From: J Richter
Well, what can I say? I just witnessed the end of an era & it was bittersweet in every way. Since 1974, KISS has had a stranglehold on my love for music & my own personal musical aspirations. Their influence is unescapable. I have them to thank for practically every aspect of my formative years, as both a musician & a KISS crazed kid growing up in the 70's. To see them walk off into retirement after all these years has been an emotional experience nonetheless. That being said, I will try to give an objective observation of last night's events. Ready?

Skid Row...hmm...well I hated them then (even though I love Sebastian's voice) & I TRULY hate them now. Stick Ronnie Van Zandt onstage (with Phil Anselmo's voice) with the band & you pretty much have an idea of what Skid Row sounds like these days. The music was tight, but the songs have certainly not aged well into the new millenium. One word...LAME.

Ted Nugent was a nice refreshing change of pace, however. Political incorrectness in all it's glory, classic rockstar posing & true anabashed showmanship of the highest caliber was the theme here & it worked. I saw Nugent with Kiss in 1988 & he was too nice & sweet for my taste, so it was great seeing this 51 year old doing his schtick in full 70's fashion. Excellent performance & all the necessary classics (except Wango Tango, damn!) made for a nicely packaged 45 minute show.

The anticipation of the 25,000+ crowd was undeniable as the lights went off after a short 30 minute changover between sets. As always, it was an electrifying moment when the announcer uttered those famous words for the last time in Indianapolis, “You wanted the best…” Kiss kicked into the show with a rousing version of “Detroit Rock City” that hasn’t sounded better since Tiger Stadium in '96. I heard what sounded like double-kick drumming (surely my imagination, right?) which took me by surprise. “Deuce” followed in a similarly strong fashion with the band in top form. As the set progressed we were treated to classics that varied in quality. The high points; “100,000 years”, “Calling Dr. Love” & “Do You Love Me?”. The latter (I hate to admit this) actually made me a little teary eyed. The screens showed footage of the band throughout it's evolution with some footage I've never seen & a lot of footage I have seen only in much improved quality! Watching it sent me back to the days when my KISS obsession was at its peak. It was a moving moment for me & I’m sure many others like me. Additionally, Peter’s drumming & vocals were exceptional, the stage effects were well synchronized & the animations on the video screens were excellent!

I cannot deny the low points however, which did pop up occasionally. Ace’s singing was weak & his guitar sound was VERY muddy, Gene threw in some weird alternate harmony vocals on “Heaven’s On Fire” that sounded horrible, the tempos on several of the songs were noticeably slower which kind of diffused the energy they were intended to have & Peter’s drum solo was an uneventful disappointment. “2,000 Man”, “Let Me Go Rock & Roll”, “Shock Me” & “Lick It Up” seemed a little stiff & weren’t quite as good as they are usually. I will say that the other two post-makeup tunes were pretty incredible with the original lineup though!

Something (which may just be superficial) that concerned me was Paul’s overall stage conduct. I’ve been to 29 shows dating as far back as the “Hotter Than Hell” tour & I’ve never seen him this way. His performance seemed a little half-hearted. I suspect that he is probably ready for this tour to end more than any of the other members. I believe a lot of what he was saying to the crowd was sincere, but he seemed uninvolved otherwise. He also kept doing these weird things with his voice during & between songs that left a lot of the people in my little area of the lawn scratching their heads & simulatneously saying, “What the hell was that?”. Maybe he was trying to inject something different into the songs he’s played millions of times over the last 28 years, but it seemed very strange. Maybe it’s me, but I’m curious to see what others have to say about it.

My conclusion? An overall decent show. Peter was the star of the evening, without a doubt. Gene’s blood-spitting routine was the best I’ve seen since the glory days, Ace’s enthusiasm was refreshing in spite of the rough guitar mix & Paul, well what can I say? I still love the guy. He was very candid with the audience about the mutual affection KISS & its fans share. I’m gonna miss those guys. There will never be anyone like them. God bless KISS

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