By Mary Colurso -- The Birmingham NewsKISS, Saturday night at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Review rating: Four out of five stars.
You want subtle? Well, not at a KISS concert.
When the four-member band performed in Birmingham Saturday night, words such as "visceral," "ritual" and "high decibel" came to mind.
KISS 102509.jpgThe members of KISS, from left, are Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley and Eric Singer. (Special)But is that such a bad thing? KISS, celebrating an anniversary with its "Alive 35" tour, sounded thunderously vital during its two-hour show.
After more than three decades in the business, this hard-rock group is rather like a vinyl LP — enormously popular for a while, then out of fashion, then back in vogue with a nostalgic vengeance.
KISS’ 8:50 p.m. show here drew a hyped-up audience of thousands, filling the lower levels of the BJCC Arena and reaching about two-thirds of the way into the upper tier.
No one expected great literature or symphonic nuance from the evening; fans wanted loud, fast, repetitive tunes that would inspire them to bang their heads or pump their fists.
Mission accomplished, with a set list that included "Strutter," "Lick it Up," "Detroit Rock City," "Calling Dr. Love," "Hotter Than Hell" and "Rock and Roll All Nite."
Some of the group’s signature songs were missing, but KISS reached deep into its catalog for cuts such as "Parasite," "100,000 Years," "Black Diamond" and "Shock Me."
The agenda also included a newly minted single, "Modern Day Delilah," from the just-released "Sonic Boom."
Each of the band members — bassist Gene Simmons, singer Paul Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — had the opportunity for a flamboyant solo, and the overall presentation was loaded with special effects. (Think pyro, smoke and confetti.)
As any fan will tell you, it’s not a KISS concert unless Simmons spits fake blood, breathes a plume of fire and flies high into the air. On Saturday, he did all three with gusto.
Thayer’s guitar shot out sparks and downed a piece of the overhead lights. Singer’s drum kit raised on a scisssor lift and revolved. Stanley rode a pulley over the audience’s heads and landed on a remote stage.
Oddly enough, KISS’ trademark costumes and makeup helped to mask the performers’ seniority, turning them into ageless characters with a glam Halloween flair.
Simmons, 60, and Stanley, 57, have been constants from the start and it’s hard to imagine KISS without them.
Purists might complain that Thayer, 48, and Singer, 51, aren’t original members, but the two played with energy and consistency -- qualities that founders Ace Frehley and Peter Criss lacked in their latter years with the band.
