Kiss LIve - I wanted the best and I got the best!

[Fire breath]

I didn't really have a major plan to go and see Kiss but a trip to ebay left me scoring a late ticket for the Thursday night gig after they had already played the previous night. Having never seen them before and not being a fan of the band at all apart from a few songs here and there, I wasn't that sure what to expect, well up to a point anyway.

On entering the Arena I saw the many 100s of Kiss Army fans getting in the mood for the show with lots of people with Kiss face paint which was pretty cool. Kiss fans are very much into their band and it seems Kiss attracts fans of many other bands be it rock fans who like bands like Led Zeppelin or The Who up to metal fans who like bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden. The atmosphere was quite joyous and very united indeed. Everyone was there to have a great time and what better way than seeing the greatest rock 'n roll band the world has ever seen as they would say!

First up was Taking Dawn whose album is pretty enjoyable. Live they were very energetic and tried to get the crowd going but I would say they never really quite managed to win the Kiss Army over. They tried really hard to get a positive response but alas they got mostly a lukewarm response in the main. These young boys sure have a lot of fire in their bellies, but their song material is so so. They definitely have a few cool tunes no doubt about it, but I think the sound was just a little bit muddy and this hindered them a touch. A decent warm up nevertheless.

Finally at 9pm and 15 minutes later than Schedule finally the legendary Kiss took to the stage launching straight into Modern Day Delilah from Sonic Boom. The sound was immediately a whole load better than it was for Taking Dawn, not unexpectedly! The packed Wembley Arena was singing and dancing to the chorus and the band was quickly into their stride. Not being a major fan of the band I don't even hardly recognise their classic material. The only songs that i knew well were Crazy Crazy Nights and God Gave Rock'n Roll to You from the make up free mid 80s. I didn't hardly know anything else, but alas the Kiss live experience is not cemented by having knowledge of the songs at all thankfully.You can easily enjoy the tunes as they are with the immediate groovy catchiness and a band in top form. I must say Paul Stanley's vocals are not my favourite and he tends to whine a good bit but the crowd was singing so loud that you could barely hear Paul anyway!

The songs that Gene sung were OK but again Gene's voice is nothing to write home about. Watching Kiss live is really an experience and a half. There is a sort of energy coming off from the stage that is hard to resist even if you are not a big fan of the band. The stage set and banks of video screens behind the band was very impressive indeed. The sound was amazing all night from my fairly close vantage point and I had no complaints at all on that score. They played until almost 11.15 which is not bad for an old timer band now is it! At one point Paul flew over the crowd on a pulley onto a small platform near the sound desk all the way at the back of the arena which was pretty damn cool. Gene also had his blood gurgling moment which I've seen on youtube before and he flew up to the top of the arena as well to play his dirty bass solo and singing the following song.

As Paul said, they are going to play one of the longest encores in history and he wasn't wrong as it was probably about 30 minutes or so long. To be honest I left the Wembley Arena amazed at what I'd witnessed. I still don't count myself a fully paid up member of the Kiss Army but hell, all these legions of devoted Kiss fans can't be wrong can they now!

1. Modern Day Delilah
2. Cold Gin
3. Let Me Go, Rock n Roll
4. Firehouse
5. Say Yeah
6. Deuce
7. Crazy, Crazy Nights
8. Calling Dr. Love
9. Shock Me
10. Tommy Thayer & Eric Singer Solos
11. Animal
12. 100,000 Years
13. Gene Simmons's solo
14. I Love It Loud
15. Love Gun
16. Black Diamond
17. Detroit Rock City
18. Lick It Up
19. Paul Stanley's solo
20. Whole Lotta Love
21. I Was Made For Lovin' You
22. God Gave Rock n Roll To You
23. Rock 'n' Roll All Nite

 

[Jasonic]

Glad you had a good time.
KISS was the first band I ever became a true "fan" of.
I have seen them many times over the years, starting with their first reunion shows back in 96. I was too young to see them with makeup the first time round. I never bothered during the non-makeup years, though I was always a casual fan of that material.

