Kiss

senordingdong

I'm a huge KISS fan.

They've been around a long time, but they don't seem particularly popular here.
Although,they're currently on their European tour which has seen them play stadiums in Riga and Sofia, and a small , 'Point-sized' venue in Copenhagen...but nothing in Dublin.
Everybody I have introduced them to have loved them and have quickly bought albums so there's no questioning their quality.
And their shows are amazing, I'm not sure what others peoples opinions of them are....so what do you guys think?

Mr. Presentable

I like Kiss, but they're a relic from a bygone age, and strangely, considering how huge they were in the US, never translated to the UK/Irish market.

senordingdong

I wouldn't say they're a relic.

Everything kick started again about ten years ago with what was labelled the 'reunion tour', even though they never broke up or actually stopped working.

They're plenty big in the UK and are even headlining Download festival this year...(not really sure if that's a mark of achievment) and like I was pointing out in the other thread...the cheesy love making rock n toll thing seems to have translated to the former easter block, so why the hell not here!?!?1

Oral Slang

I like them, but never got round to buying many of their albums..

Saw them in 1996 and they were great live & am gonna see them again this year at Graspop, which I'm really looking forward to!

senordingdong

Where did you see them in 1996?

big b

I first saw KISS in 1975:eek: (think it was '75 anyway, I'm very old & senile)
Still have a black boilersuit thingy with the KISS logo on the back that one of the roadies gave me.

I think KISS were much better than they got credit for on this side of the pond. Their lack of street cred was partly because of the perception that with all that make-up etc they weren't really a serious band, and more so when it was revealed that they weren't actually playing their instruments live.
But they still wrote some damn good rock songs over the years & they sure knew how to put on a show.

NIBBS

Kiss were the first band I got into, when I was 9 - so that's 29 years I've been into them, going to get to see them for the first time next week at ArrowRock in Holland and really getting pretty excited now, it should be great......

There's definitely big differences into the tastes of rock fans South and North of the border here, Kiss have played Belfast (haven't they ? around '88 if memory serves me correctly) and they were to play in Dublin but it was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. But I've seen a lot of differences between what people flock to in the North and wouldn't get out of bed for down here, for example I've seen Tyketto and Jeff Scott Soto in Belfast to a pretty full crowd and they just wouldn't put on a show down here, Dublin seems to get better crowds for heavier more aggressive bands, so I can't tell you why they never did well over here I just don't think there's a Hard Rock/Pop/Glam Metal crowd in the South.

yknaa

Kiss were scheduled to play the Point about c.10 years ago. Lack of ticket sales forced 'em to cancel. Shame

Mr. CooL ICE

Massive fan. The guys are legends. They managed to create a massive market out of their image, and happened to write a lot of catchy tunes in the process. I hate bands that sell out as much as the next guy, but Kiss deserve to be applauded for doing it in such a spectacular fashion.

Some youtube videos are called for methinks

Some live stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkPOIehFS8k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp2ebg4XOXY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PYDbaaskek

Some videos. Most of these are sheer ridiculousness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oESjf7xywwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UhdDp9pPzE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjD8jYfWBI

P.S. Paul Stanley has the most impressive chest in rock. FACT

GhostInTheRuins

I don't really know much kiss stuff, I've only got one of their albums, but they do have a few decent songs.

A few years ago I say a video with Ace Frehley in it and he was an absolute mess, it was kind of sad really.

senordingdong

big b wrote: »

so when it was revealed that they weren't actually playing their instruments live.

First I've heard about that.

But Kiss are a spectacular band, on stage and off stage.
They're just good fun above all else, they don't have to swear or stand for anything, they just play some fun clean cut rock and roll.

DenMan

Saw Gene Simmons in Ugly Betty recently. Amanda's father. Cool

senordingdong

I'm not that big a fan of Gene Simmons, he's abit tiresome for me.

Paul Stanley is where it is at.
He has all the moves.

Rockee

I like some of their stuff like Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud, God Of Thunder and yes even 'Sure Know Somethin' but I cant stomach Gene Simmons. Arrogant son of a b1tch if ever there was one. I dont care how much money he has!

