From: Todd
This was my first Kiss concert. I've always thought they would be good to see but just never went to a show. I'll be honest though and say the main reason I went is because I wanted to see Nugent. I wasn't able to get tickets the day the went on sale and of course the show sold out quickly, other than the usual "obstructed" seats that are always available. So 4 days before the show I break down and get an obstructed seat. Two days before the show, on a whim, I check out the ticketmaster website. For some reason some floor seats are available. My wife didn't want to go, so I bought a single---32nd row, dead centre! Two days before the show!!

Skid Row started while I was wandering around inside the ACC. When I did finally go to my seat a couple of songs in, the arena was only maybe a 1/4 full. I caught them once when the opened for Aerosmith back in '90 or '91. I wasn't impressed by them. That Snake Sabo guy looks like he's trying to be Joe Perry.

Part way through the set the ushers have a guy with them who's just bombed out of his mind. He completely reeks of booze. Guess where his seat is? Yep, right beside me. Not an angry drunk, but just annoying after a few minutes. The type of guy who won't shutup and repeats everything 100 times. Eventually I told him to just shut the f-up, so then he started bugging the couple ahead of me and they told him the same thing. Then he left. Whew.

Ted Nugent came on. What a show. Hardly any of his usual bantering between songs. He was using a headset microphone which really allowed him a great amount of freedom to bounce around. Played all his good songs, although would have liked to have seen him play Motor City Madman, although I guess as a three-piece that song's out. I've read here how some have said he "must have missed this night" when he shoots his guitar with an arrow. Like he's going to shoot an old Gibson Byrdland with an arrow! He misses a bit on purpose and some fireworks go off all around it. An excellent show.

Now Kiss is getting ready to come on. But suddenly some different ushers bring the drunk back! They tell him not to move or bother everyone. But of course he does and they come back to yell at him.

So now the show starts. The four of them are up on a stage slowly descending to the floor. It almost looks surreal to me---Gene Simmons looked like a giant space Ninja Turtle slowly walking around. Paul Stanley's voice is incredible. Talking to a friend this morning who had been to many Kiss concerts said Stanley's voice was better than ever. I wonder if singing for the Phantom of the Opera here in Toronto had something to do with it? Ace Frehley wasn't into the bouncing around as much as Gene and Paul but nonetheless interacted a bit with the crowd. He seems like he's more of an introvert, happy to let the other two entertain the audience. Ace was a couple seconds behind on the verses to the first song he sang but I was still impressed with his playing. During one song (can't remember which), Gene and him are standing behind Paul and the two of them are sticking their tongues out at each other. Gene's just touched Ace's! That got a smile out of Ace. When they did it again near the end of the song, Ace stayed a little farter back. It looked like he mouthed "bastard" (smiling of course) to Gene at the end of the song. Peter Criss seems quite relaxed too sitting behind the drums. When all four were taking their bows together near the end Gene gave Peter a bit of a shove towards the edge of the stage to scare him. Then all of them but Paul started wrestling a bit, laughing all the way.

To my surprise, after about 3 or 4 songs, even though the drunk isn't bothering me, the usher says to me, "c'mon, I'll take you farther up front."!!! He takes me up to the 19th row! Wow! Gotta love that!

Overall impressions? Even though I didn't know three or four of the songs, I thought it was an excellent show. It was as if they tried to make it very 70'ish with the guitar, bass and drum solo. I'm glad I saw it. I'm also glad I got a ticket at the normal price ($69), not the $200 that the couple ahead of me paid for each of theirs!

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