From: Ian
WHAT a night. I just got in the door from seeing the show in Saskatoon, so I figure while it's still fresh, I'll write a review.

I'll comment briefly on the openers. First, I'll say a couple words about Skid Row: THEY BLEW. There, that's a couple words ;-) I don't know who was doing their sound, but whoever it was should have been fired, and then shot and killed so he's not able to work with anyone else. And that new lead singer (Baz isn't with them anymore, for those of you who may not know) has got to go. He's a whiny, screechy Axl Rose Wannabe. Anyway, 'nuff about them. Uncle Ted ROCKED!! I don't care whether or not you agree with his..er...unique political viewpoint, you have to give the man credit for being a legendary guitar player and musician. He had incredible energy throughout his whole set, and the crowd LOVED it.

Alright, enough about the openers. The black curtain dropped and covered the stage (somehow I remember it being more dramatic on the Reunion Tour in '97) shortly after 9. They played one more "warm up" tune over the PA, and the lights went out.

Before I continue, I have to make one comment on the crowd this time as opposed to 1997. The crowd this time (I thought) was WONDERFUL. In 97, the band really had to work to get ANY sort of crowd response. Not this time. The crowd sang along, clapped along, and generally had a great time, and it was obvious that the band appreciated it. It wasn't sold out (I'd say there were about 10 or 11,000 people out of a possible 13,000 or so capacity). But those who WERE there made it known WHY they were there.

The Stage: Absolutely the best stage set they've used. I'm trying to figure out how best to describe it, for those who haven't seen it. It's kind of like.. um...Love Gun/Alive II on Steroids :-). There are elements from a few different stages in it though. Go see for yourself, I won't give any more away.

The Set List: Alright, here's where I tee off. Not on the band, but on the "fans". I've NEVER heard so much griping and complaining about such a good set list. It encompassed songs from EVERY period of their career (almost every album too, save for HITS, Crazy Nights, Revenge and COS). I thought that it was a great mix of songs, that there was something in it for everyone. I don't see what the point would have been to playing some obscure song like "The Oath" or "Burn B~tch Burn" or something. It just wouldn't have worked. In this case, you'd have had 10,000 people not cheering, but sitting there going "huh???" I mean, hardly anyone sang along with "Heaven's On Fire", which is supposed to be one that people know!

The Band:

Gene: What can I say?? Some people have ragged on him for being fat..overweight..whatever. The man can still get it done on stage. Sure, the pulleys are more visible than ever now (I was more than halfway back and could clearly see them without the video screens), but still...he can sing..he moves well, and the crowd just loves him.

Paul: If Paul Stanley doesn't win an award for being the ultimate frontman, something's wrong. He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. The ONLY knock I have on Paul is that he has a habit of singing his stage raps (although not nearly as much as he used to).

Ace And Peter: I'll comment on both of them at the same time. Ace is still God. Period. He played his butt off tonight and seemed to really be enjoying himself, although he looks like shit (he's lost..oh geez..30 LBS anyway probably. He's a toothpick). Peter was Peter. Steady yet unspectacular. The one thing that impressed me about Pete is that his singing is SO improved over 97. I mean, he's got a good voice anyway (very under-rated IMO), but he's just improved leaps and bounds. No drum solo..that was disappointing.

The overall show: Top notch, best KISS show I've been a part of. Yet, somehow it was sad. Sad for a couple reasons:

1) that they didn't sell out. I was disappointed. and

2) that Saskatoon will never have a chance to see the band again. To those who didn't go, you missed out on the best show you'll ever see. To those who are about to see it...look out. You're in for an amazing night.

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