Do I have any complaints? Not really. Of course, I would have liked a longer show and a few more obscure songs. (KISS, for some reason think people who, not knowing a more obsure song should they play one, would march out of the arena in disgust yelling "UNFAIR"!) But to bitch about little petty things, when in reality five years ago, allot of us thought there would never be a reunion tour seems.....well, petty. Kiss reminded me at this show, why I not only fell in love with them so long ago, but why I fell in love with Rock and Roll in the first place. God bless the Knights in Satan's Service.

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