3-D metal Kiss show embraces new year

Courtesy of Mercury Records Kiss rocked Detroit city on New Year's Eve.

While the band's playing was not, by any means, bad, it was down right impressive.

However, an aroma of cheese lingered in the air from the beginning of the night to the concert's final chord. While the explosions and smoking guitars captured the attention of music lovers world wide 20 or so years ago, now those tricks no longer effect the audience. It's like seeing a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat when we expect more, like a car. Even the 3-D effects were incredibly outdated. The idea is amazing, but for the most part all we get is a bunch of pre-recorded sequences that weren't much more than the band members pointing their instruments into the audience, and of course the Gibson guitar manufacturer logo. How much does Kiss get for that product placement?

To make the most of the audience's dollar, Kiss decided not to give even a second break. Instead it got a constant droning that left a humming in the ears of every listener until the fourth quarter of the Citrus Bowl.

Each member played a five minute solo while the other musicians rested, leaving most of the audience begging for more and the remainder begging for midnight.

As the New Year approached, Simmons said, "let's take a look at our clock." The image of a wall clock, much like those found in elementary school, was plastered on three huge screens. Obviously a pre-recorded image, but they tried. Once the clock hit 12, confetti poured from the rafters and Kiss gave the audience what it had wanted the whole night; in unison the band began singing "I want to rock and roll all night. And party every day..." This seemed to be more than the Kiss fanatics could handle as the audience began to roar with them. Finally, Kiss stopped playing, even if it was just for a few moments until the encore.

While the idea of a 3-D concert is fine, the execution of Kiss's Psycho Circus left much to be desired. Although most of the audience seemed to enjoy the performance, it got old after a song or two, and the audience members probably would have been just as happy seeing the on-stage pyrotechnics that Kiss used in the '80s. It seems that Kiss hasn't made any changes to its stage show aside from a screen behind them that offers 3-D images. This past New Year's Eve performance was a lackluster show that only true Kiss fanatics could enjoy. For the rest of us, meaning just occasional fans or those interested in checking out the 3-D, all we received were pounding ear drums and the knowledge that Kiss shows are definitely not for the occasional listener. They should have had a disclaimer at the ticket window reading, "Four album minimum to enjoy this performance."

01-06-99