Made up to see Kiss again

𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 ‘𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹’ 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿

I thought I had missed out on my chance to say farewell to the greatest rock band in the world when I went down with Covid the day before their headline appearance at last year’s Download Festival.
Little did I know at the time that Kiss’ love affair with the UK would continue with a series of dates on their seemingly never-ending final tour.
It’s amazing to think that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley first donned the iconic face paint 50 years ago as they still sound so fresh and polished today.
But age catches up with everyone and the excesses of their stage show, along with the weight of their costumes, would exhaust people half their age.
Die-hard fans know exactly what to expect from a Kiss concert. The setlist has hardly changed over the years — just a few tweaks here and there.
Their entrance is spectacular to say the least. With a flurry of explosions, the curtain drops and Israel-born Gene, Paul and guitarist Tommy Thayer are lowered from the ceiling while Eric Singer’s drum kit also makes use of hydraulics.
You don’t get many better opening songs than Detroit Rock City and you are immediately put at ease that Kiss are on top form.
There are always concerns about 71-year-old Stanley’s voice, but he sounds just as good as in the group’s early days — and he has kept himself in shape too.
Simmons at the age of 73 struts around the stage like he’s in his 20s, spitting fire and dripping (fake) blood.
The setlist is a Kiss fan’s dream — Shout it Out Loud, Deuce, War Machine, I Love it Loud, Cold Gin, Lick It Up, Black Diamond, Do You Love Me . . . the list goes on.
There is one surprise as the band gives a rare outing to Makin’ Love from the 1976 album Rock and Roll Over.
The only ‘new’ song performed is Say Yeah from Sonic Boom, released 14 years ago. It’s a shame they never did Modern Day Delilah from the same album, which easily fits into their classic back catalogue.
It’s also disappointing that nothing is played from their last studio album, Monster, which was released in 2012. Hell or Hallelujah is in the mould of their earlier songs and again would slot in nicely.
There were so many highlights from the show — Gene’s demonic bass solo which leads into his signature song, God of Thunder, performed from a platform above the audience; Paul zipwiring to a stage in the centre of the arena to sing Love Gun and I Was Made for Lovin’ You; Eric at a piano performing ballad Beth; and the ultimate finale Rock and Roll All Nite with confetti being fired from cannons (I pity the clean-up crew).
I do have one minor gripe. The set consisted of 20 songs — as well as solo spots from each member. I’d much rather have more songs than watch various band members performing solos.
With a 50-year career, there are so many songs that could be added — but you aren’t going to please all the people all of the time . . .
Personally, I would love to hear just one or two songs from the much-maligned Music from The Elder. This album, my favourite, gives me goosebumps every time I hear it (which is often).
There had been rumours that Kiss were struggling to sell tickets for their UK dates — confounded by the cancellation of their Plymouth opener due to “logistical problems”. But the Birmingham venue looked pretty packed to me and hopefully this will be the case when they return to these shores next month to play London 02 Arena on July 5, Manchester AO Arena on July 7 and Ovo Hydro in Glasgow on the following night.
If these really are Kiss’ final UK dates before they quit touring in December, then they really are going out with a bang.
And here’s a message for Gene. You keep talking about performing in your homeland of Israel. Your fans there would love a show. Kiss are playing in Dubai on October 13 and then have six days until resuming their American tour — a perfect opportunity to fly into Tel Aviv.
Guns N Roses performed to 60,000 there on the same night you were blowing away Birmingham. Get those flights booked, Gene.
Kissonline.com/tour