VENUE – MANCHESTER, AO ARENA

DATE – 7th July 2023

Photo Credit – Phil Ingham

Words – Graeme Wright

To fully explain my love for Kiss I need to take you back to the Seventies. My friend Terry had introduced me to Black Sabbath and sent me on the Metal path at the age of thirteen. On a visit to his house (with an AC-DC album in tow) I perused the record collection of his two brothers, Ian and Kevin. Wide-eyed, I stumbled across the double gatefold albums for Kiss Alive and Kiss Alive II and a lifelong love affair was born. I’ve followed the band through highs and lows, from founder members leaving, through fighting and unexpected deaths and Gene’s forthright comments which have left me shaking my head on many occasions.

One thing has always shone through though and that’s the quality of the music combined with the fact that they are the ultimate showmen who have put on some of the greatest gigs I’ve ever seen in my life. I genuinely wasn’t going to go to this concert. I’d decided early on that the ticket prices were insanely expensive and that the show I’d seen in 2019 was a fitting way to remember the band. However, a last-minute opportunity arose and in reality, I was destined to attend. The first thing I will say is that the 2019 show is one of the best I’ve seen in my entire life and that this one was just a touch below it for me. That doesn’t mean to say that it wasn’t phenomenal though, with the whole band displaying unbelievable levels of energy, with Paul in particular running around like he was still in his twenties

I was a bit twitchy when Paul started his vocal warm-ups as he sounded really strange, but once the familiar opening of ‘Detroit Rock City’ hit the ecstatic audience right between the eyes it was clear that all was well. I’m not going to describe every song, that shouldn’t be necessary after almost fifty years of music. I will however discuss Paul’s incredible trip through the sky to the second stage to perform ‘Love Gun’ and his trip back to sing ‘Black Diamond’ (the song that will always and forever be my favourite Kiss song).

I also need to mention Genes’ bass solo when he spits blood in the most horrific manner.

It’s time to move on to Tommy’s incredible drum solo between ‘Psycho Circus’ and ‘’100,000 Years’ (and this is from a writer who doesn’t like drum solos). The highlight of the show for me was Eric emerging from under the stage sat at his white piano to sing ‘Beth’, which remains to this day a beautiful song about the trials and tribulations of performing in a successful rock band. The explosions and fireworks were so intense you could feel the heat on your face and the huge amount of balloons and ticker tape that were released towards the end of the show were amazing.

The magnificence of the once-reviled ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ and the inclusion of a huge disco ball in the accompanying video had me grinning from ear to ear, while the show finale of ‘Rock And Roll All Night’ (still the greatest party record of all time) sent me off into the night time world feeling like that thirteen-year-old kid who’d just had his first encounter with those Kiss Alive records in a friends house all those years ago.

In conclusion (and they will never read this), I’d just like to thank the band for all the years of entertainment they’ve provided to us fans, all the great records they’ve produced over the years and most of all thanks for the rock and roll circus and everything it’s meant to me since that fateful first meeting.

Band

Paul Stanley – Vocals, Guitar

Gene Simmons – Vocals, Bass Guitar

Tommy Thayer – Guitar

Eric Singer – Drums

SETLIST

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Deuce
4. War Machine
5. Heavens On Fire
6. I Love It Loud
7. Say Yeah
8. Cold Gin
9. Lick It Up
10. Makin’ Love
11. Calling Doctor Love
12. Psycho Circus
13. 100,000 Years
14. God Of Thunder
15. Love Gun
16. Black Diamond
17. Beth
18. I Was Made For Lovin’ You
19. Rock And Roll All Nite