From: Mark Sugiyama
KISS . . .the Gorge at George . . .what could be better? This was my 5th KISS "reunion era" gig in the past four years so I figured I had seen and heard all KISS had to offer. To some extent this was true, but, seeing KISS in an outdoor setting truly added something special to the event. The set list didn't differ much from the New Year's Eve gig. The first thing that amazed me was not the band or the venue but the AMOUNT of people at the show. If it wasn't sold out it certainly was close to it! A true surprise for the Northwest. We had seats down on the floor and looking back up at the hill of fans on the gras one couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the sight of 25,000 (?) or more KISS fans! The lighters before Black Diamond particularly hit home this point. Anyway, onto the show. The band delivered the goods, as I've come to expect. A few sound glitches, Ace's playing was a little sloppy at first but tightened up at the end. Paul sounded terrific, belt! ing out the tunes. Peter kept things as steady as possible. Gene was Gene. During his God Of Thunder flying, he nearly (if not did) hit the lighting truss platform as he was being raised. Whether this was due to the wind from the Columbia Gorge or a roadies mishap remains to be seen. But, all was well, Gene performed the song like nothing had happened, and it was a highlight of the show.

The Gorge specific shirt was sold out at 3 of the merchandise booths I went to before getting to the last booth to snatch up the shirt (which was then sold out during Ted's set). Interesting note is that the original May date was on the shirt as well as the new date of July 22nd. Ted's Millenium Madness shirt was selling out everywhere as well. A big show of support was there for Ted, no doubt. I missed all of Skid Row's set.

Overall, a solid show from the boys. I didn't feel nostalgia setting in like some have posted here. The show was great, the setting was terrific, and it was nice to see KISS go out on top in the Northwest. Cheers!

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