Jarred Walker – Staff Writer
Fireworks, explosions, fire and pyrotechnics seem like an extravaganza of epic proportions. The typical Kiss concert has this plus much more even in 2019.
On April 12, the historic rock band played its 43rd show of the End of the Road Tour at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. The show was nearly sold out with around 17,000 fans of all kinds attending. Many of them were in full Kiss makeup and seeing the band for the first time ever.
The 2019 lineup consists of Paul Stanley on lead vocals, Gene Simmons on bass guitar, Tommy Thayer on lead guitar and Eric Singer on the drums. All of the members are in their 60s except for Thayer who is 58. This was advertised as their final tour ever.
Around 9 p.m., the band hit the stage opening up the show with a stupendous rendition of “Detroit Rock City,” which had the crowd in a frenzy. They played for around two hours and featured all their classic hits such as “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” and “Beth.” They also sprinkled in a few lesser-known gems for diehard fans such as “Say Yeah,” “War Machine” and “Psycho Circus.”
Prevalent from start to finish was how much interaction there is with the crowd. Almost every song had an easy and catchy hook that the crowd could sing along with. In between tunes, Stanley would converse with the crowd and keep them engaged. There were also no bad seats.
Whether you were in the front row or nosebleed section, every view was a good one. The only low part of the show was during “Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll.” The majority of the crowd seemed unfamiliar with the song and many started to sit down in their seats. Luckily, the show quickly rebounded with a fantastic rendition of “Love Gun,” where Stanley ziplined across the crowd and played two songs on a platform near the back of the arena. Simmons and Thayer were also craned out to the sides of the crowd during the show as well. After that slight hiccup, the rest of the show went off without a hitch.
Simmons’ fire breathing, blood drooling and long tongue has been a staple at Kiss concerts for decades and is still a classic part of the show. Although he plays the character of being a demon, nowadays his act is more hysterical than anything.
One huge controversy the band has had over the last six months is the rumor that it was playing to recorded backing tracks and lip-syncing. During this Jacksonville show, there was no evidence of that. At most, Stanley’s voice may have been auto-tuned some, but that’s it. Surely, his voice has taken a toll over the last decade, but it sounded much improved compared to the last couple of years.
Overall, the band sounded great and put on a more than impressive show especially for its age. It is definitely one show you will regret not seeing in the future, but best make it quick.
The tour is currently slated to continue until Dec. 3 but could go on longer pending further announcements and tour dates. For information regarding the band and the tour, check out https://www.kissonline.com/.