As I walked around Nashville with my father, I noticed an inflation of Generation Xers. If you were to think of something that would bring this many Xers to Nashville on Tuesday night, what would you think it is?
If you guessed a ’70s rock ‘n’ roll concert, you would be correct.
For my second concert ever, my dad bought us two tickets to see the KISS Farewell Tour. I didn’t grow up in the period when they were big, but being raised by a dad who lived in the peak of their fame, you learn a thing or two about old music.
KISS was formed in 1973 by four New York guys: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.
“Thank y’all for getting us into the Hall of Fame,” screams Paul Stanley. “If it weren’t for you guys, we wouldn’t have made it because the Hall of Fame hates KISS.”
That statement is understandable because KISS bucked the system with their music. That’s what rock ‘n’ roll seems to be about: bucking the “man.” While today’s rock has taken a different path, a lot of older rock was about party life and not caring about what happened. Back then, some songs even defied the social norms.
Many of KISS’s songs were about the party. One of their most well-known songs, Rock and Roll All Nite, is about partying all the time. The lyrics are “I wanna rock and roll all nite, and party every day.”
But KISS isn’t just about their music. The band has a specific look that they are known for at every concert that they perform. Each member has very hardcore outfits and their face painted, but they are specialized to that person.
Gene Simmons, lead bass, wears tall platforms and rough, bulky-looking shoulder pads that make him look buffer than he is. Ace Frehley is wearing a mirroring poncho that is creating his own light show when the spotlight is on him. The other two members are wearing basic outfits due to more movement than the others.
Even the songs had specialized acts put on by each member of the band. One thing that you can’t say KISS doesn’t do well is tradition. As each concert is played, they stick true to themselves.
A live KISS concert is very performance-based. There are some bands who get up on stage and either just stand there or sit, but KISS is all about the movement. With not being traditional rock, a lot of their music is upbeat for dancing or actual rocking out. Beats are very easy to catch onto and easy to tap a foot along to.
“Y’all will know this one,” Stanley says. “If not, it is easy to learn. Here, let me teach you real quick.”
The crowd starts to chant back after hearing what to say. But when the song begins to play, the crowd fades, and all you can hear is the crying of an electric guitar bending to the hands of one Ace Frehley. I’m surprised his hands weren’t shredded to pieces the way that man played that guitar. I sat in awe of the guitar, wishing I was that good at playing guitar.
Out of all the songs that were played that night, the song “God of Thunder” piqued my interest. The song started with Simmons being lifted in the air and performing a bass solo, which was phenomenal. After the music was finished and the kick drum faded in, Simmons opened his mouth and what was supposed to be blood flowed from his mouth. I don’t know what caught my attention the most during this whole situation, but something did.
Every band or singer/songwriter has a soft side when it comes to music. For KISS, this softer side comes in the song called “Beth.” The song was about the original band member’s wife, Becky, and the song was going to be called “Beck.” But it wasn’t until a few years later that future drummer Peter Criss penned the song “Beth” about the wife that would consistently be interrupting the band’s time together.
“Beth” was the only song that the band played slowly during their run. But Stanley then came back out with a bunch of energy and screamed to the audience one last time.
“Are y’all okay with one more song?” shouted Stanley.
And this was when things went out with a boom, playing their most known song, “Rock and Roll All Nite.”
I remember picking up my plastic guitar as a kid, turning on Guitar Hero and going straight to this song. I played it so many times that I learned all the lyrics and mastered the pattern of the song on all difficulties.
Towards the end the show, Simmons and Frehley started to take off through the air on beams over the crowd, throwing picks out into the crowd and then finally landing back on stage for the finale of the song. For the last time to the Nashville audience, Stanley looked out over the crowd, smashed a guitar and said, “Thank you so much for your support through the years. Thank you for all of you that have seen us multiple times. But for you first-timers, no one forgets their first KISS. This is KISS signing off!”
The crowd then erupted in screams and shouts. The concert overall was 9 out of 10. This was one way to go out for good. Thank you KISS for the years of entertainment you have given us.