Kiss - Birmingham Review

I think it is fair to say that Kiss are one of the biggest icons of the rock world. While they might not be the most musically-interesting of bands, their over-the-top live shows, catchy songwriting, and pretty consistent discography (a couple of clunkers aside) has earned them well-deserved living legend status. It was not too long after their humble 1973 beginnings that the band started to hit the big time - with 1975's monumental double live LP Alive! almost single-handedly changing the band's fortunes and becoming one of the best-loved live rock albums of all time. Kiss have rarely been anything other than huge ever since, even seemingly avoiding the 1990s slump that many rock bands found themselves in, and have influenced legions of bands that have followed in their wake. It seems that the end is nigh however as, after well over 40 years in the business, Kiss are - allegedly - calling it a day. This current tour, dubbed the End of the Road tour, is apparently going to be their last one. I find it hard to believe that Kiss will come to an end just yet however. In general I am quite dubious of 'final tours' etc. when it comes to big bands - as all too often they disappear for a couple of years, only to pop up again further down the line as if nothing had happened, leaving fans who had forked out for expensive tickets fairly miffed. I would not be surprised to see Kiss continue perform beyond the end of this final tour, but for now we must take them at their word! That means then, that the show in Birmingham that I attended two days ago will be the final time the band ever play in the birthplace of heavy metal. If that does turn out to be true, then those of us who packed out the large Arena Birmingham in the city centre certainly witnessed something special. I purchased tickets for the show as soon as they went on sale last November, and had been looking forward to it ever since. I had seen the band once previously, at the same venue back in 2017, but the band promised to pull out all of the stops this time. Kiss shows are always guaranteed to draw crowds, but the venue seemed a little busier this time around - with barely an empty seat to be seen and the standing area largely packed out. The merchandise was eye-wateringly expensive, so a t-shirt did not come home with me, but I took my seat towards the back of the hall and started to watch the place fill up.

Sadly however, 'pulling out all the stops' did not also extend to booking a decent support act - as for this tour Kiss have chosen performance painter David Garibaldi to open up their shows. I have been going to gigs for a good number of years now, and I am sure that many in the crowd have been going for far longer, but I can safely say that I have never seen a painter act as the support for a big-name rock band. I do not wish to belittle Garibaldi's talents, as he is clearly an extremely talented artist and it was interesting to see him work, but could Kiss honestly not find a suitable band to take out instead? Out of all of the bands in the world, did they not think that a single one was worthy of joining them on their final tour? Look at Mötley Crüe's final tour a few years ago - they took Alice Cooper on the road with them, someone they clearly were influenced by and respected a great deal. While there might not be an equivalent 'mentor' figure to join Kiss on their final trek, there must be at least one up-and-coming rock act that deserved the chance. I could have given them a list as high as a pair of their platform boots! Imagine being a young rock band starting to get a bit of attention, dreaming of supporting a band like Kiss - only to find out that the band have decided to take a painter on tour with them! I think the choice was very poor on Kiss' part, and they really should have made the effort to find a suitable support act. They should not fear being upstaged at their age, and the whole thing just stank of ego - especially when Garibaldi's final painting was one of Kiss! His 'set' was certainly met with bemusement by most in the crowd, and I do not think too many people were disappointed when he left the stage and the prospect of some actual live music edged a little closer.

That aside, the rest of the evening was - of course - excellent. Kiss are the masters of putting on a live show, and right from the off their set was one of power chords, choruses, and pyrotechnics. Opening with the stuttering riff of Detroit Rock City was a good move, as the band were lowered from the ceiling by small platforms as Paul Stanley (vocals/guitar) and Tommy Thayer (guitar/vocals) played the iconic opening. From here the crowd were then treated to over two hours of the band's hits, consummately played and with the big stage show to match. Early on the hits came thick and fast, with Gene Simmons (vocals/bass guitar) taking the lead early on for Deuce, and the newer anthem Say Yeah prompted a bit of a crowd sing-a-long. Much has been made of Stanley's voice throughout this tour, with accusations of lip syncing part of the set running rampant. I would not like to say for sure, but I certainly would not be surprised if there was some vocal 'help' going on at times. His voice certainly sounded better than on the tour two years ago and, while I do not think he was miming totally, there was probably some backing track wizardry going on! That being said, he is still a showman. Heaven's on Fire was an early display of his 1980s songwriting style, as was the sleazy Lick it Up, but it was actually the early Simmons numbers that really shone for me. The grinding War Machine really hit the spot, before Calling Dr. Love proved to be a real treat. Simmons' voice has not changed over the years, and seeing him prowl around the stage with his axe-bass was a real joy. The rest of the band was not going to allow themselves to be outshone however, and a powerful rendition of 100,000 Years saw drummer Eric Singer take a lengthy solo mid-way through the piece, something which recalled the classic Alive! album. Thayer also took a solo spot at the end of Cold Gin, which saw fireworks shooting out of his guitar to destroy the attacking flying saucers on the big screen behind him. The final portion of the set contained as many highlights as the early part, with a monstrous God of Thunder seeing Simmons steal the show, but the real highlight for me was the golden oldie Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll which was stretched out to feature solos and jamming from the band. It was a moment of pure rock excess in an extremely choreographed show and probably recalled the band's early club days somewhat, before a Kiss concert became all about the 'show'. Stanley then rode his zipline out to the small stage by the mixing desk (a stunt he has been pulling for years) for a couple of numbers, including a muscular Love Gun and the disco-influenced hit I Was Made for Lovin' You that unsurprisingly saw a lot of singing from the crowd. It was left to Black Diamond, and Singer's excellent vocals, to bring the main set to a close - but there was of course more to come. Singer was featured vocally again as he sat behind a piano to sing the ballad Beth (I say 'sat behind a piano' as if he was actually playing it I will eat my hat!), before the mega anthem Crazy Crazy Nights was lapped up by the huge crowd. It has one of the biggest choruses in the band's catalogue, and proved the perfect encore number. Unsurprisingly however Rock and Roll all Nite was the final sign-off for the evening, with Stanley smashing his guitar and Simmons and Thayer riding out into the crowd on moving platforms. It was an explosive end to a powerful evening of music, and one that is sure to live long in the memory. The setlist was:

Detroit Rock City
Shout it Out Loud
Deuce
Say Yeah
I Love it Loud
Heaven's on Fire
War Machine
Lick it Up
Calling Dr. Love
100,000 Years
Cold Gin
Guitar solo
Bass solo
God of Thunder
Psycho Circus
Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll
Love Gun
I Was Made for Lovin' You
Black Diamond
-
Beth
Crazy Crazy Nights
Rock and Roll all Nite

The lazy, lack of support band aside - the Kiss concert in Birmingham was a triumph. Kiss are always going to deliver on a theatrical perspective, and a varied setlist that contained quite a few songs that were not played two years ago ensured that most eras of the band were well-represented. If this is indeed the final time that I will see Kiss, then they certainly went out on a high - and I am glad that I had a couple of opportunities over the years to see them.