I did not see Spinal Tap on their "Smell The Glove" tour. And it gutted me. But Yad Geeks . this dose of figurine hero vaudeville flattened rumours about who is imitating who. This was one awesome Rock & Roll experience meted out by an entity that knows that it is time for one last kiss goodbye.
KISS have been both immortalised and lambasted in contemporary culture. I forgive them for their US gliterazerama and laud their damned earthy rock & roll. And it is that damned earthy rock & roll in this show that stole my soul. Their show leaves the lame-arsed Stones at the MCG long ago well in its wake with a 24 song extravaganza plus 5 song medley encore. And by golly - there's so much more to them than "I Was Made" and "Rock & Roll All Nite".
They remain largely an underground movement like early Metallica in that news of their great songs passed by word of mouth rather than radio play. The KISS recipe is about simplicity, anthematic rock, great gimmicks and a collaborative experience in which each character leads at various times. As the band descends from the sky on a hydraulic stage, "Detroit Rock City" provides the best rock concert opener ever. "100,000 Years", "Firehouse", "Black Diamond", "Calling Dr Love" and "Cold Gin" sound real simple but try to rival that kick-arse style. I defy anyone else to match this power at fifteen years younger.
There's so much unrivalled greatness in this show. Paul Stanley held most of the night together whether through the showmanship swinging out across the crowd, whipping them into a frenzy and going nuts himself in the seminal "Love Gun" or the intimate "one-man-and-his-guitar" version of "Shandi" Ace' s swaggering, drooling wasted sentry act peaked during "Shock Me" with his Gibson played so hard that a pick-up smoked and caught fire before the guitar flew away. He affixed sparklers to his guitar neck and launched two rockets which felled lights. Gene was in full character as the blood-spitting, menacingly prowling, green-fleshed "God of Thunder". He was winched upwards so that his head nearly scraped the ceiling of Rod Laver Arena and plunked away on the most sensational of all electric basses - the henchman's axe. It was great rock. Eric Singer served up a drummer's wet dream in Pete Criss-guise churning away all night and playing the strongest live rock drum solos since demigod Ginger Baker. And what about those flaming drum sticks? Fantastic, dwarfing Nick Mason of "Pink Floyd" and his laser light sticks.
Yes . there was a cringingly lame part, eg "Lick It Up" and "I Still Love You". How excremental is that? Surely, "Creatures of the Night" would be a far better choice. But dead moments like this were few.
I am now a shameless, gibbering fan like so are many others and I am marching. We wanted the best and got the best. KISS YOU FUCKING ROCK!! We will never forget you!
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