From: Erik
Between Orlando last nite and Tampa tonite, this has been a week to remember! My bro-in-law Nik pretty well summed up the Orlando show with his review. Pretty cool catching the guys from the 2nd row like that...but this is a review for Tampa, so I'll digress no further.

Drove to Tampa from Orlando with a buddy of mine who's also a KISS nut. Got a late start, so we missed Skid Row altogether. Caught 'em last nite, so not too worried. Got there in time for Nugent, but spent a good portion of his show doing the concession thang. But what I did catch, ol' Ted was tearin' it up as usual. One highlight of his set was when he brought out Florida's own guitar hero, Pat Travers to join him on Cat Scratch Fever. Ted and Pat seemed to be having a ball trading off licks for that....happy birthday Pat!!

And then there's our boys...Ace, Paul, Peter, Gene...not to mention Doc and crew. You just have to give every one of those guys an attaboy...cuz folks, what they are pulling off for us all is an amazing concert experience!! Sure, there are occasional glitches, but that's just a part of live rock & roll. And when you shoot for perfection like these guys do, even if something does go a little askew, you're still hitting near perfection.

Tonite I was a little farther back...22nd row...so the ears got pounded a bit harder than the nite before. That's not a complaint either, kiddies. This show is an all-out assault to the senses -- you see it, you hear it, you feel it (and I'm sure some folks taste and smell it too).

Same setlist as Orlando (although "I Still Love You" was a little bit shorter tonite). Same rocket-shooting, blood-spitting, flying, exploding, fire-breathing, guitar-smoking, in-your-face rock & roll show as always. Simply outstanding performances on the parts of everyone too.

Paul is and IMHO always will be the consummate showman. The guy doesn't stop prancing around and working his audience for the entire 2 1/2 hours of the show. He bled for us last nite in Orlando, and tonite he's still wearing the band-aid on his index finger. And his voice is just in tip-top shape....the man wails like no other.

Ace is in top form as well. Simply COOL!! Sure he flubs or stumbles on occasion... so what?? That's Ace for ya. Fantastic solo BTW...best one I've seen him pull off in the 5 shows I've seen since '96.

Gene's no slouch working the crowd either, just does it differently than Paul. Overshot his mark on the flying rig (not his fault) and went sailing a foot or two past the truss and out over the crowd, but recovered nicely. Never missed a beat, although he must've gotten a taste of adrenaline over that...being as fond as he is of heights.

Extra-special attaboy to Peter!! We've all read the reviews about how lightly he's tapping on his kit, and how he relies so heavily on drum triggers (what arena-touring drummer doesn't?)...and that all may have been the case for past shows. But for the last two nites, I've watched this cat deliver ALL the groceries!! Ran into a little trouble getting the the drum riser into place at the start of the show...got tipped up a bit on the stage-left side...but he never missed a beat either. Also kept bringing his tech out to adjust something on the kit...but you'd never know anything was amiss by his playing. He was pounding on his kit harder than I've ever seen since the reunion. And his voice is just amazing as well. Personally, I may be a little tired of "Beth", but again, so what?? Tonite and last nite were bar none, the BEST renditions of that song I've ever heard.

And as long as we're passing out attaboys, a big attaGIRL to the ladies of Tampa. Cuz tonite, friends, the bressesses wuz flappin'!!! You'd never know the Tampa City Council or whatever passed its anti-nudity ordinance for businesses that serve alcohol...cuz there was no shortage of beer or boobs at the Ice Palace. I eventually lost count of the bras and panties that got tossed up onto the main stage throughout the show. When Paul brought three more bras back from the "Love Gun" stage, he looked like a proud kid bringing home a handful of trophies. Even commented to one of the many oh-so-modest ladies up front, "Look at those silver dollars!! You've been to the beach!!" It's good to be the king. :)

It's truly gonna be a sad day when this tour ends and our boys hang it up. Life will of course go on, but the legend of KISS that these four gentlemen have created together will never die. If you miss out on this tour, you'll be missing out on a truly special experience. So go...bask in the moment...and live it up.

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