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KISS
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Feb. 20, 2019
By A. Lee Graham
Set List:
Detroit Rock City | Shout It Out Loud | Deuce | Say Yeah | Heaven’s On Fire | War Machine | Lick It Up | 100,000 Years | God of Thunder | Cold Gin | Psycho Circus | I Love It Loud | Hide Your Heart | Let Me Go, Rock ’n Roll | Love Gun | I Was Made For Loving You | Black Diamond
Encore:
Beth | Do You Love Me | Rock and Roll All Nite
No band draws more debate, derision or disdain than KISS.
Need proof?
Look no further than the comments filling online fan forums, most of which nitpick the masked marvels to the point where fan becomes foe, admirer becomes stalker, cheerleader becomes… you get the point.
Since unleashing its vinyl debut in 1974, KISS has been dismissed by snooty critics, focusing not on the music, but rather the makeup, stage antics and larger-than-life nature of a band on the rise.
Yet fans stood by their heroes, insisting that songs — more than flashpots and explosions — legitimized their devotion.
Many of those admirers — almost 20,000, to be precise — filled American Airlines Center as part of the band’s “End of the Road” tour,” wondering whether the current lineup (featuring founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer). could deliver the goods.
At the risk of aping Paul Stanley shtick, lemme say, “People, they sure can! Aaah yeah!” In a two-hour set filled with hits, volume and enough pyro to shame the sun, the boys delivered.
Setting the stage was the familiar intro, a voice still sending chills after all these years: “All right, Dallas! You wanted the best, you’ve got the best. The hottest band in the world: KISS!”
With that, Stanley, Simmons and Thayer descended from above, stepping off octagonal risers as fans felt the flashpot flames. With Singer pounding skins atop a towering drum riser, “Detroit Rock City” kicked things off with confidence. You’d hardly know Stanley and Simmons are 67 and 69, respectively, as each elder statesman prowled the stage.
Stanley, in particular, dazzled with moves that frontmen half his age couldn’t pull off.
What followed was hit after hit, from “Shout It Out Loud” and “Lick It Up” to “I Was Made For Loving You.” With each song came new stage candy.
“Love Gun” saw Paul zip-line to a smaller stage at the other end of the arena floor. For “Rock and Roll All Nite,” Simmons and Thayer hovered over the audience in cherrypicker baskets. And for “God of Thunder,” Simmons rose into the rafters as his demon face appeared on several octagons above the stage.
The band clearly sunk considerable funding into the stage set, arguably even bigger and better than the iconic stage pictured in the Alive II gatefold (I know, I know, a heretical statement perhaps, but true!).
The setlist was solid yet predicable — and with no Rock and Roll Over representation! This lifelong fan wishes more deep cuts would have been included, such as “C’mon and Love Me,” “Got To Choose,” “She” — even “Tomorrow” or “Naked City” from the much-maligned Unmasked or “I” from the even more-maligned Music From The Elder.
At the very least, this fan would have welcomed “Larger Than Life,” “All American Man” or “Rocket Ride” from Alive II’s studio material. On second thought, that last tune might not be appropriate considering its Frehley connection.
I just wish the set catered more toward die-hard fans than the casuals whose familiarity begins and ends with “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Beth,” the latter of which featured Singer on piano.
Some could argue only original drummer Peter Criss should perform the tune since he first crooned the Destroyer radio hit in the ‘70s, but Singer performed every note admirably.
Thankfully, Thayer sidestepped the usual Frehley comparisons since “Shock Me,” written by Space Ace in the ‘70s, was not performed. Still, Thayer sported Frehley makeup, costume and rocket-shooting guitar, aping his predecessor to a T. Well, perhaps not to a “T,” as Thayer — admittedly a more reliable player than Ace, both instrumentally and physically — is more dependable and less wobbly than a musician still touring as a solo artist.
That brings us to the elephant in the room: criticism that Thayer and Singer continue performing in Frehley and Criss’ makeup. The very notion offends many old-school KISS fans. Deepening that frustration is that the original Spaceman and Catman received no invitations to perform on the tour, neither as full-time members nor as special guests for a few songs.
Drawing even more debate is Stanley, whose vocal problems have worsened in recent years to the point that Youtube clips from early in the tour seemed to prove lip-synching accusations.
This fan can only speak for Dallas, but I saw no evidence of lip synching, though some “sonic lube,” as KISSfaq website chief Julian Gill calls it, seemed utilized here and there in polishing up some rough spots.
Overall, Stanley sounded strong but far from perfect. That served him well in retaining a rock-’n’-roll edge rather than the prefab nature of many “live” acts these days.
The seeming ratio of live-to-precorded vocals seemed weighed thankfully on the former side, lending true vitality to the Dallas show. And alive it was, an evening of celebration and sadness, of joy and sorrow, as an American music institution inched closer to its end.
Making the journey even more interesting was David Garibaldi, an artist who opened the festivities. He splashed paint on oversized canvases, dazzling the audience by creating rock star portraits in mere minutes. Impressive as Garibaldi was, perhaps a better opener would have been Bruce Kulick’s band. The former KISS guitarist could have covered the band’s ‘80s era, making a satisfying evening even more so. But no matter.
If the End of the Road tour hits your town, hit the ATM, get your tickets and enjoy. You won’t regret it.
