From: Tom D.
Okay campers, night 3 of the "Gonzo follow KISS while you can and pay big bucks doing so" tour. The evenings event at Portland, Maine's CC Civic Center, a general admission joint that is brutally small for major concerts, but is a place that seems to get bands charged up. Case in point - Skid Row. Really poor performances at the Tweeter Center left me thinking beer run on the way in, but that was not to be given our excellent seats in the front row, stage right. Didn't even have to stand all night. SR was actually pretty good and the locals love'm..... alot. The 80's are alive and well in Maine. Ted rocked HARD - he loves the woodchucks who come out to these small joints and he justs rips all of the liberals apart, besides being lethal onstage with the gee-tar.

Kiss was far more into things and all were in fine form. Ace was his usual sloppy self, unlike the reunion tour, but they really had alot of energy tonight and were in it big. All the usual syuff occured without a hitch, no set changes. The cool part for this night was being able to see backstage and interact with the band during solos, etc.. Also fortunate to catch a pick, so it's all good.

Couple notes: CCCC is a dangerous place and I won't be back. I was lucky to sit in the seats in the side of the stage, off the hockey floor and didn't have to get into the mess in the pit. Lots of heat, lots of people being crushed, lots of folks being handed over the barricade. The scary part was the allowance by security of the aisles being filled for the night. Lots of fights and no way to get out in case of a problem. The place is also a shithole. Time they picked a workcrew from the local jail and threw on some cleaners and paint.

Great show, great crowd, shitty facility. Better than a sixer, better bring a 12 pack it was that good.

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