If you’ve already been to a Kiss concert and missed this one, then you didn’t miss anything. If this was your first Kiss concert like it was mine, you would have wished you saw them at their peak back in the 80’s. It was a typical Kiss show; blood drooling, guitar smashing, fire blowing, typical Kiss show that they have been doing for years, and it was to a crowd as dull as plain toast. The show itself was pretty alright, but I just wish I saw them at a different point in their career.

Detroit City would start off the show, with a stage that looked like a giant arcade claw with the guys standing in the middle of it as it was slowly being brought down. This would then make the claw turn into a giant mechanical spider. Back up it went into claw position, and the rock show was going off. They were suited up and sported their famous face make-up. The pyrotechnics weren’t discreet either; a bang with every concluding drum beat.

I couldn’t stop smiling. I was witnessing something so cool. I was finally seeing a Kiss show, a band my family loved and raised me on amongst many others, whose vinyl records were some of my first. I was fascinated. I couldn’t stop staring at every detail. Eventually, the smile eased as they went into songs I can sadly admit I wasn’t aware of from their Monster album. It’s where I realised even the crowd weren’t very familiar with these tracks. It was a quiet crowd. Even when Paul would ask everybody to scream, there was no enthusiasm. I was a little embarrassed. With that, there were a lot of empty seats up top. So empty, that half of the arena, directly in front of the stage, was curtained off. I am still so confused as to how a big band such as Kiss can’t sell out a second show and still have so many tickets available the night before. Is everybody over the same show?

For those who didn’t know Kiss well, Paul’s introductions to each song and what year they were released was very helpful. Creatures Of The Night ended with Paul and Tommy jamming together, while Gene disappeared at the side of the stage. It became evident after a lengthy wait that he was preparing for the fire breathing sequence of the show. I was hoping for a few blows but, he left us with one before a pyrotechnic crew member run on stage with a wet towel and took it out.

It was a beautiful moment for die hard fans as the projector screen behind the band displayed images and videos of the band in their early years. This was accompanied with a performance of Do You Love Me. Tommy would then change his guitar to one that fired out fireworks. The show is literally New Years. While the guys continued to jam, not forgetting Eric on the drums, Gene would frequently disappear behind a curtain for a seat (I had side view. That is why I knew he was sitting down). Is this legend getting too old for the big platform boots? Paul, Tommy and Eric would disappear too, but Gene would slowly and creepily reappear at the front of the stage. Here came the mouth full of blood that would flow down his chin and onto his armour as he played his bass.

After the other guys came back on to the stage to join Gene, Paul would yell out that he wanted to go out into the crowd and see everybody from a closer perspective. This was the cue for a ring attached to a thick rope to come down from above, Paul to hop on and be carried over the crowd onto a separate stage at the back of the arena. It was round and it span as he sang. Above him was a disco ball of course, reflecting purple and white light. Paul would return to the stage using the same means of transport, and it was time for the mandatory photo with the crowd. Eric joined the guys on the stage and threw drum sticks at lucky fans to catch. The guys were also throwing guitar picks at the crowd all night.

Paul would solely start singing Shandi, but a surprising key change would get the guys straight into Shout It Out Loud and I Was Made For Loving You. Confetti was soon after be released into the crowd as they then entered into Rock ‘n’ Roll All Night. The place was briefly vibrant and energetic. Paul smashed a guitar, the crowd roared, and that was the end of the show.

So basically I hate that I didn’t live the 80’s. I guess, because they repeat the same show for so many years, for some fans they must be over it. But, it was still a pretty cool concert to witness, especially if you’ve never seen a Kiss show before. It was sad to see so many empty seats and be a part of a very unenthusiastic crowd.

I give Kiss live at Melbourne’s, Rod Laver Arena a 3 and a half out of 5. It was the crowd that lost them a point, and just the fact that I wasn’t seeing them at their best.

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