by Stephanie R. Myers
Let’s get one thing out of the way straight away — when you’re going to see KISS, you’re going to see musical theater in its purest form. Screw Broadway. You’re coming for the theatrics — and theatrics, my friend, you will get. In spades.
KISS’ show at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Oct. 10 was no exception. So you want a show, kids? How does Gene Simmons stalking the stage like a glorious, glittering troll grab you? Because that’s what you’re getting — along with fire-breathing, guitar-rocket launching, and an ever-primping Paul Stanley. While it’s true that Stanley and Simmons are the only two original band members, this is hardly a new development — it’s been that way since 1983 (barring a brief and ill-fated reunion in 1996), so billing this tour as the full band being together for 35 years is a little misleading. In all fairness though, the pancake makeup is probably fairly conducive to rotating out band members, Menudo-style, with few being the wiser.
Oh, and this being a rock show, there’s the little matter of the music. It comes as no surprise that subtle is not what these guys are going for. Nope. They’re here to rock and roll all night, party every day, and the giant confetti shooters will be seeing to that. The only problem with the ongoing onstage festivities is that it’s easy to forget, amidst the pyrotechnics, that these guys are actually solid songwriters — but if you came expecting to hear, for example, the Faces-esque “Hard Luck Woman,” you should probably just dig out your vinyl anyway. There is no time for the slightly understated in the livewire world of KISS — even the mid-tempo “God Gave Rock and Roll To You” wasn’t quite bombastic enough to make the set, only coming on over the speakers as the house lights went up.
One thing’s for certain — don’t be concerned about not getting your money’s worth. If this is indeed rock’s Broadway, KISS is Ethel Merman, perpetually playing to the very last row.
