The attendees of this year’s KISS Kruise were eager to see what will unfold on this year’s theme of Creatures of the Night (an album released back in 1982). Will they or won’t they were the questions surrounding the event due to two former individuals, Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent, that were no longer associated with the band. They both had huge parts in the initial album and subsequent tour back in 1982 & 1983. The other key is those individuals supported different makeup in the Fox and Ankh Warrior respectively. Of course if you saw our exclusive interview with current drummer Eric Singer back in January (Eric Singer Interview) he ended any talk of current members wearing any other makeup than what KISS is known for and has been wearing since they put it back on in 1996. Any other details were left in the air and you had to wait until you boarded the Norwegian Pearl to actually see what will happen.
I attended the first show along with 1,100 other KISS Kruisers and got to see firsthand what to expect. The Stardust theater is a very small and intimate theater so to have all the bells and whistles that the original tour would have would be geographically impossible. KISS did recreate as much of the original stage as they could. This included the drum set as a tank which moved and shot out streamers but only at the beginning of the set. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons’ microphones were set apart on the main stage and miniature tracks were used as risers on the far end of each side stage with additional microphone support on the tracks. The band came out wearing what they wore in all promotional video for the 1982 tour. This included former guitarist Ace Frehley’s (who was with the band for promotional support for the Creatures album before Vincent replaced him ) black bodysuit that only depicts a lightning bolt on it. Current member Tommy Thayer rocked that outfit and really looked the part. Each member did but Thayer took it home in my opinion.
Let’s get to the night’s set. Besides the talk of what will the band wear, what will the stage look like, how about what will the song selection consist of? The band threw everyone for a loop when they did not do the actual setlist that was played on that infamous tour way back then. They incorporated “Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me?” and the very seldom played choice cuts like “Radioactive”, “Rock and Roll Hell” and my favorite selection of the evening “Keep Me Comin”. The last 2 were only played a few times ever and theses songs are off of the underrated “Creatures of the Night” album. “Keep Me Coming” was amazing and very close to the original. It fit right into Stanley’s vocal range and really wet the appetite for fans of the album and made the set along with “Rock and Roll Hell.”
The solo songs like the poppy and catchy “Radioactive” and the much loved “Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me” were totally out of left field and much appreciated by the crowd. I’m always of the thought that different is good. The band dropped just enough rarities to make the set a very good one. They were spot on for the night and outside of a few notes of “God of Thunder,” you won’t find a more solid drummer than Eric Singer. Playing the show sick he did a tremendous job and showed why he is the drummer that he is. Stanley was all smiles all night and even let fans get a selfie with him when he was playing at the end of the stage. Simmons loves the cruises and is extremely fan friendly during them. During the shows he puts the neck or bottom of the basses over the crowd to allow them to take picks off for souvenirs.
KISS Kruise 7 was announced by Stanley for November 5-10th departing out of New Orleans. The theme hasn’t been announced as of yet which is generating anticipation to see what the band has up their sleeve for the rabid Kruisers.
Setlist:
Creatures of the Night
Keep Me Comin’
Detroit Rock City
Radioactive (Gene Simmons song)
Calling Dr. Love
Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me (Paul Stanley song)
I Love it Loud
Firehouse
Rock and Roll Hell
Cold Gin
Hotter Than Hell
War Machine
Love Gun
God of Thunder
Shout it Loud
Black Diamond
Encore:
Deuce
Rock and Roll All Nite
