ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 5, 1996 TAG: 9610080031
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: CONCERT REVIEW
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG STAFF WRITER
I was 12 in 1979, the last time the four original members of Kiss played the Roanoke Civic Center. Too young to see a bunch of guys in makeup spit blood at the crowd, my mother said. At least, too young to see them without parental guidance. And my mother was far from willing to be my parental guide.
Which may explain why I had floor seats for the reunion show Thursday night. Plus, I'm a sucker for smoking guitars.
So, apparently, were 8,300 other people, who filled the sold-out civic center to watch what can only be described as a spectacle.
"We're up there with the Ringling Bros., only it's rock 'n' roll," drummer Peter Criss said in a recent interview.
Pretty apt.
The sound mix was muddy at best, and at times it was difficult to distinguish the lead guitar from the bass. But that was hardly the point.
Bassist Gene Simmons breathed fire following a rendition of "Firehouse," and then turned to face the audience with one last, triumphant burp of smoke. He waggled his tongue up, down, in, out, like he was putting it through Cindy Crawford's workout tape.
The flashpots on stage went off no fewer than 30 times, and Ace Frehley left his smoking guitar dangling in midair (with the help of a wire) near the end of his solo, a loose interpretation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
Each band member took a turn in the spotlight, with guitarist Paul Stanley serving in his traditional role at center stage, introducing songs as old as a lot of the fans.
He did it in a way that only Paul Stanley can, strutting across stage in a skin-tight costume and jabbing at his cracked-mirror guitar with energy that (along with the makeup) masked the fact that he and the rest of these guys are in their late 40s.
"Roooaanoke," he yowled, like a sex-starved cat. "Roooaanoke! I just want to know one thing: Do you really love me?" I won't repeat the remarks he made about his "Love Gun."
Other highlights included the opening "Deuce," "Cold Gin" (which prompted a short lesson from Stanley on drinking and driving), "Black Diamond" (which featured a jumbo disco ball) and "Strutter" (which, after some suggestive references to Virginia's
mountains prompted three women to throw their bras on stage. Stanley, who has never claimed to be politically correct, used one of them as a guitar pick.)
Simmons "flew" as promised, a small cascade of fake blood flowing over his chin and down his chest as he ascended to a platform high above the crowd to sing "God of Thunder." Though perhaps the biggest risk he took was simply high-stepping around the stage in those 7-inch heels.
Everything about the show was carefully choreographed, for safety reasons. For instance the same stage light, which blew out when Frehley aimed his rocket-launching guitar at it, coincidentally blew out at the shows at the Omni in Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Concertgoers here were decked out in an array of faded Kiss T-shirts (and the new $25 models) and makeup.
An unscientific poll before the show revealed 15 Paul Stanleys, 14 Gene Simmons, 14 Peter Crisses and 12 Ace Frehleys.
"They went back to makeup, so we thought we would, too," said Mike "Ace" Kiser, 24, and a Kiss fan since age 10.
His makeup artist was Amy Turner of Lynchburg, who also turned friend Charlie Rhoton into Gene Simmons. All three are students at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital School of Clinical Laboratory Science.
"He was clown, and he was skull," explained Turner, who purchased the makeup in the Halloween section at Kmart.
All told, there were more Bic lighters raised in tribute than I've seen at a concert in a long time.
The band played three encores, including "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Beth," which featured Criss singing karaoke-style, alone on stage.
The Bogmen, who had the thankless task of serving as opening band ... tried. But the audience as a whole didn't appear interested. Not that people weren't polite - they certainly applauded at the end of the half-hour set, when good-humored lead singer Bill Campion left the stage saying, "God bless Kiss." But the audience applauded more for the Section 11 exhibitionist, who insisted on showing off her black bra to all who would glance her way.
The woman was later escorted out by police. No charges were filed.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. 1. Evidently the band hasn't heard ofby CNBmiddle-age spread. Guitarist Paul Stanley's (right) costume left
little to the imagination. 2. Gene Simmons put his tongue through
the familiar workout. color.