This year’s version of the Kiss Kruise II has taken to a different ship (The Norwegian Pearl) but the concept of the show was the same. It was billed as a sail away show from the Port of Miami into the Atlantic Ocean with the band performing without their traditional kabuki like makeup. The stage was set up on the pool deck so it could easily accommodate all on board. The problem, however, was there were many obstacles on the sides (slides and assorted barriers) providing more sight-line difficulties than last year’s Carnival Destiny.
The highlight of these unplugged shows is seeing the band play the b-sides or untraditional songs that you don’t get to hear when they play a standard show. Taking the stage at 5:30pm, the band launched into “Hard Luck Woman” off of 1976’s “Destroyer” album. Kiss co-founder and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, sporting a see through flower design shirt, was in great spirits. His band mate and co-founder Gene Simmons was dousing the crowd with picks throughout the set and even tossed one of his acoustic basses into the crowd at one point, setting off a fury to get one of these prized possessions.
Longtime drummer Eric Singer came out from behind the kit to sing “Beth” and also tossed out his own collectible guitar picks. Singer also sang “Nothin’ to Lose” earlier in the set. Lead guitarist Tommy Thayer, who is known to have a key role in compiling Kiss’ set list, helped the band navigate through uncharted territory, tackling the song “Only You,” which was never performed live in the past.
Stanley’s voice held up very well throughout the entire set. The band’s performance is always the marked highlight of the Kruise itself, due in part to the spontaneity of it combined with the intimate setting where the guys often play along with what the crowd may want to hear. Hearing cuts as deep as “Take Me,” “Only You,” “Mr. Speed” and the Dick Clark Five cover “Anyway You Want It” against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, is as good as it gets for any die hard Kiss fan!
Set List:
Hard Luck Woman
Christine Sixteen
Got to Choose
Goin’ Blind
Love Her All I Can
Nothin’ to Lose
Take Me
Anyway You Want It
A Million to One (snippet)
A World Without Heroes
Only You
Comin’ Home
Everytime I Look at You
Strutter
Sure Know Something
C’mon and Love Me
Rock Bottom
Beth
Shandi
She
Do You Love Me
Mr. Speed
Shout it Out Loud
