A Little KISS? No Way

It sounded like blasphemy, voiced by a man sporting the sparkly tights of a bedazzled superhero.

“Tonight, size doesn’t count,” Kiss singer-guitarist Paul Stanley announced three songs into the opening night of his band’s nine-show residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock on Wednesday.

Wait, what?

Size not only counts when it comes to Kiss, it defines them: This is a band where bigger is always better and the only time less is more is when it comes to music critics.

A sense of scale is important to this bunch: They proudly — and loudly — lay claim to outsize record sales (over 100 million albums sold worldwide), the largest merchandise line of any band ever (more than 3,000 items, ranging from coffins to condoms. Need a band-themed sweater for your dachshund? They’ve got you covered) and a stage show flush with IMAX-sized video screens, lots of fire and explosions and a flame-breathing 65-year-old wagging his tongue like a winded Great Dane.

Even their concert garb betrays this infatuation with all things larger than life, with their trademark platform boots allowing them to scale heights that genetics would otherwise deny.

But above all else, Kiss knows how to market itself, and so the main selling point of the band’s stint at The Joint is a reduction in scope: the chance to see Kiss in the relatively cozy confines of a 4,000-capacity venue as opposed to the arenas and amphitheaters the band normally headlines.

Little else distinguishes the show from the tried-and-true Kiss spectacle.

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