KISS Tour 2004 - review.
 

I just saw the KISS/Poison/ZO2 show last night in Irvine, and DAMN! What a great show.

KISS put on one of their best specacles of all time - the visuals were fantastic using multiple square vid screens (with various computer generated images and patters) in between speaker cabinets all over the stage, tons of pyro and fireworks, and a nice light show. All the usual KISS live stunts were there, and the band was tight and powerful (thanks in large part to Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer).

The set list was filled with songs not regularly played on an American tour since the 70's - "Makin' Love," "Got To Choose," etc, and a couple 80's & 90's classics like "War Machine," and "Unholy."

Poison was acceptable, although C.C. Deville was sloppy as hell, and Rikki Rockett was annoying (to me, anyway) as usual. They were energetic and enthusiastic and had fun during their 45 minute set.

The night's biggest surprise was unsigned band ZO2, who played a modern take on classic 70's Hard Rock. These guys are great performers and songwriters and should get a big boost from this tour. Imagine Grand Funk Railroad working with Humble Pie, Stone Temple Pilots, Thin Lizzy, Soundgarden, any early 90's Funk Metal band, and King's X and you'll get a little bit of an idea what they sound like. I liked them so much I started a thread about them. They were that good.

All in all a great night of Rock and Roll. I highly recommend catching this tour if it comes anywhere near you.

I'm there in 3 weeks... dished out a bundle for gold tix

Quick question. Have you seen KISS in the last couple of years or is this the first you have seen them in awhile? (just looking for your perspective)

I know Peter and Ace are not there, and I know they are adding a few new songs, but wondering if it is really that much different of a "show" (not musically sound) than the last few years. I'll be seeing this show July 11.

Thanks for the review :up:

(PS: why oh why did they pick Poison. I've heard ZO2 before, and I would prefer them alone with a longer set and exclude Poison)

I'm a big KISS fan but theres no way I would go support this tour! To me they shouldn't even be called KISS anymore.......Peter and Ace are the 2 reasons I like KISS anyway, I wouldn't want to see imposters in their roles......oh well, I guess I should let arseholes be arseholes (Gene and Paul)

I'm glad you had great time but I passed up this show when the tickets went on sale....and my job even had free tickets for the Irvine show. :D


Unless Peter and Ace return I won't be attending any KISS shows.

I would like Ace back, but Peter can stay home.

It would be one thing if Tommy & Eric had DIFFERENT makeup on or if the band took off the makeup. But they're wearing Ace & Peter's makeup! That's BS.

I can't support this.

I agree. They should have different charactors ala Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent.

At this stage in their career new make-up/characters would be confusing to most fans. If they were going to do a new album and present themselves as a "current" band, then maybe - but right now they are just a nostalgia act, and those make-up designs really are what a vast majority of fans expect to see.

The sad truth is that Ace and expecially Peter are just shadows of their former selves, and are barely garage band quality musicians. I'd be extremely happy to have Ace & Peter in the band if they could play as well as they did in 1976, but they can't.

KISS was always Paul & Gene's band anyway - they hired Peter and Ace, and they wrote 80% of the classic KISS songs.

Eric Singer is an amazing drummer with a fantastic resume (Black Sabbath, Paul Stanley solo tour, Badlands, Alice Cooper, KISS from 1991 to 1996, Gary Moore, Brian May, etc) and he did a great job taking over for the late, great Eric Carr at a rather difficult time. Tommy Thayer is a solid guitar player with 20 years in the music business under his belt, and he's a big KISS fan. They are both hard working, dedicated musicians, and it shows in just how good KISS sounds on this tour.

As for the stage show, it's a lot like the "Farewell" tour, only better - it was pretty much visual overload! The new video panels/screens in between each speaker cabinet on stage really make the show look ultra high-tech. It was VERY cool.

The set list is RADICALLY different from what they've been playing for the last 4 years, so if you're a fan you really should give this show and line-up a chance to win you over. If you miss it you miss out on what is easily one of the best KISS tours ever, and that's not just hyperbole.

I don't know much about Thayer, but Eric Singer is 10 times the drummer that Peter Criss ever was. He's a real member of KISS, and I have no problem with him as the Catman.

Now all they need to do is:

1) Rehire Bruce Kulick

2) Scrape off the makeup

3) Resume career circa 1995.

I agree, kill the makeup if the lineup is not origional.

Have you seen Gene and Paul without make-up lately?

KEEP THE MAKE-UP ON!!!

They had different guys in make-up before (Eric Carr & Vinnie Vincent), so I have no problem with new guys in the make-up. I just don't see the make-up as anything more than KISS' visual image or style these days. It isn't 1977. Seeing them in make-up is fun, and it makes them more marketable.

The bottom line is that they are doing great shows and giving better musical performances than they've given in almost 10 years.

I'd love to get a new album from this line-up, but Gene and Paul don't seem interested in doing a new KISS album right now.

I can't be the only one here who's seen this tour (ticket sales have been great).

Any other comments on the show(s)?

4th row center in Darien Lake on July 4th !!!! (but I payed way too much for the Tix though)