KISS @ Star Lake Amphitheater Burgettstown, PA 10-13-21

The 6th leg of KISS’ The End of the Road tour is just about to wrap up. The last few shows on the run are dates that were postponed from last month when lead singer and co-founder Paul Stanley came down with Covid. One of the rescheduled dates was the show in Burgettstown, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh). BackstageAxxess was really looking forward to covering this show. In addition to reviewing the show, we were were also invited to attend the afternoon soundcheck. KISS soundcheck is one of the perks they include with their VIP packages to fans. I will also talk about our VIP experience along with the soundcheck portion.

We were asked to show up at 3:45pm to be escorted into the venue to watch soundcheck. I would say there were about 50 people who attended. One of our escorts included KISS’ longtime assistant, Keith Leroux. Keith, is the band’s right hand man and is the liaison between the band and its fans. He walked around all night mingling with the VIP’s to ensure the fans were satisfied and getting what they paid for. Once we were escorted in, most fans took to the first few rows in the center section and headed towards the middle of those rows. The 1st row was reserved for fans who paid for the ultimate meet and greet, which was another level of VIP. The rest spread out over the next 3 or 4 rows. We took to the first 2 seats in the center of the 2nd row. Bassist and co- founder Gene Simmons gave a lot of attention our way and was constantly throwing guitar picks our way. Guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer also got in the act by tossing out guitar picks (yes, even Eric threw some out with his name on them). The band answered a few questions first, played a few songs, and answered some more questions before exiting the stage. The entire soundcheck was about 35 minutes. The band played a few deeper cuts in “Plaster Caster” and the “Got to Choose.” I think along with many longtime KISS fans, we wish they would add “Got to Choose” in the actual show set. Stanley’s vocals sounded strong during this song. They were having a lot of fun and added an extra tune, “Goin Blind,” due to the amount of fun they were having. Here is some video of “Got to Choose:”

After the soundcheck, we were taken to the Captains Lounge where the VIP’s were treated as such. We had a fantastic host whose name was Tracy Roman. She attended to everyone to ensure their needs were being met and taken care of while in there. They had a KISS End of the Road backdrop that people were able to get photos in front of. They also had complimentary cocktails, including a drink called Black Diamond which contained Jager, Bacardi Spiced Rum and Pineapple Juice. They also had finger foods along with bottled water and beer. They had cupcakes with guitar picks in them. Tracey also handed out Paul Stanley guitar picks to whoever wanted them. At about 7pm, we left the lounge to mingle with friends and fans before we made our way to the line to wait for a photo with KISS. Once we got our photo, we headed to our seats to watch the show. All in all, it was a terrific experience that was handled very professionally by the staff on hand. If you’re on the fence about doing the VIP experience, DO IT! You will not regret it all!

Opening the the night was performance painter David Garibaldi. He did 3 paintings of Bruce Springsteen, James Hetfield of Metallica and a painting of KISS. The KISS painting can be won by donating to charity at KISS painting. KISS took the stage at about 8:50pm when the band descended down from the top of the lighting truss to play the opening chords of “Detroit Rock City.” We did do a review of a past show back in August of 2019 (Review Here), so I will just talk about the differences between this show and that show. The setlist changed up some as “Crazy Crazy Nights” and “Let Me Go, Rock and Roll” were dropped for “Tears Are Falling” and “Do You Love Me.” Even though Sammie the Serpent was still on stage it did not blow smoke or come alive during the set at all. I think this show had more comradery and cohesiveness. You could tell that the band was having a lot of fun. Maybe more fun than I have ever seen them have on any show on The End of the Road tour. It was really a fantastic show overall!!

Too bad this leg is coming to an end as they will be gearing up for a set of shows on KISS Kruise 10 and then off to do a residency in Las Vegas. There are still some spots left on the KISS Kruise. You can go here KISS Kruise 10 for more details. For information on VIP packages and tickets to the residency in Las Vegas, all the info you need is right here: KISS in Las Vegas.

Soundcheck setlist:

Plaster Caster

Hotter Than Hell

Shock Me

Got to Choose

Goin Blind

Show setlist:

Detroit Rock City

Shout it Out Loud

Deuce

War Machine

Heaven’s on Fire