Kiss’ Timeless Rock ‘N’ Roll Appeals To Fans Of All Ages

“I’ve been waiting for 22 years for this and you young whippersnappers don’t know how long I’ve waited for this,” yelled a man walking by the line outside of the Arena before the Sept. 1 Kiss concert.

Actually, we do know. He said 22 years, but it’s an understandable point. Kiss doesn’t drop by Spokane as often as most area fans might wish, so their appearance here was a long-awaited arrival.

One of the biggest bands of the ‘70s brought their unrivaled frills and chills to Spokane to about 11,000 fans. But why should any local teenager be interested in Kiss and their on-stage carnival? That’s what we went to find out.

First of all, what was the key to Kiss’ success? Having a worldwide fan base that formed their own “army” and bought over 75 million albums helps. The fans have a deep connection to each of the band members. The feelings generated by this connection helped the band many times in their careers and probably was the cause for their comeback.

But the main reason for their millions of fans is the band’s deadly combination of fun music with amazing live performances. From day one, they painted their faces with the goal of becoming the ultimate rock band. The members: Gene Simmons on bass, Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley on guitar and Peter Criss on drums.

Each member of Kiss is well into their 40s, but they still aim to please like any band in their 20s. Most of their fans are in their 40s as well, so the fan base may even be your parents. But don’t fret, the message Kiss gives out is universal.

Even if you don’t like their music, the live performances Kiss gives will more than make up for it. The first thing we saw was a flash of Kiss in blindingly bright bulbs above the stage as they roared to life. The Arena that night had a gazillion lights, two walls of speakers in the air with 40 speakers each and more than 20 speakers on the ground. If the lights and music weren’t enough, there was a wall of 50 televisions behind the stage and a screen hanging from the roof. Kiss took advantage of every prop on stage. They used platforms above the floor speakers to dance around on during almost every song. During the ballad “God of Thunder,” Simmons flew above the stage onto a lighted platform to sing after spewing blood onto the stage.

Frehley used a guitar that lighted up in rows, and another guitar that supposedly shot rockets (it was obvious that it didn’t, but the effect still ruled).

Criss’ drum set raised up 20 feet during one of the band’s three encore songs, while the platforms above the floor speakers raised into the air. During the Kiss Army anthem, “Rock ‘n’ Roll All Nite,” while the crowd chanted the chorus, six flames came out of the floor, fireworks went off, and we knew we had had the time of our lives.

The crowd reacted that way, too. The cosmic energy that flowed from the crowd showed the connection that most fans had with Kiss.

The appeal is now obvious to us indeed: THEY RULE. Any band willing to put the time and effort into entertaining a crowd of Spokanites, or anyone else for that matter, with all of the effects and stage antics is worthy of a statement no words can say.

But we are willing to say this: We need more bands like Kiss. They have a positive attitude, and they are true showmen. Gene Simmons wants his band to be drug-free so they can put on great shows. Kiss knows that music is entertainment.

Kiss has affected the music you may be listening to right now. The band has influenced Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, Hootie and the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker and even Garth Brooks.

Teens and teen bands should get to know Kiss because their wild and exciting antics made them the band they are, and incredibly successful. And if it happened for them, anyone willing to copy them could be equally successful, even if they don’t wear the face paint.