Though we wouldn’t put anything past KISS singer-bassist Gene Simmons, a rock ’n’ roll marketing mastermind if there ever was one, we’re pretty sure the guys in KISS didn’t start using make-up because they figured it would effectively hide their ages some 40 years later. But that’s certainly a nice byproduct. Looking at the band on stage last night at Blossom, where the group played a 75-minute set before a crowd of about 14,000, you couldn’t tell how old Simmons and singer-guitarist Paul Stanley really are (Simmons is 65 and Stanley is 62). Of course, agility is another matter. While Simmons certainly moves pretty slowly these days, Stanley still has boundless energy (at one point, he even took a ride on a zipline-like contraption to to play in the middle of the pavilion). Still, there’s something timeless about KISS — if only every band could put on make-up and look the same 40 years down the road. And despite a mid-set lull, the concert showed that the band still revels is putting on an over-the-top concert — last night’s show came complete with fire-breathing, blood-spitting and pyro.
While KISS used to be the most dangerous band in the land, those days are clearly over. At one point in the show, Stanley asked all the parents who had brought their kids to the show to hold their children up in the air — he picked out one kid with make-up on and brought the child onto the stage. “We were there for your parents and we’ll be there for you,” he said during an aw-shucks moment. Despite the veiled references to sex, the show is certainly family friendly these days — squeaky-voiced Stanley at one point admitted the concert is designed to make you forget about the “bad news” you get from the TV, newspaper and internet. The show started strong with tracks like “Deuce,” a song that featured a nasty guitar solo, and the anthem “Shout It Out Loud.” Playing underneath a steel structure that looked like a giant claw, the band relied on blinding strobes and pyro to accentuate songs such as “War Machine” and “Hotter Than Hell,” a tune that Stanley described as “classic, old style” KISS. Despite the theatrics, the plodding “God of Thunder” didn’t resonate and the band sounded out of sync on the poppy “Calling Dr. Love.” The group recovered nicely for “Black Diamond,” a tune that started with an eerie guitar solo and evolved into a real rocker, and “Detroit Rock City,” which Stanley introduced by saying, “This song is about you. Rock ’n’ roll is determined by what’s in your heart.” It was as if he was apologizing that the band didn’t called the tune “Cleveland Rock City.” Predictably, the group closed the show with the party anthem “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
Despite a lack of production (the Blossom stage can only accommodate so much stuff), co-headliners Def Leppard managed to hold their own during their 75-minute set. While singer Joe Elliott had trouble hitting the high notes in “Animal,” he eventually warmed up and sounded sharp on classic cuts such as “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” a tune that started out as an acoustic number, and “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” a song that didn’t require too much vocal power. While the band’s pop metal might not have been heavy enough for hardcore KISS fans, that didn’t stop many patrons from singing along to songs such as “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph,” which the band capably delivered in a short encore.
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2014.
Um, duh. Did you think differently?
If anyone has seen their other shows this tour, that “steel structure that looked like a giant claw” is a spider that is suppose to go up and won and KISS were suppose to start the show by coming down it. None of that happened, was the spider broken? And Gene never “flew” in the rafters as he does every other show. Why was Cleveland given a partial show? I am surprised nobody has mentioned it. As a KISS fan, and I have seen many of their shows, I feel like we got gypped and they were just going through the motions this time.
I thought the KISS portion of the night, lacked flow. Every song completed and the lights went out, and Paul would make comments, thus stopping the flow of the show.
Def Leppard, although they don’t have the theatrics, had a great flow the their portion of the show, and the fans were right there with them. From the sequence of the song list, and the background videos showing their history in pictures, I thought Def Leppard set was far better than what KISS had to offer.
I have been to multiple KISS shows since 1982, and must say this time around, they were a distant second to the Def Leppard.
I’ve been a fan from the first time I saw them on T.V. on the “Paul Lynd Halloween Special” back in 1976 (I was 11 yrs old) . My wife in I drove down from Toronto to see the show. We missed the chance to see them locally a couple of weeks ago. However this turned out to be an amazing “road trip”! Spent a couple of days in Cleveland at the Westin hotel downtown. Went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the morning of he show, had a late lunch on the patio at the “House of Blues” by the “Arcade”, then headed to the Blossom Music Centre for the show. And what a Show it was!!!
Def Leppard rocked the joint musically and Kiss blew our minds theatrically!
All I Really want to share with you is the fact that “CLEVELAND ROCKS”!!!
My wife and I had an amazing time. We LOVE your city and all the good people of Cleveland. Your city has a TRUE musical vibe that flows from every corner of every street to every person we met. Cleveland should not only be proud as the “home” of the Rock Hall of Fame, But the Rock & Roll museum should be proud that Cleveland is their host.
Thank you, Cleveland
Thank You, Def Leppard
Thank You, KISS