From: Kenneth J. Souza
After attending a solid but scaled-down show at the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts in Mansfield, MA (Boston) on 6/12/2000, I was bowled over by the band's follow-up performance at the Cumberland County Civic Center show in Portland, ME later that week. Though the small arena isn't on the scale of Boston's Fleet Center or even the Providence Civic Center in Rhode Island, it still allowed KISS to bring in their full stage set and put on a complete, explosion-ladened show which kicked Maine's ass! The band seemed more relaxed and rested (perhaps after a day off following two Boston dates) and were far more playful with both the audience and each other during the two-hour set (which essentially duplicated the Boston gigs and most of the shows on the tour in terms of song selection). From the opening of "Detroit Rock City" with skyrocket pyrotechnics blasting toward the ceiling of the indoor arena, I knew this wasn't going to be a repeat of the toned-down Tweeter Center show from Monday night. The sprawling stage set included the usual flanking platforms where Ace, Gene and Paul often took center stage ... and the band was certainly tighter than they were in Mansfield. Paul's voice was back and stronger than ever; Gene was in hyper-demon mode; Ace was dead-on with most of the solos and kept kidding around with Gene (at one point, Gene tweaked Ace's nipple in lieu of his usual tongue waggling, which sent Ace into a fit of laughter); and Peter was pounding away all night with a grin from ear to ear. The audience response in Maine was also noticeably more receptive than in Boston, which I think helped egg the band on. I know that "Uncle" Ted Nugent certainly did a better job riling up the crowd than he did in Boston. (I guess telling Ted Kennedy to kiss his ass goes over better in conservative Maine than liberal Massachusetts.) All of the effects went off without a hitch -- Gene flew as planned, Paul made his way to the center of the arena for "Love Gun," Ace shot down the planted balloons in the lighting grid; and all of the pomp, circumstance and explosions made for a concert experience I'll never forget. This likely being the last time I'll ever see the guys in all their glory, I'm content that they've gone out with a bang ... proving, indeed, that legends never die. They just stop touring.

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