From: Dave
I'm probably still too excited to write this review but I figured I'd give it a shot. Last night (6/19) after having a few beers with my friends we headed down to our 4th row seats. I tried to time our arrival so I wouldn't have to listen to Ted Nugent spew his negative, self-righteous opinions on topics that have nothing to do with rock and roll, but we caught the last 20 minutes of his set. I have to admit that I used to be a Ted Nugent fan, but after reading the reviews posted on this board I wasn't looking forward to his rantings. Fortunately, he kept the commentary down to a minimum and opted to jam on his 6-string instead. Watching "Sweaty Teddy" jam on his guitar and run all over the stage is truly entertaining. Even at his ripe old age he still hasn't lost his touch or any of his energy. Even better than seeing Nugent was being in the presence of the legendary Tommy Altridge. Like Nugent, Altridge has chops and flash...unlike Nugent, he also has some class. When the last notes of Great White Buffalo faded away and the house lights came back on, the energy in the Civic Center shifted toward the Masked Men. The anticipation was almost painful. When the lights went down again, the place went absolutely CRAZY. The curtain dropped to Detroit Rock City and the boys being lowered on a platform. I had seen the Reunion tour back in '96 with seats so far away I was forced to watch the video screens. This year, however, I was in my glory when Ace gave me a wink and a thumbs up. The guys shifted position on the stage so often that it seemed like they all had equal time on the the right side of the stage, which is where I was standing. They belted out Kiss classic after Kiss classic to a completely insane, sold-out crowd of 6,900 die hard fans. Something else I noticed that made me happy to be a part of the Kiss Army for so many years was the wide range of people at the show. There were young kids and old ladies (one was 77 years old with her face painted as Gene..."he's so good looking," she said. "I just love him.") It was also refreshing to see that everyone was there to have fun and not cause trouble and get into fights, which, unfortunately, is the case with a lot of the new bands out there. People came to have a good time and KISS made sure that everyone there did just that. The pyros were amazing and right on time. I especially liked the sparkling pinwheel on Ace's guitar during the encore. The songs all sounded great and the stage show was mesmerizing. A truly engaging experience. During Rock and Roll All Nite they blew so much confetti out into the crowd that you could barely see the band. No words can explain the joy I felt when I turned around and looked at the crowd and all the confetti dancing in the air. I can only say that I feel priviledged to have been there to witness Kiss' last gift to Erie. It was a wonderful show from some wonderful guys and I will never forget what I was a part of last night. Thanks you guys for 27 years of great music, great shows, and great memories. KISS truly RULES!

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