KISS kicks off summer concert season with final Milwaukee show
Just how likely is it that KISS will really call it quits?
After seeing them perform in Milwaukee Wednesday at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, I’d say it’s impossible to believe.
Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons insist this is the band’s farewell tour — hence its name, “End of the Road” — suggesting they can’t keep up with the physical demands of the show.
No doubt it’s taxing. But there’s also no doubt that KISS has one of the most dedicated fan bases of any rock band — and that they still put on a killer concert.
For their first U.S. show of 2022 Wednesday — a gig postponed for two years because of the pandemic (including after Simmons and Stanley contracted COVID-19 themselves) — the band still looks like they can rock and roll all night and party every day, despite Simmons and Stanley both reaching their seventies since their last Milwaukee show.
The pyro certainly goes a long way. Among the 20 songs KISS played across two hours Wednesday, I counted only five that didn’t incorporate flames and/ or fireworks. “Detroit Rock City” set a high standard at the start, with Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer, and a tongueflicking Simmons descending into clouds of smoke from elevated platforms 30 feet in the air as explosions and fire erupted all around them.
These set pieces have long been part of the KISS show, with a sea of smart phones rising up from fans’ hands Wednesday to capture every signature moment on camera.
But unlike some bands, KISS showed that they never coast on the live show spectacle. Sure, Thayer may have launched rockets from his guitar during his solo coming out of “Cold Gin,” but his guitar work was repeatedly dazzling Wednesday, even when flying projectiles weren’t involved.
And like his predecessor Peter Criss, Singer relished frontman duties for the unapologetically cheesy ballad “Beth,” performed from behind an Elton Johnworthy bedazzled piano, as rose petals rained down on the video screen behind him.
As for Simmons’ own solo ahead of “God of Thunder,” it was even less involved than Singer’s, lasting just two minutes. But those phones, again, were out and filming, to capture the sight of goops of blood bursting from his mouth onto his chest plate over the ominous sounds of bells and thunder. The real fun, though, was watching Simmons fully embrace the scene’s demonic nature, his dead eyes basking in eerie green light behind that kabuki-style make-up, his head jerking ominously, like a vampire ready to strike its prey.
While Simmons was gruff and imposing, Stanley was spry and playful, frequently wiggling and lavishing the crowd with praise. Thayer did much of the heavy lifting on guitar, but Stanley couldn’t resist showing off here and there, whether he was playing behind his back or between his legs. Stanley still makes the zipline ride over the crowd seem effortless, using it to land on a secondary stage to sing “Love Gun” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.”
And unlike another veteran rocker who came to Milwaukee last month, Stanley’s voice showed no signs of strain. On a few occasions between the band’s bombastic performances, he demonstrated just how expressive his voice can be with some sugary runs and wails.
But the most impressive aspect of KISS’ show was the outrageous “Rock and Roll All Nite” finale, which made the previous two hours quaint by comparison. There were towering flames and a barrage of explosions, dazzling lasers and oceans of smoke. As Simmons, Singer and Thayer rocked atop those elevated platforms, Stanley smashed a guitar on terra firma.
And if the blinding tsunami of confetti wasn’t enough, there were blasts of shimmering streamers that rained down on the crowd in front of the stage.
It was pure, giddy rock excess, but the best part was watching some beaming kids in KISS makeup marveling at it all, and watching grown men snatch streamers and stuff confetti in their pockets, like they were kids again.
Is KISS really ready to give all that up? (And, let’s be frank, the lucrative touring money?)
They’ve certainly earned the right to retire. Stanley said Wednesday that this was show No. 19 in Milwaukee, with the first taking place in 1975.
But no doubt every fan at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater Wednesday wants KISS to make it 20 — and then some.