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/kiss_we_have_more_money_than_some_small_countries.html

Oral Slang

senordingdong wrote: »

Where did you see them in 1996?

Donington - they were joint headliners with Ozzy.. Great gig - it was in the days before most people flew to gigs.. We got the ferry & then a coach for hours & hours to Donington. Such a laugh! Toilet on coach was always un-usable before we even got to Dun Laoghaire...

Rustar

Just simple, good fun entertainment.

Don't be so disparaging of Gene - he and Paul are a "couple of nice Jewish boys" (as Totie Fields said) that turned an idea and a modicum of talent into a multi-million dollar empire. Genius, if you ask me.

Although they regularly lip- and finger-synched when doing television and studio productions, I've never heard that they didn't play live. On the DVDs I have, they certainly look like they're playing. I think that's just a case of an extremely practiced band doing simple things, and they make it look so simple that it barely looks like they're touching their instruments.

senordingdong

Rockee wrote: »

but I cant stomach Gene Simmons. Arrogant son of a b1tch if ever there was one. I dont care how much money he has!

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/kiss_we_have_more_money_than_some_small_countries.html

Yeah I totally know what you mean, but I think the remark about his wealth is abit tongue in cheek.

redmosquito

Not a big fan of any sort, but I do love Black Diamond!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_rpoOcgcz8

adox

The first band I was really a big fan of growing up and I still have a soft spot for them.


Simmons is a really iconic figure from the 70s and I wont have a bad word said about him.

Most of the stuff he comes out with is tongue in cheek.

The Kiss Army in the 70s was absolutely huge.Its hard to over estimate how big they were back then.


The first band to create more revenue from their merchandise than their music.:D

kwestfan08

Not the biggest fan of KISS, don't have any of their albums or anything but "Detriot Rock City" is a deadly tune.

Also heard that Gene Simmons is one of the top 5 firebreathers in the world!!!. Read it in Q I think.

NIBBS

will be seeing them this Sunday - really can't wait......should be great.....

for anyone heading to Download they are trying to break the Facepainting world record there, free facepainting of the Kiss makeup, they'll have 4 different areas for each band member type and are trying to paint 400 faces in 3 hours, then they'll be doing crowd photos etc........sounds like fun.....

senordingdong

redmosquito wrote: »

Not a big fan of any sort, but I do love Black Diamond!

Kwestfan80 wrote:

Not the biggest fan of KISS, don't have any of their albums or anything but "Detriot Rock City" is a deadly tune.

Both of you should check out the symphony versions of these tracks. Great stuff.
That said, anyone interested in seeing a great show should check out the dvd of the same name.

When I went to the gig, alot of people painted their faces but lets just say the quality of the paint they used was not as good as the quality of the paint that kiss used...by the end of the show they looked like rejects from cradle of filth.

Definatly a band whos greatest hits should be owned by everyone.

OLP

Love KISS meself, I do know alot of people think of them as a gimmick, but they're actually an amazing band, Destroyer would be one of my favourite albums and I hope to get to see them in the next few years. I understand why people hate Gene Simmons and **** but hey he makes good music, him being an arragant cnut doesn't effect me.

senordingdong

They do have a great back catalogue but one can't deny that they have equal amounts of ****e under their belt.

Some great numbers and even better live shows make them one of my favourites.
I think that even though they haven't had a 'new' album in ten years, they are still a band to be reckoned with...their reputation really does surpass them.

I mean, sometimes you can tell when a particular band comes to town, but you will always know when KISS come to town!

Catari Jaguar

KISS rule!

NIBBS

well I don't know what I can say, saw them for the first time in Nijmegen in Holland at ArrowRockFestival, and they just totally blew us all away, fantastic show, an art dead with most bands - how to put on a show and entertain the crowd, 2 hours of pyros and rock, lifelong dream came through when the curtain dropped and there they were........when I've come down from the clouds a bit I'll come back and post something, just to mention my mates with me weren't Kiss fans before the gig - they are now......

senordingdong

Yeah man.
Their shows really are un-riveled. Paul Stanleys stage presence is quite amazing.
I think it's cool that their shows don't take away from their music either.
I always had some interest in cheesy rock and roll bands with big hair, (europe etc...) and while KISS are one of these bands, their music feels like it has something more to it that sets them aside from the other bands like them.

