From: Eric
Just got back from Kiss' swan song at the Molson Centre and I must say that this performance was a fitting close to a band with an incredible 27 year musical legacy. Of the three tours since the initial reunion this was the most magical with an awesome stage show, pyrotechnics and tight musicianship. Skid Row came on first and did a great job of warming up the crowd relying heavily on material culled from their first two albums. The band was energetic and very entertaining, they certainly did fantastic with the limited amount of time they were given. The thirty minute set was comprised of eighties and early nineties metal standards such as Youth Gone Wild, Eighteen And Life and Monkey Business. Having already seen Skid Row open for Aerosmith back in 1990, it was cool to see them back ten years on.

Ted Nugent on the other hand, well, sucked!! His redneck, backwoods right wing political views had no place at a rock concert, where all people should be allowed to have a good time regardless of race, sexual orientation or political views. His tiresome, juvenile attacks on everyone from Jesse Jackson, homosexuals and non- english speaking americans only further detracted from a mediocre set that was further marred by terrible sound. The vocals were almost incomprehensible and the instruments sounded muddy as hell. The damned thing seemed like a nightmare mixture of Spinal Tap, Deliverance and an NRA meeting. The whole farce culminated with uncle Ted dressed in a headress collapsing on stage and being carried off by his bandmates. Almost amusing, let's hope he gets back on his great white buffalo and rides it all the way back to where he came from. Right wingers and Ted fanatics spare yourselves the trouble of sending me angry e-mails as I will delete them before reading. After all mine is only an opinion and probably a predominant one after hearing the amount of boos and catcalls during his crappy set.

KISS took the stage around nine and from the first moments had the crowd mesmerized, they descended from a platform from the ceiling and launched into a fine version of Detroit Rock City, which lead into the KISS concert staple Deuce. They looked great and seemed to be having a really good time playing together. Paul spent much time pumping up the crowd with his stage raps, Ace looked trim and fit, Peter was all smiles and Gene was totally wild: spitting fire, flashing his tongue and puking blood. Another standout was Do You Love Me?, during this song vintage footage of KISS played on the big screens. Seeing excerpts from the Mike Douglas show, Tomorrow Show and old concert films really brought back memories of the past twenty one years I have spent listening to Kiss. The eighties songs particularly I Love It Loud and Heaven's On Fire were injected with a new passion that made it hard to believe that a different line-up of the band recorded these. Psycho Circus, the only cut performed from the last album, was excellent and the set list greatly benefitted from the exclusion of Within and Into The Void. However, it was cool to hear Ace sing 2,000 Man which lead into a tightly executed solo, that saw the spotlights malfunction and Ace's guitar sail up to the roof in pitch black darkness. Oh well...Paul took a new vocal approach to 100,000 Years which gave it new life and spark. His vocals really shined on this one as they did throughout the night and especially on the small part of I Still Love You performed solo before Black Diamond. Peter did a perfect version of Beth before graciously thanking the crowd for the past 27 years, as a sidenote contrary to the interview in Goldmine magazine, Peter did do a short solo during God Of Thunder. Beth lead into Rock and Roll All Nite which culminated in KISS bidding their Montreal fans a final farewell. To anyone who was ever a KISS fan, I suggest you see this tour, it was two hours plus of the hottest band in the world playing their hearts out and giving their fans 100% for a final time. To the guys in KISS, thank you for twenty seven years of great memories, I know my youth would not have been the same without you. Good luck on all your post-KISS projects!!

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