Kiss, The Cult and Moist deliver for thousands at Stampede Round-Up concert ... but KISS did the heavy lifting

Rock and rock never lets you down...KISS has based its entire existence on that very fact since its earliest days of the early '70s.

Sure the economy is wonky, sure the weather sucks and surely the Calgary Stampede is suffering the effects of both, while most of us are merely suffering effects of yet another Stampede hangover.

What the hell was I doing dancing at a rareHuey Lewis TheNewsmatinee concert onMonday you (I) might be asking yourselves this week. I want a new drug, indeed.

But when the greatest shock rock band in the history of the world launched into Detroit Rock City at a semi-soggy Fort Calgary last night...you just knew that everything was going to be better than just all right.Much better.

Smack-dab at the front end the New York legends' 36-date Freedom to Rock North American tour, the gatheredmasses of aging rockers, corporate sponsors and new generation of late teen and early 20-something fans roared their approval — as they always do — at the annual Stampede Round-Up.

Now, any KISS show, even in the twilight of the storied band's career, is going to be an assault on the senses and eardrums. But...you're never quite sure what you're going to get for a set list. The greasepaint veterans dug deep for the much-ballyhooed Stampede highlight concert with a healthy clutch of songs from the self-titled 1973 debut and the 1976 landmark, Destroyer. Oooooohyeah! And Yeeee-haaaaw! To illustrate the point, back-to-back barnstormers Deuce and Shout It Out.

Loud gave way to the title cut of '82s Creatures of The Night before I Love It Loud and a rare treat of Flaming Youth from the aforementioned Destroyer album.

"Calgary...man, we been coming here since 1974," a slightly hoarse, but always energetic frontman Paul Stanley bellowed. "Look at you all in your Stetsons and your Daisy Dukes... this is the heartland of rock 'n' roll in Canada, right?" The inebriated throng cheered as loudly for the music as for dodging the rained that threatened all day long.

And on with the show ...the mouth that roared, and the only other original member, Gene Simmons, is always at his best when he's on a concert stage rather than being quoted in the press. The legendary bat lizard got his blood-spewing and fire-breathing moments in the sun prior to thunderous interpretations of God Of Thunder and War Machine.

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