Some of my friends who weren't fans quickly became fans after seeing my KISS symphony dvd...amazing stuff.

brown-dog

I would love to see them play in Ireland - I think it would be a really good show and alot of people would be up for seeing it!!

senordingdong

I odn't think it would ever happen.
As some lads said, they were scheduled to play the Point about ten years ago and it was cancelled because of poor ticket sales.
I mean this is a band who play capacities the likes of Croke Park as a regular thing.

I'm just chuffed I got to see them in Germany, worth every iota of effort.

brown-dog

Yeah I will see them in Graspop which is cool and going to be a brilliant experience but still would like to see them here.... but dont always get what we wish for - still waiting for AC/DC to come back lol

Ger8150

A great band with a lot of history. Not sure about Tommy Thayer in Ace's make up. Could they have brought back Bruce Kulick, or even Vinnie Vincent (at least Vinnie was a make up era member).

At least Eric Singer was a previous member before he rejoined. Tommy has absolutely no connection with KISS's music.

NIBBS

meant to come back last week and put some pics up, just haven't really had a chance, so I'll definitely try and get it sorted this week, just got the Alive35 Live CD of the Arrow gig, haven't listened to it all yet, but sounds good so far.......

Ger - Bruce is still part of Kiss in some form, but I'm not sure what happened there, it might have been his own choice.....I used to think the same but really the Makeup just relates to the guitar player in the band, and Tommy is the guitar player, he does a solid job so I'm fine with it nowadays, and now that himself and Eric are more involved with singing and stuff it's great - the one thing I didn't really agree with was re-recording the classics with the new guys, it kinda takes something away from the songs......but that's a different argument

I'm really hoping they do as Paul said and come back next Summer, I think they were surprised themselves by the success of the Euro tour, and hopefully they've seen the benefit or it....

senordingdong

Yeah, if they come back I'll buy tickets to two shows!

Bloody awesome.

As for the Tommy thing, I'm fine with it. It's about personas not names.
And if he was that important than it should be noted that Ace was an asshole.

dubharlinn

Hello!!
I'm Diego from Spain.
I have just seen Kiss alive in concert in Bilbao (Spain) a few weeks ago.
Espectacular!! Good show. I have never seen them before because It's not common to see Kiss in Spain but I will remember it forever!!

Vim Fuego

I love the story Dio tells in the "metal:a headbangers..." documentary about Gene copyrighting the term 'O.J.'.

Kiss are one of those bands I've heard a few tunes, not really thought much about them. What's a good Kiss album to start with?

dubharlinn

I think the 3 alives are good! But studio disc I recommend you Destroyer. The best studio album in my Opinion. A classical
I like Creatures of the night very much too... and.. all!!

blastman

Kiss are one of the old school rock bands that I still haven't seen live yet. I defintely do want to see them before they hang up the stack heels. It's a sad fact that there isn't a big market for this type of music in Dublin on a large scale.

I'd start with Destroyer or Dressed To Kill....

senordingdong

Vim Fuego wrote: »

I love the story Dio tells in the "metal:a headbangers..." documentary about Gene copyrighting the term 'O.J.'.

Kiss are one of those bands I've heard a few tunes, not really thought much about them. What's a good Kiss album to start with?

A greatest hits would be your best place to start.

KevLeppard

I kinda prefer the non make up era of KISS. Hot in the Shade is probably the best of that era. Animalize is really cool too. Paul Stanley, what a legend.

I was very unsure about Tommy too. I have the live DVD they released awhile ago and he does nail every part. So that kinda won me over. I still reckon they need to do an album with Tommy to properly justify putting him in any form of make up. I think he used to play in KISS tribute band. He also used to be Gene's PA and make Gene his coffee!! But who is laughing now??

Bubs101

Just out of interest, too anybody who saw them live, did they still play Beth?

As for which album to start with, Al!ve 1 and IV or Destroyer are their best

dubharlinn

I saw Kiss live in Bilbao (Spain) two months ago and they didn't play Beth.
Neither "God gave rock and roll to you"

OLP

Destroyer and Love Gun would be my favourite studio albums

Aelfric

I grew up on KISS in Australia in the late 70's and early 80's. They were absolutely massive at the time, and still are big crowd pullers down under. I was rather miffed that my Dad wouldn't let me travel the 75 miles by train to Melbourne to see them in 1980, but I suppose I was only 12 at the time! The gig was broadcast live on TV anyway, so I got to see them.