That's a pretty good setlist. I have never seen them with Tommy and Eric.
Kind of bothers me they have them in Ace and Peter's outfits and makeup. I know what they are trying to do, in setting it up so that when either Gene or Paul decide to hang it up, they can keep it going with the same "Characters" on stage. Paul has actually eluded to this in various interviews, saying that KISS is bigger than any individual band members, including himself and Gene.

I didn't realize TAKING DAWN got on a tour with them.
I saw them open for DragonForce. I thought they were a solid mix of Guns and early Crue. What turned me off was their non-stop cursing between EVERY song. It came off as very amateur. They do have potential though.

 

[Fire breath]

Actually they didn't curse hardly at all here. Maybe a few but not every other word. Their lyrics actually have a few fucks thrown in if you excuse my language like Hale-fuckin' lujah! which is actually funny as hell when you hear it live.
The thing that got me was the lead singer's over enthusiasm. It comes across a bit fake. Maybe it's just me though. They did seem like nice guys though but the running round over energetic thing and the constant geeing or whipping up of the crowd was maybe a bit too much though I guess that's their style. I actually like their album a fair bit but I noticed that they have about 3-4 big hits and then it's unmemorable after that.

 

[drmetal8]

It's cool that they are throwing 'Crazy, Crazy Nights' into the mix now.
And I think 'Say Yeah' is the best song on Sonic Boom.

 

[Justin G]

I thought Taking Dawn sounded like Nickelback mixed with Hinder. That's not a compliment.

 

[Fire breath]

I loved Say Yeah from the new disk too. It was great live as you would expect with full crowd participation. Animal from the new album was a bit of dirge but was almost the heaviest sounding Kiss song of the night with it's dark feel. Almost a bit doomy even, dare I say it and when was the last time you heard the words doom and Kiss used in the same sentence eh!

 

[Creeps]

I loved Say Yeah from the new disk too. It was great live as you would expect with full crowd participation. Animal from the new album was a bit of dirge but was almost the heaviest sounding Kiss song of the night with it's dark feel. Almost a bit doomy even, dare I say it and when was the last time you heard the words doom and Kiss used in the same sentence eh!

When Ace left.

 

[nomisofsiman]

I loved Say Yeah from the new disk too. It was great live as you would expect with full crowd participation. Animal from the new album was a bit of dirge but was almost the heaviest sounding Kiss song of the night with it's dark feel. Almost a bit doomy even, dare I say it and when was the last time you heard the words doom and Kiss used in the same sentence eh!

I wish they had played that and "God Gave Rock n' Roll to You" when I saw them in Chicago. I love both. Though I really feel their makeup-free "Revenge" album is their and one of the most underrated albums ever.

I wouldn't say I'm an uber fan but despite whether you like them or not, Kiss are one of the best live acts period.

 

[longshot9]

I've seen Kiss 10 times since 1984 and they've never let me down. Always have been a great and entertaining live band. I saw them in November on the current tour and it was fantastic. Glad you went, and enjoyed it.

 

[The_Metal_Messiah]

Actually they didn't curse hardly at all here. Maybe a few but not every other word. Their lyrics actually have a few fucks thrown in if you excuse my language like Hale-fuckin' lujah! which is actually funny as hell when you hear it live.
The thing that got me was the lead singer's over enthusiasm. It comes across a bit fake. Maybe it's just me though. They did seem like nice guys though but the running round over energetic thing and the constant geeing or whipping up of the crowd was maybe a bit too much though I guess that's their style. I actually like their album a fair bit but I noticed that they have about 3-4 big hits and then it's unmemorable after that.

Oh, his enthusiasm definitely is not fake. He's a VERY enthusiastic person haha I've hung out with them after a couple of shows, and even took Chris (the singer) to The Varsity here in Atlanta after they played with All That Remains.

That said, I saw KISS last fall for the first time, and was definitely not disappointed. Probably my 3rd favorite show I've seen (Motley Crue and AC/DC being 1 and 2) I'm a huge fan and have met Gene, Paul, and Ace before, so it was great to finally see them live. I do wish they had a better opener than Buckcherry when I saw them... I cannot stand that band. I don't know why. In theory, I should love them, but I don't...

But yeah... I was definitely pleased with Tommy and Eric's performances. They both have great voices, and fill their characters very well. My only complaint is that Tommy plays a bit too much like Ace. I kinda wish he had his own style, like Bruce did.