05/15/2010

KISS AND MAKEUP

KISS, SECC, Glasgow

"YOU wanted the best... you got the best!"

It's the pre-gig announcement they've been using more or less continuously since their first show in January 1973.

But tonight, as the US legends storm the stage with an eye-watering arsenal of pyrotechnics (a colossal 500 of them), hydraulics and spark-shooting guitars, they prove they really are "the hottest band in the world". Literally.

Flames the size of skyscrapers burst from the stage as a string of explosions announce the arrival of the four-piece - on a platform that swoops from the ceiling to the floor. It is, no question, one of the most impressive entrances you'll ever see. And it doesn't hurt that, as they descend, they are belting out an amped- up version of Modern Day Delilah, one of the highlights of their new Sonic Boom album.

It's a return to the muscular, no-frills rock'n'roll of their classic '70s period, And tonight, amid the bangs and crashes of the greatest stage show the SECC has ever seen songs from it (particularly a sensational Say Yeah that has the 10,000 crowd singing along lustily) hold their own against fan faves like Cold Gin, Deuce and a mesmerising Detroit Rock City.KISS, SECC, Glasgow

"YOU wanted the best... you got the best!"

It's the pre-gig announcement they've been using more or less continuously since their first show in January 1973.

But tonight, as the US legends storm the stage with an eye-watering arsenal of pyrotechnics (a colossal 500 of them), hydraulics and spark-shooting guitars, they prove they really are "the hottest band in the world". Literally.

Flames the size of skyscrapers burst from the stage as a string of explosions announce the arrival of the four-piece - on a platform that swoops from the ceiling to the floor. It is, no question, one of the most impressive entrances you'll ever see. And it doesn't hurt that, as they descend, they are belting out an amped- up version of Modern Day Delilah, one of the highlights of their new Sonic Boom album.

It's a return to the muscular, no-frills rock'n'roll of their classic '70s period, And tonight, amid the bangs and crashes of the greatest stage show the SECC has ever seen songs from it (particularly a sensational Say Yeah that has the 10,000 crowd singing along lustily) hold their own against fan faves like Cold Gin, Deuce and a mesmerising Detroit Rock City.

As they ramp up the theatrics - the fire-breathing of bassist Gene Simmons, the duel between guitarist Tommy Thayer and virtuoso drummer Eric Singer that ends in the destruction of a lighting truss - it's obvious they're here to entertain. And then some.

But strip away the bombs, the make-up and the larger-than- life showmanship, take away every last dramatic burst of flame, and, at heart, Kiss are simply one of the greatest live bands you'll ever witness.

Eye-wateringly tight, blessed with tunes that sound like the missing link between The Kinks and Led Zeppelin, they're phenomenal on their own.

Add in the fact that Paul Stanley is easily the best frontman in rock'n'roll right now - a kind of space-age Little Richard who hollers, struts and testifies his way through this explosive set - and you have a dynamite combination.

You may have seen Bowie, Springsteen, even Alex Harvey at his peak, but until you've seen Kiss you ain't seen NUTHIN' yet,

A FULL recording of this show is available from http://www.simfylive.com
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