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Kiss Army Invades Toronto

Sept 10, 2010 suddenly looked and felt a lot like Sept 10, 1975 (the release date of the first Kiss live album Kiss Alive) and 35 years to the day, an extraordinary army of painted faces, spandex and aluminum foil outfits marched upon the Molson Amphitheatre to see their Rock N Roll Messiahs orchestrate a concert spectacle that no other band can match.

Supporting their latest album of 2009 Sonic Boom, that “can only be purchased at Walmart” as Paul Stanley cheekily incited the crowd to repeat, Kiss with original founders Stanley and Gene Simmons accompanied by Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer delivered nothing less than what the loyal Kiss Army expected. With a catalogue spanning close to 4 decades, there was no shortage of material for the 2+ hour set.

“This is real Rock n Roll, there’s no musicians below, no hidden microphones, no lip-synching” proclaimed the Star Child Stanley, who at 58 years young, was in top form. Serving as ring master to the circus, he engaged the crowd throughout the night and fans licked it all up singing along to classics including Deuce, Calling Doctor Love and Love Gun.

Gene Simmons, portraying The Demon, was as always, a commanding presence. During his much anticipated axe bass solo - complete with blood spitting, he took flight, ascending to the top of stage. With the crowd at his feet he began the chant for the intro to I Love It Loud and yes, it was. Regardless of Gene’s multitude of other ventures, it was clear that his commitment to Kiss and his persona on stage is where his true love lies.

Tommy Thayer, The Spaceman - former persona of Ace Frehley, has been with Kiss since 2002. Well seasoned into his character, Tommy sang Shock me and performed an explosive solo that included the spaceman’s trademarks of launching flares and sending his guitar into the air. If anyone could ever fill Ace’s shoes, Tommy proved to be the right choice and filled them well.

Eric Singer, The Cat, who originally debuted as drummer on the Revenge album in 1991, played with Kiss for 5 years until the reunion tour of 1996 and returned in full make up after Peter Criss’s departure from the farewell tour of 2001. Eric’s solid timing was highlighted from the rising drum set and his performance of Beth during the encore set was well received.

With the explosive pyrotechnics, rising stage platforms and a zip line to carry Paul Stanley over the crowd - Kiss was better than ever, playing harder and tighter than the Kiss of the 80’s. The anthem and life motto Rock and Roll all Night, along with blasting confetti cannons provided a stunning conclusion to what can only be described as one of those Crazy, Crazy Nights.

Kiss Army Invades Toronto - Toronto event photography | Examiner.com

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