From: Craig Wartick
Well this was certainly a night to remember! Not only was this show awesome, it made all of the idiots who said that Skid Row & Sweaty Uncle Teddy weren't very good look like complete dipshits!

First off for the night was the Skids. They put on a hell of a show considering only two original members were left in the band. They all seemed to be having the time of their life up there and Snake was in good spirits via the chair he had on stage! The new bass player could have used a few lessons in my opinion but he made it through OK. The new drummer looked like Bobby Blotzer of RATT's twin brother but he was pretty good. They had a good setlist and was a nice surprise to see they sounded good after reading everyone elses reviews.

On to the NUGE!

What can I say? I seen Ted headline Rock Never Stops last summer and it was pretty much the same (kick ass, in your face, ronchy rock & roll)! What a guy! Not too much to say about Ted but he had a plenty to say. His cut-throat lack of respect for political figures is undoubtedly hilarious to see in concert. But when your are in the city the President of the United States is from and you call him a "worthless piece of shit", well there is just something about it that brings a tear to your eye (laughing your ass off). I didn't know if he was gonna pay homage to Billary in "Kiss My Ass" but towards the end of the song he made his message very clear. And of course the flaming arrow into the dummy Gibson is a briliant way to get the crowd behind you.

Time for the Main Event!

Could there possibly be some way to get an Ace Frehley guitar pick. He threw about 10 of them right at me and then the they would catch air and veer off to someone else, what the hell. Well that is my only complaint of the night. And there they were coming down from the heavens. These were the best seats I have ever had to a KISS concert(7th row just right of center, thanks VH-1)and had to break my damn neck trying to see them descend. What a rush! I felt like I was going to have a heart attack everytime they ended a song just thinking to myself, shit thats the last time I'll ever hear that one live. Oh well, moneys worth all night long. After the first song Gene must have been having trouble with his ear piece and had a roadie working on it for a minute. Gene was being Gene and it looked like nothin' could bring them down on this night. The whole show was full of smiles and apppreciative thanks from all the members of the band. Gene playin' grab-ass all night will Ace was hysterical. He did all the things he's made famous in their live show and Good Lord he slung a ton of blood out of his mouth tonight(more than I had ever seen). Gotta love when he flys up in the rafters and the Green flames added with the other flames made it "Hotter Than Hell" where I was sitting. Great performance by the Demon. Peter was drumming better that he has been it looked like. He was gettin' with it quite a few times during the night. Just because Tommy Aldridge is a damn robotic drummer and is unbelievable really didn't take away anything from Peter. No "Beth" tonight though for some reason(actually he didnt sing much at all on anything)but he obviously has his reasons! Paul was incredible as always but he is in tip top form for this tour. Voice / Showmanship / Health.....it was all there for him tonight and he never missed a beat. Hell he even got most of the verses in the right order tonight(never threwed me a curve while I was screamin' along). Went right over me when he flew out to centerfield for Love Gun(that was pretty damn cool). Ace is my man of the hour. I can't get enough of him playin' solos. Some damn fine work by the SpaceAce tonight. Love all of the riffs from Parasite, Hard Times, New York Groove, Snowblind and 2001 he incorporated in his solo tonight. God this guy is awesome. Hopefully he continues on after KISS and keeps recording records. What a guy!

Well here are a few of my opinions on the show!

Most Thrilling Moment: When the floor starts to shake and the house lights go down. That constant vibration must do wonders for the ladies anticipating the show(haha).

Biggest Surprise of the Night: When they came out to do the encore Paul wasn't doing his usual rap for RNRAN and they just shot into it and here came the confetti(which by the way was my only souvineer, damn guitar picks).

Biggest Dissapointment: RNRAN was the only encore song. Don't know why but it was.

Funniest Event: When Gene went to Lickin' Ace's neck and about busted his ass cause Ace moved away too soon. Ace was laughin' at him and Gene had that(you dirty bastard smirk on his face) and then he turned and laughed also.

Biggest Bummer of the night: Has nothin to do with KISS. It was driving back through Northern Arkansas to Missouri where I live(I f*cking hate 35 mph curves).

Well that was my evening! I will never forget them and it won't be the last time they will be seen together. I'd like to see them in about 10 years running an acoustic set accross the country like CSNY or something like that.

Take Care Guys........it has been a wonderful ride for all of us!

KISS ASYLUM -- KISS Museum News Archive Features Tour Dates Photos