This is a review of a concert I saw televised on ABC TV's second, digital channel, here in Australia. I can't say for sure that it is exactly the same as this title here-the one I saw would have been under 60 minutes in length, I think.
In this concert with Australia's Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, 70's glam rock super-group KISS perform all their hits in full make-up with the usual pyrotechnics. Amusingly, even the orchestra get to wear KISS style make-up!
For traditionalists, I suppose a major draw-back of this concert is that it does not feature original lead guitarist Ace Frehley, who is replaced by Tommy Thayer.
There are lots of crowd shots in this concert and hopefully this has been done honestly-by that I mean inter-cutting shots of the band with the crowd's reaction at the same time and not using flattering but out of synch cut scenes of crowds. The crowd is definitely enjoying themselves in any case and many of them have put on their make-up as well.
KISS' lead singer, Paul Stanley, is definitely the star of this show. He's full of banter-sometimes suggestive-and he wears impossibly high platform shoes. If you're a Gene Simmons fan (bass player), he doesn't seem as prominent as you would expect him too. Back to Stanley ("Look at moi! Look at moi!"), he continues with his desire to flaunt his hairy chest on stage, but, fortunately, he's not too old (YET!) for this macho display.
Occasionally the performances and banter can get a bit folksy and cloying-whether it's the niceness of Stanley, or the drummer Peter Criss' performance for his own moment in the sun, him singing "Beth". However, Stanley is interesting when he recounts the circumstances of the concert.
Even though I'm not a huge KISS fan, there are many songs to enjoy here-from "Shout it out loud" to the songs with acoustic guitar accompaniment (as opposed to the usual electric guitar treatment) such as "Sure know something" and "Shandi".
Yes, KISS are rock dinosaurs. When they sing "I want to rock'n'roll all night", you feel that maybe they are better off singing "I want to sleep all night and part of every day". However, they still are performers of skill.
My main gripe is that on some songs the backing orchestra actually detracts from some great songs. As a band they actually sound better in rock mode for some songs than with the symphony watering down their rock songs.