Scene and Heard

The Kiss Army faithful turned out in full force to see “The Hottest Show on Earth Tour” at the Indiana State Fair. A crowd of 15,000 filled the seats, thousands in attendance covered their children and themselves with makeup and Kiss outfits to celebrate the return of the band to Indiana.

Excited fans reminisced about seeing past shows in the late 1970’s and 80’s. One man wearing a tour shirt from 1983 talked about seeing the band in 1978 ”It was my first concert I ever went to and AC/DC was the opening act”.

The audience was largely middle aged and many brought their children to enjoy what could be the bands final tour.

Having witnessed tours in 1975,1977,1979, and 1983 , I feel the current lineup of the band  which includes original members, Gene Simmons on bass, Paul Stanley guitar and vocals,  along with guitarist,Tommy Thayer and drummer, Eric Singer, these later additions are excellent musicians who have raised the level of musical talent making this lineup a more powerful group than the original.

The show began with Simmons, Stanley, and Thayer rising on a platform from behind the stage  while the fog billowed and elevating  over drummer Singer and landing on the stage filled with flashing lights  and explosions. As the band performed 17 song show, one thing is evident these guys work hard performing at a high level all night long.

Kiss has never been a favorite of music critics, many citing the simple song lyrics, their vocals and musicianship. Its true their songs won’t be compared to writers such as Bruce Springsteen or the individual musical talent of Led Zeppelin.

This doesn’t faze original members, Simmons and Stanley. They have built a business empire consisting of worldwide fan support and gigantic memorabilia sales. The souvenir stands were overflowing with fans purchasing a variety of items most costing over twenty dollars.

The band has created a  unbeatable combination of party music, using it’s forty year music catalogue,  with a modern version of a circus filled with explosions, fire, lights, huge video screens, and fog.

These guys understand what their fans want. This band was built for the times in your life you want to just forget about your day be entertained and have a good time. You can rest assured the band will give you an exciting show at a high energy level each and every show.

The dazzling outdoor stage show, ended with fireworks  while the band played “I want to Rock and Roll All Night”.  A song played much more at parties and clubs over the past three decades then many of the legendary songs of our time.

Indianapolis Set list

1. Modern Day Delilah
2. Cold Gin
3. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll
   
4. Firehouse
5. Say Yeah
6. Deuce
7. Crazy Crazy Nights
8. Calling Dr. Love
9. Shock Me
10. I’m An Animal
11. 100,000 Years
12. I Love It Loud
13. Love Gun
14. Black Diamond
15. Detroit Rock City

1. Encore:

1. Beth
2. Lick It Up
3. Rock And Roll All Nite