News

Here's my report on the fantastic UK tour (or at least Birmingham & London). Good news is that the tour continues and is now into Switzerland, bad news is that for the UK that's it. For now.

Click here to read the report

What a fantastic fortnight this has been, KISS finished the UK leg of their 2010 Sonic Boom Over Europe tour in style at Wembley. I'm still going through all my photos and will post some more in a write up later, but here's a few of them:-

There's a video interview with Gene and Paul at the Scottish TV website here.

John Kilbride interviewed them in Glasgow and a slightly different version of the interview is scheduled for broadcast on stv news on Saturday May 15. Had
been planned for Monday, but the stv news was cancelled on account of the election.

A nice KISS article appeared in The News Of The World yesterday, really nice to see a lot of positive comments coming out of the UK press this tour. The full article can be read here.

Thanks to Andy for the info.

Diamond Jacks
5 Walkers Court
Soho, London
W1F 0BT
www.diamondjacks.co.uk
tel 020 7437 0605

The following review is from the Birmingham Mail (where was your special KISS edition this year??!!). 

THEIR career spans 35 years but New York rockers Kiss can still kick the opposition into touch when it comes to staging a show that’s bigger, bolder and brighter than anything else.

Fireworks, explosions, flame jets and flying guitarists made for a spectacle that proved why the Kiss motto ‘‘You wanted the best, you got the best’’ is so apt.

They may have released their debut album in 1974 but songs from last year’s long player, Sonic Boom, peppered the two hour 15 minute set and did not seem out of place among classics like Deuce and Shock Me. They even opened with recent single, Modern Day Delilah, before plunging back to ‘74 for Cold Gin.

A string of hits followed, including Crazy Crazy Nights, Calling Dr Love and Love Gun.

And during I Love It Loud 60-year-old bassist Gene Simmons was hoisted high above the stage to the lighting gantry, his famous tongue waggling and fake blood dribbling down his chin.

This was as much about theatricals as music. As 58-year-old frontman Paul Stanley commented before the show, ‘‘We’ve got to a point where we can’t do bigger – we can only do better and different.’’

Innovative video screens and a barrage of lights added to the excitement and the drum kit at times was hovering in mid-air.

There was solid support from guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, both, like Simmons and Stanley, sporting that famous black and white make up which transforms them into alter egos The Starchild, The Demon, The Catman and The Spaceman.

On the eve of our General Election it was Kiss that got the vote of the LG Arena faithful.

Verdict: *****

The following review was posted in the Evening Chronicle (thanks to Martin Wombwell).

AS SOMEONE who has only ever appreciated KISS from afar, I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly state that they are phenomenal.

You’d think after almost 40 years of being a band they may have succumbed to perhaps slowing the pace a little in their live shows, but as the Sonic Boom Over Europe tour hit Newcastle’s Metro Radio arena yesterday, I can honestly say I’ve never been so entertained. Opening with Modern Day Delilah, and with a whole lot of flames as accompaniment, their impressive stage entrance was merely the tiniest hint of things to come.

This, combined with vocalist Paul Stanley’s seemingly genuine affection for the audience, meant that by the third song it was like a lesson in expert crowd control.

Everybody appeared to be in awe of the four glitter-clad men on stage and I found myself getting just as caught up in the excitement as yet more stages appeared amidst the fireworks, just in time for Gene Simmons to fly (or be hoisted via cables) into the riggings for I Love It Loud.

Taking a wide range of songs from their extensive back catalogue, and utilising every ounce of energy they had, it quickly became apparent that KISS were here to entertain at any cost.

There’s no sign of any self-important introspective 19th album ballad being wheeled out, it’s a non-stop party atmosphere with no expense spared – exactly what their legions of fans have come to expect.

This attitude, for me, was possibly the most impressive aspect of the entire night.

Aside from being more than competent musicians and consummate showmen, this is the band that invented the multi-platform promotional market. The band’s stage set-up is one of the craziest things I’ve ever witnessed, and the visual displays alone would probably account for the ticket price, yet it’s blindingly apparent that their only concern is the audience’s enjoyment.

It’s refreshing to see and goes a long way to explaining their multi-generational fan base.

Tour dates can be found at www.kissonline.com and I recommend that you go should you be lucky enough to get the chance.

2010 is the year for KISS to release their live Sonic Boom over Europe.

simfy live (former Concert Online) exclusively records the European KISS concerts in high-quality audio.

All Sonic Boom over Europe audio live recordings are available as 2-CD DigiPak, on the KISS USB flash drive or as MP3 download. Only one live audio recording is not enough? simfy live offers the KISS 16 GB USB Collector's Gold Edition as well. A must-have for every serious KISS fan! The Gold edition comes with a download subscription of 5, 10, or even all MP3 downloads. All products can be (pre-)ordered at
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