The final tour - it’s become something of a misnomer. After all, the truly devoted will have had several years and many opportunities to attend by the time the Kiss' End of the Road tour is finished. And there was the Kiss Farewell Tour before that too.
But it’s fitting for a band who have never taken themselves too seriously. After all, it’s hard to pout in a full face of makeup, leather pants and seven-inch platforms.
That said, Kiss certainly take rock ‘n’ roll seriously. And I don’t mean in the way Royal Blood famously took rock ‘n’ roll seriously by throwing a tantrum and storming off stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend last month. I mean in the massive hair, guitars-as-penis-extensions, classic rock sort of way. All the better for it, I say.
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So during a mammoth two-hour set we are treated to Paul Stanley flying through the air over the audience, enough pyrotechnics to power a small city and a bass solo from Gene Simmons that affirms his love for fake blood capsules.
But before the theatrics kick off, there are sets from impressive rockers The Wild Things and Skindred.
Skindred - a band who successfully cross reggae, metal and punk without ever feeling gimmicky - deliver a truly thrilling set. Theirs is a brand that still feels fresh more than 20 years after their electrifying debut. And lead singer Benji Webbe is the charismatic warm-up man needed for this devoted Kiss audience.
As Skindred leave the stage, an army of roadies race onto it, hinting at the sheer scale of the operation required to set up for the headliners.
When Kiss finally do arrive, it’s to a cacophony of guitars, fireworks and flame throwers that momentarily make me fear for my eyebrows. The crowd are immediately at fever pitch.
Detroit Rock City kicks off the set, followed up immediately by Shout It Out Loud, Deuce and War Machine.
When it comes to spectacles, Kiss don’t mess about. To the side of the stage are four giant inflatables depicting each member of the band. Hellcats - like the creatures from Ghostbusters - flank Eric Singer’s drum kit and a comparatively demure dragon sits in the corner behind bassist Gene Simmons.
As they power through their many hits, it’s easy to take their famously brilliant musicianship for granted, but they really are something to behold. And Paul Stanley’s voice - constantly at a projected finely tuned screech and growl - is as powerful and clear as ever.
His stage banter too - punctuated largely by cries of ‘yeah’, ‘alright’ and 'Man-CHES-ter' - is knowingly tongue in cheek.
“We’re gonna play a song from 1983. Some of you weren’t even born then,” he screeches before launching into Lick It Up. “We’ve been to Manchester six times. First time was 1976. I was five years old!”
In a month when music journalists, quite rightly, waxed lyrical about the skills of the various septuagenarians who populated Glastonbury - Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Elton John - it’s worth acknowledging the sheer effort Kiss put into this frankly exhausting set.
It is of course the law that any self-respecting rock band MUST trot out a few solos - and Kiss do this in abundance. Everyone gets a chance to shred or thump their way through solos, usually while mounted upon an array of hydraulic lifts and acrobat hoops. Tommy Thayer shoots sparks from the head of his guitar, Simmons gurns and growls and vomits blood and Singer thumps his way through a drum solo that seemingly lasts for hours.
At points, I feel as though I’m in the final scene of Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Grim Reaper cheering them on from behind a double bass.
But it’s difficult to be cynical about a band that unabashedly sing the lyric: “You pull the trigger of my love gun.”
Yes, it’s all a bit silly, but the entire show is a true spectacle.
The set finishes with Black Diamond as Stanley flies over the audience. Moments later, Singer pops up through the floor seated at a grand piano for a charming rendition of the ballad Beth.
By the time they get to I Was Made For Lovin’ You and closing song Rock and Roll All Nite', everyone is on their feet, covered in confetti and pledging allegiance to Kiss. It’s a triumphant ending to a frankly bonkers show.
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