Kiss at Marcus Amphitheater
On Thursday night, Milwaukeeans had the choice of seeing an outrageous spectacle composed of spandex, 6-inch platform boots, and a shitload of pyro performed by either a 24-year-old pop wunderkind at the Bradley Center or a couple of middle-aged Jewish men at Marcus Amphitheater. I opted for the old Jewish guys, who are touring these days with two hired guns and calling themselves Kiss. Perhaps it was the less hip choice, but after seeing Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Ace Frehley-replacement Tommy Thayer get lowered to the stage by a giant platform while playing the pentatonic beast “Modern Day Delilah,” it seemed like the right one.
Believe it or not, Kiss wrote some great songs: Hearing “Black Diamond,” “Deuce,” and “Shout It Out Loud” in a live setting was almost as good as hearing Alive cranked up in some Corsica’s shitty tape deck. But who am I kidding? This isn’t about Kiss’ songwriting—this is about how Thayer’s guitar magically flew up into the rafters after a two-minute behind-the-head guitar solo, or Simmons’ chin being covered in fake blood as he also flew to the rafters to belt out “I Love It Loud.” Then there was Stanley swinging out via zipline to a spinning platform set up in the middle of the crowd for a rendition of “I Was Made For Loving You.” This is the kind of shamelessly ridiculous (and still very effective) showmanship that immortalizes Kiss as a live band.
Unfortunately, the endlessly enthusiastic Stanley sometimes undermined the glamour of the enterprise. “We’ve got a new album!” he yelped at one point, in his grating falsetto screech. “It’s called Sonic Boom and you can only get it at Wal-Mart!” When this declaration was met with a sea of boos, Stanley’s Starchild paint suddenly made him look like a suicidal mime. Later, the band presented a check for nearly $300,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that gives money to injured veterans. Certainly a noble gesture, though the chorus of “U.S.A.!” chants and Stanley’s subsequent rendition of the National Anthem seemed a little much for a band currently making a mint off of Kiss-brand coffins.
Still, anyone with half a heart and a belly full of beer couldn’t help but smile broadly during the show. Despite the fact that the venue looked only half-full when the band started (which Stanley acknowledged on several occasions with comments like, “You’re not the biggest crowd, but you can be the loudest!”), the modest-sized audience responded heartily to a setlist that was heavy on Kiss classics.
After Stanley mimed a telephone conversation with God following “God Gave Rock ’N’ Roll To You,” the band went out with—what else?— “Rock And Roll All Nite.” The closer was punctuated with huge blasts of fire and sparks flying across the stage, confetti being blasted into the crowd, and Simmons, Stanley, and drummer Eric Singer being lifted into the heights of the amphitheater on massive platforms one last time. Kiss may be a cash cow, but as long as there is blood, fire, and guitars, they can keep on milking it.
