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As expected, KISS went hard at Madison Square Garden, but for me did not capture the excitement or emotion of the previous three concerts I'd witnessed this week. KISS is not a band in the sense of Pearl Jam or The E Street Band, where a band of brothers bounce off one another and the audience and where anything could happen. KISS is Paul Stanley telling everyone how good they are and three other guys doing their thing on cue to the plan. To give them their credit, it was a good 'show' – but more along the lines of a Broadway Show - not a spontaneous rock concert. It was scripted, it was clichéd and it was all songs about about their dicks.
No doubt, KISS put on a spectacular show and have influenced many glam bands since - there are pyrotechnics, fireballs, a massive light show and theatrics, but you can’t help thinking that apart from the obligatory: ’We love you New York, you’re the best’, this show really was paint by numbers. None the less, the New York crowd of KISS Army devotees lapped it up and truly believed they’d witnessed the best show of all time. I, however, walked away knowing I’d never again bother to see KISS - even if they do make it out to Perth. Their best days were in the 70s, but now they are a parody of themselves and they, and their fans are the ones who don’t yet get the joke - but as long as the cash registers are ringing, they'll be playing.
