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LIVE MUSIC
Kiss later announced it wouldn’t play at the
ceremony, a flabbergasting decision some
fans felt smacked of selfishness but which
ultimately kept relations civil.
Drama and disagreements aside, something
this year—probably a combination of
the group’s 40th anniversary and Hall honor,
which even prompted perennial Kiss cynics
Rolling Stone to finally put the greasepaintcaked
foursome on its cover—triggered a
dormant spark within the band. Commanding
the stage, Kiss sounded energetic, heavy,
forceful, and cohesive. If not what could be
accurately deemed youthful sway and swagger
(after all, Simmons and Stanley are in
their 60s), the quartet’s rhythms touted qualities
at least shaded more towards the earlier
than the later side of the middle-age spectrum.
Songs gut-punched with on-point dynamics
and midrange wallop. Wisely bypassing
ballads, the band kicked and stomped
like a horse confined in a stall, conveying
edginess that instilled leather-tough fare such
as the barreling “War Machine” and chestthumping
“I Love It Loud” with requisite ruggedness.
Of course, Kiss being Kiss, hedonism
received its due, with a revived “Lick It
Up” surging with lustful persuasion, the thinly
disguised “Love Gun” firing rounds of battering-ram
percussion, and the interlocking
“Detroit Rock City” building to a fiery climax.
For all the clamor for Kiss to welcome
Criss and Frehley back into the fold—their
cheerleaders often fail to mention that both
already received second chances after substance-abuse
issues and still again failed to
keep their contractual promises—the band is
better at this juncture in its career with Thayer
and Singer. Diehards may cringe, but the
two replacements afford Kiss a rejuvenated
attack and synchronized crunch. They understand
their place (and wear their predecessors’
makeup and costumes) and get out of
Stanley and Simmons’ way when needed.
LIVE MUSIC
Yet they also know the song structures inside and
out, whether it’s how to give “Hotter Than Hell” a
street-worthy strut or “Calling Dr. Love” a glammetal
grind.
Just as importantly, Stanley and Simmons
again appear to recognize what Thayer and
Singer mean to the brand. Constantly engaging
the large crowd, the eminence grise figureheads
played with something to prove. Stanley’s voice
no longer hit the choirboy high notes, but it
remained steady—save when he over-embellished
with banter shtick. He also shuffled and danced
in high platform heels with the ease of a runway
model, occasionally stopping to roll on the ground
or drop to his knees with guitar in hand. His most
symbolic gesture, however, was subtle—not a trait
for which Kiss is recognized. When he high-fived
Simmons in the midst of “Deuce,” it suggested all
was again right in the Kiss family.
Augmented by the addition of an ominous
tolling bell, bathed in dim vomit-green lighting,
and hoisted several stories above the stage,
Simmons transformed his customary bloodspitting
sequence into a demonic moment worthy
of a 1920s German Expressionist horror movie.
His traditional fire-breathing bit resonated with
comparable anticipation and excitement. Nearly
everyone knew what was coming, but Kiss
demonstrated that not even high-definition video
can substitute for witnessing a larger-than-life
performance in the flesh. Correspondingly, years
of familiarity couldn’t diminish the make-believe
imagination and forget-your-troubles fun wrought
by the costumed ensemble when its hard rock
comes across with the similar jubilant rush one
gets after hooking up with a much-desired lover.
Indeed, the painted faces, spiked boots, tasseled
jackets, winged capes, rising drum platform,
elevating harnesses, and mobile spider-legged
lighting rigs occupy the same cultural terrain as
currently popular Marvel Comics franchise films,
sci-fi graphic novels, and fantasy board games.
In an age when many people are opting to vicariously
live life through tablets and smartphones
rather than getting out and experiencing it unfiltered,
Kiss’ indulgent escapism feels refreshingly
creative—and collectively triumphant. l
20 TONE AUDIO NO.66
October 2014 21