Ian Danter on KISS's final show in New York and the band's new avatar era
The Planet Rock presenter travelled to NYC
Planet Rock’s resident KISS superfan Ian Danter travelled to The Big Apple for his musical heroes’ final show at New York Madison Square Garden.
Writing for Planet Rock, Dants reflects on KISS’s career coming full circle, how the gig on Saturday 2nd December was a ‘sensational’ send-off, and their new avatar era…
To the uninitiated, New York City can be a very intimidating place. The sheer size of everything around you can make one feel so insignificant…and if there’s one thing that’s defined KISS’ 50 year career as a live band, it’s been about size. Nobody does it bigger or bolder than KISS have.
From their first tentative onstage steps at the Coventry Club or the run-down Diplomat Hotel in the city as the 70’s took hold, KISS always projected a larger than life look, sound and attitude - and their LAST step onto a lighted stage just had to be in their home town, at the place they dreamed of playing in their early days, namely Madison Square Garden…which is circular by the way.
Somehow - well I do know how, it’s all thanks to my considerably better half - I too found myself in the iconic venue on Saturday night to witness The End Of The Road tour reach - well - the end really. What an unbelievable privilege it was to be there as a fan of some 40+ years standing. And I did have to stand all night to watch the action as pretty much everyone was on their feet around us the whole evening. Grumpy old New York had decided to have a big party for their local heroes!
Rumour and counter rumour had spread throughout the fanbase as to what might unfold on the night: would Ace Frehley and Peter Criss be there and play a song?; would Bruce Kulick come on to celebrate a track from the 13 non make-up years?; would Vinnie Vincent suddenly emerge to play a 10 minute unaccompanied solo and get his lights punched out by Paul Stanley?
Anything is possible in “KISS rumour world”
As it turned out, the final night provided no surprise guests on stage or deviations from the set list that the band performed when here in the UK earlier this year. We were told pre-show, however, by the hostess of the PPV broadcast that something would be announced after the final chord of the final song was struck.
And that final song was always going to be 'Rock And Roll All Nite' - we got there via 'Deuce' from studio album No.1 to 'Say Yeah' from studio album No.19 plus stuff in between from pretty much every era (those who’d hoped for a deep cut off 'The Elder' or the Peter Criss solo LP were always going to be disappointed).
From my vantage point high up on Paul’s side of the stage, and even with the huge video screens that afforded constant close ups of all the band members, it was hard to detect too much raw emotion from them as the climax neared, but during the encores when the four guys took a bow at the front of the stage, there was a bit of horseplay between Paul and Gene Simmons that suggested they were having fun and seemingly at peace with their decision to curtail live performances. Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer - both 10 years or so younger than their employers - still have fuel in their tanks to go on and perform live in bands for a while to come…only it won’t be in makeup and costume anymore.
How did I feel watching it all unfold? Incredibly lucky, I think. I saw the Hottest Band In The World give it everything for one last sensational performance with song after song reminding me what a constant they’ve been throughout my life and how much enjoyment they’ve brought me. I’ve never understood the ‘hate’ KISS get (or indeed any other band getting that sort of thing - hate is such a strong word when you think about it) and without KISS and their music I wouldn’t be the person/musician/friend that I am today.
Nothing profound in their lyrics whatsoever - quite the opposite mostly - but the whole notion of putting on the best rock and roll show possible and maintaining it for half a century is quite amazing. All band members (past and present) should take huge credit for that.
And now we know what the future holds for KISS from the brief video they showed after the band had exited the stage that had filled with dry ice - as it slowly cleared, we saw a brief taster of an avatar-based show to be produced by the same folk who devised the ABBA Voyage idea. That venture for the Swedish pop group has been a rip roaring success and I saw it myself last May in London. I remember writing on Facebook about that show the next day and wondering if Gene, Paul and manager Doc McGhee needed to take this concept and make a KISS experience around it - it seems like that’s exactly it, then.
That’s going to be ready for mass consumption somewhere down the line, and already some fans (the professionally offended ones mostly, and KISS have more than their fair share of those) are desperate to decry the idea at its inception and are equally desperate to tell everyone they know that they won’t bother with this new era/incarnation of KISS and that neither should you.
I myself don’t rush to judge this idea quite so quickly as that. The ABBA Voyage show that I saw was quite faultless and brilliantly conceived. With a group of almost superhero figures in KISS, the possibilities are endless for how the band could be presented and what stage shows and eras of the band could be represented (I’m thinking very much about Ace, Peter, Eric Carr etc). If they do it right, it could very well be a LOT of fun. But the fun sponges will still complain about it. Whilst turning up to see it, probably.
I took one last lingering look at the stage as the house lights went up and fans dispersed, and the talk amongst so many as they left The Garden was about this new “avatar” era to come…Of course the one thing about the ABBA avatar show was that there is actually a live band present in the venue performing the songs you hear… so I guess… you know… if this new KISS avatar show needs a drummer…ahem! KISS Army cadet #5283663/Z reporting for duty Gene, SAH!!”