Return Of The First Kiss The Band Kiss Has No Rivals When It Comes To Riveting Visuals And Ear-Splitting Music, And They’ve Never Sounded Better
Every now and then, an event occurs and significantly alters the course of U.S. history.
They include: the creation of the brassiere, the O.J. Simpson murder trial, the invention of the TV dinner, the discover of sea monkey, the invention of the 8-track, the first wood-paneled AMC Pacer with mags to roll off the assembly line, the invention of Cheese Whiz.
One other landmark occurrence that will make an imprint on U.S. history is the reuniting of the original Kiss - Gene Simmons (bass and vocals), Paul Stanley (guitar and vocals), Peter Criss (drums and vocals) and Ace Frehley (guitar and vocals) - after 17 long years.
The band, which taught us how to “Rock and Roll All Nite and Party Every Day,” took us to “Detroit Rock City” and introduced us “Dr. Love,” has re-applied the makeup and donned their super-hero costumes and have taken their act back out on the road.
Among the stops of this two-year tour of the world is Spokane. Kiss plays the Spokane Arena on Sunday.
This is the show that droves of fans have been anticipating since the original line-up scrubbed off the make-up and dissolved.
“A reunion of the original members in full battle gear, pumped and primed to kick ass is something nobody would want to miss,” mused Stanley on the phone from his Los Angeles home last week. “The greatest show on earth is back in town.”
Watch out Ringling Bros.
So far, with their excessive stage show of lights, lasers, smoke, pyrotechnics, blood-spitting, and other special effects, Kiss doesn’t disappointing. If you haven’t heard, the band’s set list is composed of songs from the legendary “Kiss Alive II” album.
“We’re kicking major ass, boasts Stanley. The band has never sounded better. The shows have never been better. This is the best this band has ever been on and off stage. Anybody who’s been there will tell you that.”
The arrival of Kiss couldn’t be more relevant.
Mainstream rock, once again, has gotten gravely boring. Self-indulgent angst-rock bands have had an unrelenting grip on music, depressing audiences everywhere.
And, no other band roaming the country this summer has assembled a knock-out stage show of riveting visuals and ear-splitting music that rivals the Kiss shows.
People have grown weary of the industry-propelled faux grunge and not-so-alternative rock. And they’re turning to Kiss to pull them out of their funk.
“I think the critics are getting a couple of ice-cold buckets or water in the face recently,” Stanley says. “And perhaps it’s well-deserved. The critics have been a bit delusional in their sense of relevance and what is important. And once in a while the public speaks en mass.”
And the public has spoken.
Every show since the band embarked on its ambitious tour has sold out. Tickets for four dates in New York disappeared in less than 45 minutes. The three Los Angeles concerts sold out in a half-hour.
The origin of Kiss dates to 1972.
The band was formed by Gene Klein (Gene Simmons) and Stanley Eisen (Paul Stanley) in Manhattan. The two disbanded their previous rock combo, Wicked Lester, in an effort to assemble the “world’s ultimate rock band.”
Not too long after that, Kiss became the world’s ultimate rock band.
By applying gobs of make-up and dressing up like ghouls, Kiss created a mystique that no other band, past and present, has come close to equaling.
To date, the group has sold 75 million albums. Twenty-six of 30 KISS albums, including “Destroyer,” “Love Gun” and “KISS Alive,” have gone gold, platinum or multiplatinum. The only other band that churned out more gold and platinum albums is the Beatles.
When KISS stripped off the make-up in 1980, their real faces were not only revealed but so were their problems. Members indulged in all of rock’n’roll’s vices, from drugs to alcohol to groupies. Drugs and alcohol were among the reasons for the departures of Criss and Frehley in 1980 and 1982, respectively.
Stanley, who has remained the heart of Kiss with Simmons, never intended a reunion with the original members.
“I was on record for years saying I would not get back together with the band,” he says. “What I was really saying was - I would not get back together with the guys I stopped playing with.
“That band reached a point where it was showing an incredible lack of respect to itself, to the fans who made it what it was and to the individuals and to a bond we supposedly had with each other.”
When Criss and Frehley made guest appearances during the shooting of Kiss’ “MTV Unplugged” special in 1995, the seed for a reunion with the four original members was planted.
The four are back together, at least for now.
“We’ve never gotten along better. We’ve never dealt with things better, more clearly,” says Stanley. “You’re not talking to somebody’s chemicals. You’re not talking to somebody’s alcohol. You’re not talking to somebody’s ego. You’re talking to a human being. And you’re talking to people who are breathing in every moment of this glorious time for us. We’ve never had a better time. We’re having a much better time than we did in the ‘70s. This is a hoot.”
What does the future hold for the original Kiss? Will there be a studio album?
“It’s really too early to tell. For us, the best way to find our way into the future is to find our way through the present,” explains Stanley. “If you’re looking too far into the future, it means, you’re not enjoying the present.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Kiss Location and time: Spokane Arena, Sunday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $39.50/$29.50