Review by William Simpson

You wanted the best…You got the best…The hottest band in the world…KISS.

That’s right. KISS has embarked on their Alive 35 world tour. KISS has been back in make-up since 2002 and along with original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer are part of the band wearing Ace Frehley’s Spaceman and Peter Criss’ Catman make-up respectively.

StageShottz Magazine caught up with the tour in Birmingham, Ala. at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.  Support for the tour is Los Angeles hard rock band BuckCherry. Fresh off  last year’s gig on Motley Crue’s first Crue Fest, Buckcherry brought their high octane, lust-driven music to the near capacity crowd, and backed it up with an amazing light show. The first song of the evening was “Tired of You,” and by the time they hit the third song, the cocaine addiction tribute “Lit Up,” the crowd was on its feet and cheering wildly. Fronted by vocalist Josh Todd’s amazing delivery and lead guitarist Keith Nelson’s explosive licks, Buckcherry played such hits as “Next To You,” “Talk To Me,” “Rescue Me,” “Everything,” the almost-ballad “Sorry,” and ended the show with crowd singing along to the mega-hit “Crazy Bitch.” They were the perfect band to get the crowd warmed up for KISS.

With the crowd chanting “KISS…KISS…KISS,” the curtain dropped to a stage filled with enough smoke to eclipse the first six rows; then Simmons, Stanley, and Thayer emerged. The set was heavy with classics from the Alive I era, as KISS powered into “Deuce” and “Strutter.” One thing fans have come to expect from KISS is great pyrotechnics, and the band did not disappoint as they led into “Hotter Than Hell.” The song opened with a furnace blast and ended with more smoke and Simmons’ signature fire breath. Thayer’s guitar solo after the song “She” was awe-inspiring, and he even took a page out of Frehley’s book and shot rockets out of his guitar that knocked down a row of lights. Likewise, Singer’s solo after “100,000 years” would have made the Catman himself envious. Singer even took over lead vocals and did a dynamite job on “Black Diamond.” Unlike some new bands that like to mix their political beliefs in with their songs, KISS is the original party band as Stanley told the crowd. “If you came to solve global warming, or end all wars, or get all of your questions answered, you came to the wrong damn place.” The band then jumped headlong into “Rock and Roll All Night.” Smoke engulfed the stage once more as Simmons started his solo by spitting blood and flying up to the top of the lights to a small stage where he thundered the lyrics to “I Love It Loud.” Stanley followed suit, flying above the audience to a small platform at the back of the arena to sing “Love Gun.” The two hour fifteen minute show ended with the all time classic “Detroit Rock City” and a blizzard of confetti shot out into the crowd.

I was not sure what to expect since Simmons and Stanley are getting older and I had not seen a KISS show since Frehley and Criss left the last time, but I was excited to see Simmons and Stanley commanding the stage just like they did three decades ago, and Thayer and Singer were both nice additions. I even enjoyed the whole experience again four nights later at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. With all the smoke, fire, confetti, and of course great Rock and Roll, KISS truly is “The Hottest Band In The World.”

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