Frisco Enterprise: KISS rocks elaborate show in Frisco
By Jessica Rush, jrush@acnpapers.com
As a general rule, concert-goers are encouraged not to sport shirts with the band they are planning to see that night. This fashion rule applies in most cases, but certainly not to the Kiss Army. Fans not only wear Kiss memorabilia, but actually don the face paint, and in some cases, the full costumes of the iconic 70s rock band that performed at Saturday’s Rock'N the Park.
The line up for the event, held Sept. 18 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, included an array of new and old rocks bands, from The Envy and The Academy Is to Drowning Pool. The concert started at 1:30 p.m. and went all day to entertain more than 12,000 fans.
What at first seemed an odd choice for an opener, country singer Pat Green was welcomed by the Texas audience. His performances of “Carry On” and “Wave on Wave” were oddly appropriate as the sun was setting on a growing crowd of music lovers. A native Texan, Green gave a shout out to Texas Tech fans that was met with much applause as he made his exit
Daughtry performed next, bringing a more modern rock act to the stage. While concert-goers could pump their fists to the heavier songs, lead singer Chris Daughtry seemed to plan every aspect of his set, including slowing the pace for dramatic breaths. It was as if his emotions were as much a part of the act as Kiss’ makeup.
The crowd erupted with cheers as the Kiss banner dropped from the rafters, a booming voice announced “you wanted the best, you got the best,” and the long-awaited band took the stage. All eyes were glued to the two original band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and a convincing Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, who replaced lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, respectively.
The band got warmed up with what would only be the beginning of Simmons’ traditional tongue-wagging display, bursts of flames from around the stage and the three guitarists jumping around in the stage in tremendous platform shoes and tight black and silver costumes. Fans all around the park mimicked the group’s contrasting makeup with their own black and silver stars or whiskers.
As green lights cast an eerie glow across Simmons’ face and armor, the crowd knew he was about to earn his “Demon” persona by twitching and staring at the audience until blood oozed from his black lips. Although this ritual is usually followed with a performance of “God of Thunder,” Simmons instead performed “I Love it Loud” at the top of the rafters.
Singer and his entire drum set also levitated with jets of smoke during an intense drum solo, and Stanley was the last member to fly around the venue to a platform located above the audience, mid-field. The crowd chanted along “I was made for lovin’ you baby, you were made for lovin’ me,” before the singer hooked his platform shoe back into a suspended loop to swing him over the crowd and back to the stage to finish the encore.
During the show, the band paused to present a check worth more than $400,000 to the CSRA Wounded Warriors Care Project. The group is donating one dollar from every ticket sold throughout their Hottest Show on Earth Tour to go to the organization, which raises money for injured service members.
Kiss promised its fans the best encore they had ever seen, and song after song made good on that promise. The night ended with giant flurries of confetti shooting out over the audience and falling back down until Kiss looked like it was performing in a snow storm. Generations of fans left with a new respect for the band that has remained relevant in the music industry for almost four decades.
Star Local News Frisco Enterprise News Kiss rocks elaborate show in Frisco
As a general rule, concert-goers are encouraged not to sport shirts with the band they are planning to see that night. This fashion rule applies in most cases, but certainly not to the Kiss Army. Fans not only wear Kiss memorabilia, but actually don the face paint, and in some cases, the full costumes of the iconic 70s rock band that performed at Saturday’s Rock'N the Park.
The line up for the event, held Sept. 18 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, included an array of new and old rocks bands, from The Envy and The Academy Is to Drowning Pool. The concert started at 1:30 p.m. and went all day to entertain more than 12,000 fans.
What at first seemed an odd choice for an opener, country singer Pat Green was welcomed by the Texas audience. His performances of “Carry On” and “Wave on Wave” were oddly appropriate as the sun was setting on a growing crowd of music lovers. A native Texan, Green gave a shout out to Texas Tech fans that was met with much applause as he made his exit
Daughtry performed next, bringing a more modern rock act to the stage. While concert-goers could pump their fists to the heavier songs, lead singer Chris Daughtry seemed to plan every aspect of his set, including slowing the pace for dramatic breaths. It was as if his emotions were as much a part of the act as Kiss’ makeup.
The crowd erupted with cheers as the Kiss banner dropped from the rafters, a booming voice announced “you wanted the best, you got the best,” and the long-awaited band took the stage. All eyes were glued to the two original band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and a convincing Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, who replaced lead guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, respectively.
The band got warmed up with what would only be the beginning of Simmons’ traditional tongue-wagging display, bursts of flames from around the stage and the three guitarists jumping around in the stage in tremendous platform shoes and tight black and silver costumes. Fans all around the park mimicked the group’s contrasting makeup with their own black and silver stars or whiskers.
As green lights cast an eerie glow across Simmons’ face and armor, the crowd knew he was about to earn his “Demon” persona by twitching and staring at the audience until blood oozed from his black lips. Although this ritual is usually followed with a performance of “God of Thunder,” Simmons instead performed “I Love it Loud” at the top of the rafters.
Singer and his entire drum set also levitated with jets of smoke during an intense drum solo, and Stanley was the last member to fly around the venue to a platform located above the audience, mid-field. The crowd chanted along “I was made for lovin’ you baby, you were made for lovin’ me,” before the singer hooked his platform shoe back into a suspended loop to swing him over the crowd and back to the stage to finish the encore.
During the show, the band paused to present a check worth more than $400,000 to the CSRA Wounded Warriors Care Project. The group is donating one dollar from every ticket sold throughout their Hottest Show on Earth Tour to go to the organization, which raises money for injured service members.
Kiss promised its fans the best encore they had ever seen, and song after song made good on that promise. The night ended with giant flurries of confetti shooting out over the audience and falling back down until Kiss looked like it was performing in a snow storm. Generations of fans left with a new respect for the band that has remained relevant in the music industry for almost four decades.
Star Local News Frisco Enterprise News Kiss rocks elaborate show in Frisco
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