Kiss Performs It Staged Show As Expected: Big, Loud, Long

Concert review KISS with Stabbing Westward, at The Tacoma Dome, Saturday night.

The most spontaneous moment at the big KISS show happened when the lights went out after the last song of the set.

A small fire, presumably touched off by one of the skyrockets ignited during the two-hour set, started burning in the ceiling rigging over the stage. Then, some of the hanging effects, like the big mirrored ball and Ace Frehley's "flying" guitar, actually dropped a bit.

The house lights suddenly came up, and an encore seemed doubtful. The crowd, all of whom seemed to be enjoying the fire, began to boo.

One fan watching the ball fall observed: "Well, they won't be back. They'd get squashed."

But he was wrong. An off-stage voice asked the audience to be patient, that the band indeed would be back as soon as they put out the fire. A crew member eventually crawled into the rafters and extinguished the flames - he was loudly cheered - and the band returned to do "Detroit Rock City," "Beth" and "Rock and Roll All Nite."

Nothing unexpected about that.

But other than the fire, nothing unexpected took place. (And you'd have to be a complete cynic to think the band was so calculating - or brilliant - to have actually scripted the fire.)

The concert was exactly what KISS promised: a big, loud, long rock show by the all-original band, complete with make up, costumes, lights, explosions, fireworks, a flying, blood spitting reptilian bass player, guitars that smoked and could be used as flame throwers, all-powerful penile proclamations, the constant call to `rock and roll!' and, in the end, humility.

"If it weren't for you," Paul Stanley told the audience, "we wouldn't be here."

Truer words were never spoken.

The members of KISS - lead vocalist and guitarist Stanley, bass player and monstrous figure head Gene Simmons, lead player Frehley and drummer Peter Criss - aren't great musicians or singers or songwriters. At best, they're adequate. But they understand show business. They set the standard for this kind of extravaganza 20 years ago, and they still know how to Rock! And their audience still knows how to Rock! Some things you never forget.

True, the house was only three-fourths full, leaving a lot of scalpers unhappy, but it must be noted that this was one of the few stops on the KISS tour that didn't sell out. And yes, if it weren't for that pesky and delightful fire, a lot of people probably would have left earlier than they did.

But hey, after 20 years, no one has the staying power they once had. And most of the kids who left early only did so because their folks were tired and wanted to go home.

When the kids get old enough to drive themselves, no one is going to tell them when they have to leave the Big Rock Show because that's what rock 'n' roll is all about!

And KISS probably still will be putting on the Big Rock Show for them to go to.