KISS Pleases Fans in RIO

By Paulo Maurício Costa
Photo by Paulo Maurício Costa
Translated from Portuguese for KISSonline by Jill Cataldo

Kissonline

- At its Rio concert, KISS pleases fans and does justice to the mythology of the group
- Show at HSBC Arena ended the band's South American tour in Brazil.
- The 1:40 concert was opened by hit "Detroit Rock City"

On the eve of turning 40 years old, the American hard rock band KISS ended its "Monster" tour in Brazil on Sunday night, the 18th, at HSBC Arena, in Barra da Tijuca, Rio's western zone.

Gene Simmons (bass and vocals), Paul Stanley (guitar and vocals)- the two remnants of the original lineup founded in 1973- Eric Singer (drums) and Tommy Thayer (guitar), were ornamented both by makeup and pyrotechnics, gave the public what they wanted, bellowing hits from around the world in more than 100 million copies and some songs from their latest disc in a show that lasted about one hour, 40 minutes.

Opening night band and rock icon Viper took the stage at 8:00 pm (when many people with faces painted in homage to their American iIdols were still in lines outside) and played competently for 30 minutes.

Then, a devilish and theatrical ghost train, a locomotive, a brand licensed over some 3,000 products, settled into the HSBC Arena on schedule, at 9:00 pm with the sound of guitars and explosions. Then KISS – except for Singer, already seated on drums in the background – appeared on a platform that brought the musicians down slowly to the ground. "Hi, Rio!" was followed by the first chords of "Detroit Rock City", followed by another of the band's hits, "Shout It Out Loud".

Vibrantly, the crowd sang the lyrics and shouts of "KISS! KISS! KISS! ". Between explosions and eruptions of fire on stage, one after another, "Hell or Hallelujah", the first single from the new CD, followed.

At just under an hour into the show, Simmons interrupted a bass solo to drool the famous red goo that mimics blood. Suspended by cables to one of the rows of light cannons, he continued his demon characteristics until finally starting to perform "God of Thunder." The audience brightened even more when Paul Stanley began the vocals from "Psycho Circus." "Black Diamond", from KISS's first album (1974) closed out the main setlist.

The encore brought "Lick It Up," "I Was Made for Lovin' You" and, of course, "Rock and Roll All Nite", ending a night that pleased fans and did justice to the mythology of the group.