This was a show that many KISS fans have been waiting on for about 39 years, since the release of the iconic “Dressed to Kill” album with its infamous cover where each member dressed in a suit. The band has only performed live once while dressed in suits, which happened in front of only 200 people for a special invite only by Designer John Varvatos in October of 2013. This event spawned KISS coming up with the idea of having a “Dressed to Kill” theme on this year’s KISS Kruise. It went over like gangbusters as the Kruise officially sold out for the first time.
Having witnessed this up close and personal was a dream come true for a lifelong KISS fan like me. When the band walked out “Dressed to Kill,” so to speak, the game was on and the band didn’t let anyone down. KISS reached back to dust off the KISS Alive 3 tour opener as the opening chords of “Creatures of the Night” were played. It didn’t matter what the ever so charismatic frontman Paul Stanley was dressed in, he had control of the crowd from the minute he set foot on the stage.
The set list was pretty much the same as the band played the previous few times out on the road with the seldom played “The Oath,” their 80’s hit “Tears are Falling” And the gem of the night, “Plaster Caster,” which hasn’t been performed since MTV’s unplugged show back in 1995. Drummer Eric Singer arose from his perch in the back and catapulted the band into “War Machine.” At times he even stood up to lead the charge during the heavy drum part before the end chorus.
Lead guitarist Tommy Thayer was the only member of the band who didn’t have on a dark tailored suit, but instead wore a grey or light silver, if you want to call it that. He was way more resolute than usual and really owned the stage. No flares were shown, as in rockets shooting from his guitar or smoke, just old fashioned riff delivering and guitar shredding throughout. These shows seem to offer a different vibe and sometimes the bands attitude tends to be more lax as well. For the last few years, bassist Gene Simmons purposely held his bass far enough into the audience so that fans could take bass picks that were taped to the bottom of his bass. He didn’t move around much but Simmons really seemed to be enjoying how the fans reacted to the suits and the overall experiences of just being in the moment. Simmons even brought up a very small kid, about 3 years old maybe, and had him stand in front of him while placing bass picks on his head.
Okay, yes the set list could have been longer or maybe if they could have played this song instead of that song. You will probably never be completely satisfied when a show of this magnitude, in front of the most die-hard of fan, is given. What we can all agree on is that this was a special show no matter what was played. The band stepped outside their comfort zone and tried something different. For that alone, they should be rewarded and given a thumbs up all around!
Setlist:
Creatures of the Night
Psycho Circus
War Machine
Plaster Caster
Tears Are Falling
Let Me Go, Rock n’ Roll
Lick it Up
Calling Dr. Love
Hell or Hallelujah
I Love it Loud
Detroit Rock City
Love Gun
Black Diamond
Shout it Out Loud
Encore:
The Oath
Rock and Roll All Nite
We would like to thank Alaidriale Derway and Anthony Diaz from Sixthman for the credentials to review the show.
