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Controversy Over Rhee Now to Include Sex, Congress
Last night D.C. wanted the best and they got the best, as the local faction of KISS Army invaded the Verizon Center to see Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and two other guys not named Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, slap on the makeup and rock 'n' roll all night.
Dubbed the "Kiss Alive/35 Tour" the band are in fine form given their age, and still professional to a fault. KISS know exactly what to give their fans – plenty of old hits played VERY LOUD, a big light show, confetti cannons, pyro displays, choreographed tandem guitar moves and every other rock concert cliché in the book, brought to life. The crowd ate it up, as well they should. Perhaps KISS aren't the best songwriters out there, but no band works harder when they play live.
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Brutal... no amount of Mime-like make up can cover the fact that those dudes are old as hell.
Gawd I love KISS. I would go see this show, but Ace and Peter are not there.
There was quite the crowd at the Gallery Place Metro last night before the show! Not something you usually see on Metro around rush hour.
. . . no band works harder when they play live.
Are you kidding with this statement or perhaps you would like to add some sort of qualifiers?
Wait a minute: the guitaritst is not Ace Frehely but he's wearing the Space Ace outfit? Aren't there laws against this?
I do appreciate Paul having his cut-to-the-crotch level costumes altered to cover his middle age pouch. Aging is a bitch.
Gene and Paul (mostly Gene) are the brains behind the business. From day one, Ace and Peter were simply contract players. Gene and Paul are the sole owners of the KISS brand. I am sure that any claims Peter and Ace had on their make up design was sold to Gene for a few dollars for another hit of heroin or bottle of booze.
Good Lord, HCE - you were a member of the KISS Army back in the day, weren't you? (Not that I had the posters, the comic books, etc etc etc in my room as a teen or anything...)
Yes. I admit it. I was a member. I have so much of my lawn mowing money to Gene Simmons it makes me want to cry.
I want to see what Paul looks like without the wig. Probably as scary as Gene.
There's pics of him wihout makeup on awfulplasticsurgery.com (and he looks pretty awful), but none without his wig.
I bought all four solo albums - even Paul's, and it sucked! Then I denied it all when I got into the Ramones. My youth was truly wasted.
Same here. They lost me at Double Platinum and their foray into disco. From there it was into denial and on to the Dead Kennedys and Sex Pistols. Only later did I understand KISS's true awesomeness.
hillrat: No qualifiers needed. I was there, 16th row center, and they tore it up. Really.
Unlike say, the band behind your avitar as of late...
You better take that KISS > Bad Brains nonsense over to Queensist!
@Kev29 Thank you.
But seriously @The Vinyl District, I saw the Bad Brains at the old 9:30 a couple of times circa 87-88 and I dare say that KISS never rocked that hard in their lives. In the words of Ed Lover "C'mon Son!"
My band is better than your band... nah nah nah nah nah nah
http://store.theonion.com/your-favorite-band-sucks-baby-p-105.html
Nice. Last time I saw them was about 10 years ago on their first reunion tour with peter and ace. It was an amazing show. The scary thing was that as soon as the first chords were struck I immediately remembered the lyrics to EVERY song.
Sorry Rivers, not this time out.
Ironically, Weezer is one of the few bands that has had more members than KISS.
wait a minute, what are you talking about? they switched, like, 2 guys out. if you're going to make a ridiculous statement like that, back it up. how about the number of people who have played live in NIN, or have been rumored to be part of GnR, or who actually have been in the polyphonic spree...
Fine. Kiss has 4 former members and Weezer has 3.
Not to mention, say, Jethro Tull, who have enough current and former members to field two complete soccer teams and still have a couple of players in reserve.
i don't have a garage anymore [/sad]
Man, they make me feel old ... and miss my bong.
Get back in the party van, Liz.
Out on the street for a livin, you know it's only begun. They got you under their thumb.
What is interesting is that now I realize just how perverted the song Christine Sixteen is.
KISS lost it ages ago. For cryin' out loud, Michael Bolton co-wrote one of their songs. Just should be grounds enough to banish them to playing county fairs in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska for the rest of their lives.
(grr. my typing isn't so good today. "That should be grounds .." not "Just should be grounds...")
That's what KISS was doing in the 90's before they got Ace and Peter back and put the makeup on. I don't think they do "Lick It Up" or "God Gave Rock N' Roll To You" at many of these shows.
Yes, I know that. But still ... Michael Bolton.
Look, that song was from the post Peter/Ace era. They realized they could squeeze some $$ out of fans if they just kept replicating the Alive II tour so that is all they do now.
Passed by the mostly middle age people who should know better waiting in line at the Verizon Center on my way to the Metro after work last night. I guess KISS fans are exempt from the Jeremy Piven "Don't Be That Guy" rule for going to concerts of the band you're seeing wearing the band's T-shirt. I guess they are also exempt from the usual "don't pay money to see KISS" rule as well.
God I hate people who wear Band T-shirts to see the band. Especially from that tour. I mean really. P.S. Liz- I'm glad I don't need KISS to miss my bong.
i sure could go for a diet cherry doctor pepper with just a KISS of grey pubes.
Two words: "Not Rush"
is that a geddy lee insult i sense. 'cause if it is—i swear to god by-tor will bring down the rage of the temples of syrinx on your subdivision!
Relax. Everybody's got mixed feelings about the function and the form. Everybody's got to deviate from the norm. Now, just get back into your Red Barchetta and GTFO.
I would totally go see a KISS show again if they would stick to their first release, Dressed to Kill, Rock and Roll Over, and then maybe....maybe Destroyer. And if I got to junkpunch Gene at the end, sans codpiece (don't want to break my knuckles). He is a douche, but Dressed to Kill is still one of my guilty pleasures.