{"id":53489,"date":"2016-12-27T10:43:18","date_gmt":"2016-12-27T15:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=53489"},"modified":"2016-12-27T10:43:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-27T15:43:18","slug":"kiss-rocks-vegas-dvd-bluray-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2016\/kiss-rocks-vegas-dvd-bluray-review\/","title":{"rendered":"KISS | Rocks Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"With the obvious exception of KISS\u2019 die-hard fans, the general audience may not be that familiar with the band\u2019s particular albums and line-up changes as well as treat their credo of \u201crock and roll all nite, party every day\u201d less than seriously. But if asked, everyone would have associated the flamboyant quartet with theatricality, hedonism, and exaggeration. Could there be a place for their over-the-top Rock ‘n’ Roll spectacle suited better than Las Vegas \u2013 the neon-lit den of decadence? And could it be anything more interesting than to see them there live, but in a small, indoor venue rather than the vastness of the huge concert hall? The band\u2019s residency at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in November 2014, where Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer played a nine-show run, proved not. Two years later, everyone can catch a glimpse of KISS\u2019 stint in Sin City as the new release \u2013 a live album and DVD\/Blu-ray Disc entitled KISS Rocks Vegas<\/em> \u2013 makes another interesting addition to the band\u2019s vast videography. <\/p>\n

In spite of a small venue, KISS Rocks Vegas<\/em> remains, obviously, all things KISS. From Gene Simmons\u2019 blood-spitting side show to Paul Stanley\u2019s feathered costume bearing resemblance to his stylistic ventures in the early 1980s, it\u2019s a combination of elements that became the group\u2019s trademark over the course of four decades. And speaking of that, let\u2019s not forget the amounts of pyro, smoke, and lasers that would have ashamed any other band on the planet but them\u2026 Frequent glimpses into the audience also show the assembly no other band would have gathered. A good part of the crowd traditionally goes beyond the usual attire of a concert t-shirt and jeans, many people having their faces covered with the group\u2019s trademark make-up. However, all gimmicks aside, it\u2019s the raw charm of KISS classics \u2013 along with the occasional throwbacks to the unmasked and post-reunion eras \u2013 that put smiles on the faces of the cheering audience. <\/p>\n

In spite of the band having released twenty studio albums during more than forty years of their career, there\u2019s hardly a better opener to their show than \u201cDetroit Rock City.\u201d Raw and loud, the sounds exactly as it should. It\u2019s a reminder, one of many in KISS\u2019 catalog, that some things are best if kept simple for the sake of sheer entertainment \u2013 and that Rock ‘n’ Roll doesn\u2019t always require virtuosity or artistry. Fueled by powerhouse groove, \u201cCreatures Of The Night\u201d goes next. It\u2019s a song which might not have been KISS’ most successful one ever and perhaps is not even a common fan favorite \u2013 but those of the audience who have been teenage outcasts lured into the hedonistic, larger-than-life world of KISS once surely considered that moment one of the show\u2019s highlights. The title track of the infamous reunion album, \u201cPsycho Circus\u201d, engages the audience in call-and-response accordingly to the song’s lyrics before Gene Simmons takes over the microphone.<\/p>\n

The early KISS\u2019 days are being then revisited with a rough rendition of \u201cParasite,\u201d the Demon sounding as if time had no effect on his raspy, ominous voice. \u201cWar Machine\u201d sounds even harder and heavier than its 1982 original \u2013 even in spite of the slight glimpse of cuteness as Stanley invites a young girl wearing Starchild makeup to play with him onstage throughout the song. A rare throwback to the unmasked era, \u201cTears Are Falling\u201d is something each mid-\u201880s KISS fan will enjoy and a guilty pleasure otherwise. And speaking of absolute KISS classics, the next song in the set \u2013 \u201cDeuce\u201d \u2013 is certainly one of them. The dynamic performance of \u201cLick It Up\u201d shows that these days the group is more eager to reach back into their \u201880s catalog than it used to be before. <\/p>\n

This hymn of \u201880s hedonism is followed by the anthemic and ever-present \u201cI Love It Loud\u201d, again a very convincing performance of the song delivered by Simmons. \u201cHell Or Hallelujah\u201d is the newest song in the set list and an obvious reference to the modern era, but it wouldn\u2019t have really mattered if it was skipped altogether too. There is nothing particularly spectacular about Tommy Thayer\u2019s relatively short guitar solo, but at the same time, it\u2019s a well-crafted interlude in accordance with the old school of concert performance, a set of codes one hopes would never die. <\/p>\n