I missed them after I returned to England in 84, coz I thought nobody had heard of them - how wrong I was! Bon Jovi brought Paul Stanley and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) onstage at Donington in 87 for the encores, and I was in heaven. In 88, Kiss played, sans makeup of course, but did a lot of their old stuff. Awesome. Then, finally, in 1997, I flew over from Dublin and saw them in Manchester with my 2 younger brothers, who had never seen them live. They used to play my LP's when I was at work, and both really liked them, but the look on their faces when the black curtain dropped, the fireworks went off, and the first chords were stuck said it all. We were witnessing the original four in all their 1977 glory, and for me I can honestly say that I will die happy.

Sadly, Ace and Peter have once again departed, but Peter was finding it too hard to keep up, and I saw a video of a gig, possibly Vegas, were he was clearly following a drum track, because his hands weren't making the rolls and fills. Sad to witness. Now there are stories about Paul's state of health, which may cause him to miss some shows. Who the hell can they get to replace him?

I wasn't too sure about the Tommy doing Ace thing either, but he has been working with them behind the scenes for years, and I think even contributed to Music From The Elder if I'm right. It was sometime around the transition from Ace to Vinny anyway. I know Vinny played on Creatures of the Night, even though Ace is on the album cover.

Anyhow, great band, will be forever my favourite. GS family jewels is funny but makes me cringe. He's pretty much a parody of himself.

Fave songs? Naked City, Love Gun, Beth, Strutter, She, Creatures of the Night, Raise Your Glasses.

Fave albums? Love Gun , Paul Stanley Solo, Unmasked, Psycho Circus

NIBBS

Aelfric wrote: »

I grew up on KISS in Australia in the late 70's and early 80's. They were absolutely massive at the time, and still are big crowd pullers down under. I was rather miffed that my Dad wouldn't let me travel the 75 miles by train to Melbourne to see them in 1980, but I suppose I was only 12 at the time! The gig was broadcast live on TV anyway, so I got to see them.

I missed them after I returned to England in 84, coz I thought nobody had heard of them - how wrong I was! Bon Jovi brought Paul Stanley and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) onstage at Donington in 87 for the encores, and I was in heaven. In 88, Kiss played, sans makeup of course, but did a lot of their old stuff. Awesome. Then, finally, in 1997, I flew over from Dublin and saw them in Manchester with my 2 younger brothers, who had never seen them live. They used to play my LP's when I was at work, and both really liked them, but the look on their faces when the black curtain dropped, the fireworks went off, and the first chords were stuck said it all. We were witnessing the original four in all their 1977 glory, and for me I can honestly say that I will die happy.

Sadly, Ace and Peter have once again departed, but Peter was finding it too hard to keep up, and I saw a video of a gig, possibly Vegas, were he was clearly following a drum track, because his hands weren't making the rolls and fills. Sad to witness. Now there are stories about Paul's state of health, which may cause him to miss some shows. Who the hell can they get to replace him?

I wasn't too sure about the Tommy doing Ace thing either, but he has been working with them behind the scenes for years, and I think even contributed to Music From The Elder if I'm right. It was sometime around the transition from Ace to Vinny anyway. I know Vinny played on Creatures of the Night, even though Ace is on the album cover.

Anyhow, great band, will be forever my favourite. GS family jewels is funny but makes me cringe. He's pretty much a parody of himself.

Fave songs? Naked City, Love Gun, Beth, Strutter, She, Creatures of the Night, Raise Your Glasses.

Fave albums? Love Gun , Paul Stanley Solo, Unmasked, Psycho Circus

great stuff, and yeah I would have loved to have seen all 4 of them on stage, but probably not like that, no point in going on and not playing - at least you know Paul is singing live.......I too can die happy having seen them in Holland this year - but I want more......

damn I'd die now to hear Naked City live - but I just can't ever see them doing that.....:(

R Palmer

Was anybody at this gig ?