Kiss
Live @ Arena di Verona 13.05.2008

THE REVIEW

"HI VERONA!" 

In the darkness of the arena, Paul Stanley's unmistakable voice resounds, 13,000 people stand up screaming and a deafening roar erupts. A guitar riff is heard, and before the audience's noise has time to rise, the lights turn on, and "Deuce" erupts. It's them, it's them and they're here, right here... the long black manes, the boots with 30 cm high heels, those glam and sparkling clothes, the raw rock emanating from their enticing, diamond-studded guitars... the makeup hides their faces and the inexorable marks that time has left on them, and it's as if the years have never passed, as if on this mild May evening we have returned for two hours to that golden age so distant and unreachable that we will always regret, and that all of us, even those who have never lived it, will always have a bit in our hearts with nostalgia.

Two unmistakable drum rolls: it's "Strutter" and Paul and the crowd sing it in unison. And then "Got To Choose", "Hotter Than Hell", "Nothing To Lose", truly well sung by Eric Singer, "C'mon And Love Me"... what can I say, all magnificently perfect. Paul roams the stage like a sprite with his charming and cheeky demeanor, urging the crowd; Gene, on the other hand, from the height of his demonic grandeur, is more static and threatening, and seems to delight in watching his bandmate in the role of frontman. It's Simmons who takes back the microphone for a truly superb "Parasite", followed by "She". As the song ends, the lights go out, and only a spotlight remains illuminating Tommy Thayer and his beautiful Les Paul. Thayer deftly navigates and fiddles with his guitar, and after yet another explosion from the audience, starts shooting fireworks from the neck of his Gibson, caught in the crowd's roar of amazement. Now the others also return to the stage, and a deafening bass note introduces another great track: "100,000 Years", in which Singer launches into an effective and technically superb drum solo; then it's the turn of "Cold Gin" and a rousing "Let Me Go Rock'n Roll" greeted by the audience with a roar. The lights dim again, and Stanley begins to weave a delicate yet moving melody with just his guitar: when "Black Diamond" kicks off, the arena explodes yet again. And then finally... "Rock And Roll All Nite": confetti rains down on the crowd throughout the piece, while fireworks are shot behind them exploding in the sky, near the moon, while the four on stage wave their arms urging everyone to sing the chorus with them, and Stanley towards the end spins his guitar in the air before smashing it violently on the ground... yes, it's them, it's them...
After greetings and thanks, Paul says goodnight, and together with the others they leave the stage. But it can't end this way, the magic lasted too little... the whistles from the audience are deafening. Then the lights turn back on, and the four are still there, with their makeup, and they bombard the crowd with "Shout It Out Loud" and "Lick It Up" accompanied by pyrotechnic shows that tear through the sky under the arena's rumble. At this point, the scene belongs entirely to the demon Simmons, who makes an incredible noise with his bass, amid the screams of the bowl (I can't describe it any other way), spits blood while shaking his head, and then looks at the crowd with an evil, satisfied grin. Afterwards, he takes flight over the lights atop the stage, and the stadium anthem "I Love It Loud" begins. The arena is stunned and sings along with him. At the end of the piece, Paul takes control again. "This was a big hit here..." and that's all it takes for the arena to understand and explode once more for the famous "I Was Made For Loving You". Stanley's voice has been strained for quite some time, and age takes its toll, but it doesn't matter because the entire crowd sings along with him. Fireworks and the audience's voice also frame "Love Gun". Again Stanley shakes up the crowd a bit: "This song is about a Rock City... Verona is a Rock City!" The arena roars. "This is Detroit Rock City!" and off they go, into a long ride accompanied by another pyrotechnic show and the last remaining confetti to be launched over the crowd. Then, when the song ends, there are a few seconds of darkness, and when the light comes back on, the stage is deserted. The magic is truly over this time... it has suddenly dissolved just as it was created with that initial guitar riff. The arena fades out and slowly empties... and everything gradually returns to normal...

 ...but perhaps, after this mild May evening, we will all feel a bit more glam.