KISS

Earlier this semester, I had the fortunate opportunity to attend a Kiss Concert. Yes these are the men, now in their 60’s, still singing rock and roll in painted faces and extensive costumes. Kiss has been a band since 1973 when they were first formed in New York City. The original four members of the band were Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. With the intense makeup and outfits, they each took on characters including the Star Child, Spaceman, Catman and Demon. It was the release of their first live album, Alive!, in 1975 that really was their breakthrough to stardom. Obviously, they have had some success because Kiss is still a band today. The members that performed at this concert had two original members, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, with the addition of two new members, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

Kiss has been recognized as one of the greatest rock bands throughout history. Their style was quite original compared to other rock bands at the time. They did and still do such things as spitting blood, showing off their tongues, breathing fire and other various pyrotechnics. A major aspect of Kiss and what I believe made them famous and different was how they performed and what energy and experience they created for the audience. They changed the face of Rock and Roll and displayed how wild and zealous it could become.

As for me, it isn’t quite my cup of tea. Most of their songs all seemed to sound the same and run together with lots of guitar and screaming lyrics. However I will give credit to them putting on a great show. This performance took place at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy. They were lively, had a great stage presence and you can count on them to still spit blood and show you their tongues. There were fireworks, zip lines and yes, platform boots. It was interesting to notice the audience that was there. I would say that the crowd was definitely an older one. Some dressed up in their own renditions of the classic Kiss look, while others enjoyed flashing the “rock on” hand sign. However, there was also a younger group. That was something worth noticing. Even though this band is now over 35 years old, they still have the capability of attracting new and young faces. Speaking of attracting, this extreme band will attract some extreme people. I am not an avid Kiss listener but I did recognize a few hits. They are the artists to some of the classic rock songs and will be hard to ever forget. Their image, personas and overall performances changed the rock world as we know it.