An obligatory act of blood-spitting, performed by the Demon himself, precedes another must in the set which is \u201cGod Of Thunder.\u201d Sung in half by the enthusiastic audience, “Do You Love Me” features an unexpected nostalgia trip – a footage of KISS’ history, from the earliest of days to the snapshots of the unmasked era being shown in the background. \u201cLove Gun\u201d is next and lacks of some high chorus notes compensated by Stanley’s change of his location to the back of the venue. An old school way of doing things again – if only it hadn’t been for the handful of devices capturing that moment on video, you might have forgotten for a moment it’s 2014. <\/p>\n

Traditionally, “Black Diamond” has Eric Singer taking over the microphone as well as that final wailing guitar solo which might not have been that typical to the early style of the group but which makes this 1974 track a fan favorite. The encore features songs no KISS show (with the possible exception of their memorable Unplugged gig) could have happened without. \u201cShout It Out Loud\u201d and \u201cRock And Roll All Nite\u201d reach their crescendo in the confetti storm, with Stanley’s Townshend-esque antic for the grand finale. <\/p>\n

Speaking of KISS Unplugged<\/em>, the bonus feature included on the release is an acoustic set including \u201cComing Home\u201d, \u201cPlaster Caster\u201d, \u201cHard Luck Woman\u201d, \u201cChristine Sixteen\u201d, \u201cGoin’ Blind\u201d, \u201cLove Her All I Can\u201d and \u201cBeth\u201d. Surely a treat for the fans, it allows one to see KISS in a different setting than usual \u2013 just as their Unplugged<\/em> venture did years ago. <\/p>\n

Always a pleasure to watch live, KISS proves they\u2019re still the hottest \u2013 or the most entertaining \u2013 band in the world with KISS Rocks Vegas<\/em>. Although there\u2019s hardly a spontaneity to their perfectly synchronized shows fueled with generous doses of pyrotechnics and visual effects, you can\u2019t help but have fun. And isn\u2019t that what rock\u2019n\u2019roll was all about in the first place\u2026? KISS Rocks Vegas also captures the band in what was the fortieth year of their history. Although it simultaneously reveals some natural shortcomings, such as Stanley\u2019s vocals sounding worse than it used to be \u2013 these are things to be forgiven after four decades of rocking. What is obviously still in place for Stanley is his charismatic stage persona, complemented with Gene Simmons’ trademark tongue-wagging and his ominous faces of the Demon. Tommy Thayer remains relatively static throughout the gig, although he does his job well – as his years in KISS came to prove, there’s more to that man than his past in Black N’ Blue. There\u2019s not much to be said about Eric Singer’s powerhouse drumming that hasn\u2019t been said before, as now \u2013 having the rich resume prior to KISS under his belt \u2013 he remains the driving force behind the band\u2019s live sound. All these things combined into one make KISS Rocks Vegas a must for the fans. And also \u2013 a glimpse into the alternative world of fun, music and theatrical hedonism the New York-based quartet has invited us to over forty years ago\u2026 <\/p>\n

Genre: Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nPaul Stanley \u2013 vocals, rhythm guitar
\nGene Simmons \u2013 vocals, bass
\nTommy Thayer \u2013 lead guitar, vocals
\nEric Singer \u2013 drums, vocals<\/p>\n

Track listing:
\n01. Detroit Rock City
\n02. Creatures Of The Night
\n03. Psycho Circus
\n04. Parasite
\n05. War Machine
\n06. Tears Are Falling
\n07. Deuce
\n08. Lick It Up
\n09. I Love It Loud
\n10. Hell Or Hallelujah & Tommy Solo
\n11. God Of Thunder
\n12. Do You Love Me
\n13. Love Gun
\n14. Black Diamond
\n15. Shout It Out Loud
\n16. Rock And Roll All Night<\/p>\n

Acoustic set:
\n01. Coming Home
\n02. Plaster Caster
\n03. Hard Luck Woman
\n04. Christine Sixteen
\n05. Goin’ Blind
\n06. Love Her All I Can
\n07. Beth<\/p>\n

Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Sr. Columnist — With the obvious exception of KISS\u2019 die-hard fans, the general audience may not be that familiar with the band\u2019s particular albums and line-up changes as well as treat […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":53492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13652],"tags":[10031,2288,2906,4746,1103,475,6261,334,12972],"class_list":{"0":"post-53489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2016","8":"tag-blu-ray","9":"tag-dvd","10":"tag-eagle-rock-entertainment","11":"tag-gene-simmons","12":"tag-hard-rock","13":"tag-kiss","14":"tag-paul-stanley","15":"tag-review","16":"tag-rocks-vegas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}