Greenville, SC wanted the best and on October 17th, they got the best. In support of their latest album “Sonic Boom”, KISS has taken their massive and bombastic live show to the road again. In addition to celebrating their newest album and best album in years, “Sonic Boom”, they are celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the album that made them a house hold name “Alive”.
KISS’ “Alive 35” tour was exciting news to me because, as with all KISS fans, I just knew it was going to be an amazingly fun time. My emotions are still mixed about having Eric Singer (drums) and Tommy Thayer (guitar) wearing the classic makeup of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. I have always made my disappointment in this action loud and clear but let’s face it, it’s going to be a KISS show so how bad can it be right? When they announced a date for Greenville, SC, I immediately called my buddy James who without even pausing said, “YES! Let’s go”. So off to Ticketmaster I go to get our tickets.
The show finally arrived and we were pumped. Right away you know you’re at a KISS concert by seeing random audience members with their faces painted as their favorite KISS member. I spotted a guy with denim jackets with KISS patches covering every square inch of fabric and the overall excitement in the air let’s you know where you are at a KISS show. We made our way our seats which were all the way to the back of the arena. While we were far way, it gave us an amazing full scale view of the stage and the ability to take in the full spectrum of lights, explosions and the really great sound mix.
Buckcherry opened the show with a pretty forgettable set. These guys are about 20 years too late and to be honest, even back then they would’ve been bottom of the barrel in comparison to the others of their genre. As the 9:00 hour began to approach, my buddy and I knew that were going to be in for a great show. We started debating on what song they were going to open with. It was hard for me to not peek at the set lists from the show but I just knew that we were going to be in for a treat no matter what.
At just about 9pm, the house lights went out and the famous announcement that we all love to hear filled the air: YOU WANTED THE BEST AND YOU GOT THE BEST! THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD… KISS! The roar of the nearly sold out arena was so loud that it drowned out the intro to “Deuce”, but not for long. The curtain dropped with a huge explosion and the crowd was going insane. The band sounded great right out of the gates. They looked great and seemed to be having so much fun. A KISS audience is a thankful audience and this audience was eating it up. The connection between KISS and their fans is something you really have to see in action. The wilder we got, the more the band seemed to kick it up a notch.
Kicking right into “Strutter” in true KISS ALIVE fashion really took it to the next level. One of the first things I noticed about this lineup is the amount of energy these guys have. I’ve always had my issues with Tommy and Eric but they really seem to have injected a new level of youthful energy back in to KISS. Paul and Gene were really on top of these younger guys and seemed so much younger than their actual years. As players, Eric Singer is hands down the greatest drummer they’ve ever had. His drumming is so intense and gives KISS this extra punch and makes them a much heavier band than they have ever been. Tommy Thayer on the other hand just comes across as a really good Ace tribute act. Where Eric takes those KISS songs and makes them better, Tommy just duplicates. Everything from the stage moves to his solos is just Ace Frehley tribute moves. This fact was very obvious during songs like “Shock Me” where he was just cloning Ace to the theatrics of his guitar solo. Tommy just did a really good job copying Ace but will never be Ace. Ace had his own tone, style and mannerisms that just came to him naturally and anyone can copy it. It’s just that nobody can ever do it like Ace or as good as Ace.
One of the things I love about KISS is that they can always play classics like “She”, “100,000 Years” and “Black Diamond” and they never sound dated. Classic KISS songs played live in 2009 sound just as exciting, dynamic and fresh as they did back in the 70’s when they were conceived. KISS still knows how to deliver the goods and give the audience more bang for their buck (pun intended). Gene did his famous blood spitting bass solo and upon finishing it up, spreads his arms and flies up to the lighting rig to deliver “I Love It Loud” which had the audience going absolutely nuts. I was never a huge fan of this song but this was without a doubt one of the highlights of the night. Not to be topped, Paul payed his respects to all of us at the back of the arena by flying over the audience to a platform set up at the soundboard from which he delivered a face ripping version of “Love Gun”. The band ripped through set closer “Rock & Roll All Nite” only to return to the stage for an absolutely amazing encore which featured a surprisingly awesome “Lick It Up” in which the band threw in a bit of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” in the mid section. This is another song that I never really liked but they just killed this song and totally made it rock like it never had before. Closing the night with “Detroit Rock City”, KISS literally blew the stage up with a pyrotechnic show that I have yet to see be topped.
When the house lights came back on, I looked over at my buddy who was smiling ear to ear. I just smiled back and said, “Yeah?”. He smiled and said, “Fuck yeah!” Anyone who thinks that KISS has extended their welcome or are half assing it needs to think again and see these guys on this tour. They are playing with all the energy and gusto of a band 1/2 their age. We wanted the best and without a doubt, we got it!
KISS – Greenville, SC – 10/17/2009
Deuce
Strutter
Let Me Go Rock & Roll
Hotter Than Hell
Shock Me
Modern Day Delilah
Calling Dr. Love
She
*Tommy Thayer Guitar Solo*
Parasite
100,000 Years
*Eric Singer Drum Solo*
100,000 Years
*Gene Simmons Bass Solo*
I Love It Loud
Black Diamond
Rock & Roll All Nite
Encore:
Shout It Out Loud
Lick It Up (w/ “Won’t Get Fooled Again” jam)
Love Gun
Detroit Rock City
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