From: Zzoom
I do not pretend to be a writer, however, there have been a couple of erroneous details listed on a couple of the Pensacola reviews. It is for that reason that I felt compelled to post a couple of corrections, and my review as well. I have been a lifelong KISS fan, ever since winning Rock-and-Roll over on radio station WBSR 1450 AM, back in 'ole "77 or '78. They have been and continue to be a major part of my life. This was my 12th Kiss show, the first being Aug.20th 1979, in Mobile Ala. (unbelievable). This was also the 3rd time KISS has played Pensacola. the first being in 1985,was also the first show ever at the Civic Center. The 2nd, Sept. 15, 1996 being my 32nd birthday. (front row is really cool).

The corrections that need to be made to the earlier posts are: First it was noted that Ace had three songs, including Into the Void. Wrong, they did not perform Into the Void, but did, of course, do Shock Me, 2000 Man, and had Ace split time on Cold Gin. Second, it was posted that no material was done from Rock-and-Roll Over. Wrong, Calling Dr. Love. There, I feel better now.

Now, on with the show. Our group consisted of veterans, and two KISS virgins. I always like to go to the show with a rookie, and see their expression when it is all over. And these two were not disappointed. Never saw Skid Row, maytbe I'll go early enough in Nawlins to see them, maybe not.

Nugent was tight, the 3 piece band was really good, and Ted's rantings were reduced to the best line of the night, right before Stranglehold, he said that " after all of you hear this lick, even the faggots will be eating pussy tonight". Now it's time for the main event. The trucks were late getting in from Little Rock, so there was no "meet and greet" before the show, rendering my backstage pass useless, unless I doctor it up and use it in N.O.?? The show started about 15 minutes late. And you better start for your seat when you hear The Who over the P.A.. The boys came in like the heroes of rock that they are, in pure KISS fashion. Their entrance was really cool, as were the first few songs. No major glitches until Shock Me, when normally towards the end when Ace used to get ready for the solo, only his solo is during 2000 Man. Well, I guess Paul forgot, and was ready to intro Ace and the solo right in the middle of his closing riff, which startled Ace, and Paul caught himself in just enough time to make us wonder if Ace was skipping his solo for some reason??? We figured it out after a few seconds, but it was tense for a second or two. The only other faux pas occurred during Cold Gin, when Paul, again, stumbled over a line in the chorus. The guys were all ribbing each other and Pete and Gene were at each other clowning around as well. The set list was great, Let me go RandR was a great addition, even if it came off a little garbled. Phycho Circus, while should be included, by the same token, should be removed and replaced with something that can be performed live. RARAN was the best finale to any KISS show I have ever seen. Period. The confetti being fed into those air blowers brought the house back to its feet, and helped to let us remember why these guys are the masters of live rock. I attended a hockey game at the Civic Center the next night, and during the national anthem, you could still see pieces of confetti floating through the air.

All in all, it was a great event, not the best KISS show I've ever seen, but damn good and a great way to close it out. And of course, the reactions of my two buddies said it all. I wish we had come years ago.

The New Orleans show on the 16th will be, barring a miracle, the last time I see my heroes, and I'm sure it'll be a very sentimental and emotional event for me. I am grateful for all my KISS experiences, and hope to treasure their memories for a long, long time. If one person out there who happens to read this post, has never gone to see KISS, has the chance, do not rob yourself of the oppotunity to see what live Rock and Roll is all about. These four guys invented it, and continue to master it.

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