What can I say; I was looking forward to Paul Stanley’s San Francisco "Live To Win" visit tremendously. The last time Paul toured solo I was finishing High School in Singapore – way too far away to catch any of the action! 8,000 miles is a valid excuse as far as I’m concerned (though I know some of the diehard fans from Japan disagree and prove it repeatedly)! With the lack of music magazines there I didn’t even know he’d toured until I was in England that summer and picked up some Kerrang magazines. This time it was different. I was in the right place, at the right time... And my wife allowed me out to play.
San Francisco on Monday was miserable. Drizzle continuously fell, reminding me more of Scotland than California. Even though I’d been up for work at 4:30am, I was amped and headed out to the show much earlier that I normally would. Walking down to the Fillmore I hoped there would be something worthwhile to take photos of for the website. There wasn’t, but I arrived just in time to hear the tail end of the sound-check, including the full performances of "Live To Win" and "Love Gun." Those songs provided a cool taste of things to come, something which the unofficial video and audio recordings really can never fully capture. Hanging out on the Geary side of the Fillmore the line had already formed by the time I arrived. There were some familiar faces in the crowd of probably 40 fans. With the rain coming and going it was soon a rather bedraggled lot! No pain, no gain, as they say.
I was interested to see what the Fillmore really was. After nine years living in San Francisco I’d never been to the venue. I’d, much to my shame, missed the Cult earlier this year. With my work schedule, if I’m not working I’d rather be with my family or sleeping. The Fillmore has such a history, but I wasn’t impressed. It stunk. It was filthy. It was run-down. Many of the staff were brutish. It reminded me of many of the dives in Liverpool or Glasgow where I misspent my youth (ah, pub crawls on Smithdown Rd., my liver screams in agony). The only difference being that you could at least drink the liquids sold in those cities. I was struck by how small the venue was. It was clear that it was going to be an intimate audience with Paul, and that made it even cooler.
I’d not been impressed by what I’d heard of Slunt. I hate the name. However, for their short time slot, they gave it their all and actually put on a decent show. The bassist rocks. The drummer had an interestingly focused look on his face as he beat the shit out of his kit. Decent music. Relatively. Sort of on the same level that Saliva didn’t make me vomit when the opened for KISS (Poison did, and does). As far as I was concerned, this was just filler, though the crowd was (to me) surprising polite to the band.
The internet is much like the Grinch who stole Christmas. There are few surprises left. Without being omnipotent, it was pretty clear what Paul’s set list was going to contain and what his raps would be. One question was whether his giraffe shirt would make an appearance. It didn’t. Even without the surprise, Paul took to the stage and with very little intro ripped into "Live To Win." It was impressive. It was anthemic. It was the sort of song you’d expect Paul to write. It doesn’t delve into the psyche. It doesn’t tell us anything about Paul; it is just catchy and not very deep. I knew "Hide Your Heart" would follow, but I was surprised by how heavy it came across, and how "into it" the audience was. It was an interested one-two punch to start the show, and for me it worked.
"A Million To One" is a real gem. I was totally stoked when Paul revived this long-ignored power-ballad. It absolutely kills live. While I thought Paul’s voice sounded quite tired and slightly off for the first few songs in particular, he was warming up by the time he hit this song. He followed it with "Got To Choose," a song he said he was playing because he likes it. Good. So do I. It sounded fresh, perhaps a result of the triple guitar configuration of the band plus keyboards.
"Move On" was another surprise in the set when the tour started. I’m surprised that it’s still in the set, because for me it doesn’t work that well. Sure, I’d rather hear "Love In Chains," in addition to the other 1978 solo material Paul has been performing. "Bulletproof," for me is anything but bulletproof. It’s dated, and sounds more like the material Paul wrote with Holly Knight in the past. However, it also sounds better live.
From the moment I first heard Paul’s 1978 solo album "Tonight You Belong To Me" has been one of my favorite songs of all time. I have loved everything about that song and its style, structure, and execution. To see Paul performing it live was magical. Utterly special. I could do without the next song: "Lick It Up." I haven’t enjoyed that for years, it never really sounds right to me, and it takes too long to execute. Personal preferences be damned, it and the equally nauseatingly long "I Want You" could be trimmed down and another song added to the set. Like "Tears Are Falling."
"Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me" was another decent song from the 1978 album. Also performed in 1989 it does well live. "Magic Touch," was another song I never considered Paul performing prior to the tour. I’d thought he dig out "Nowhere To Run," but "Magic Touch" really sounded good and was totally enjoyable being heavier than on the album. Some have complained that "I Still Love You" is too long, much like my complaints about the formats of "Lick It Up" and "I Want You." Oddly, I disagree. I’ve always loved that song too. Perhaps it’s the Vinnie factor, which provides enough amusement in that three of the sets songs were written by Paul and someone he didn’t even thank in the liner notes of his solo album.
As the set started winding down, Paul’s energy certainly didn’t seem to be ebbing. Always the ultimate showman he sure worked that tiny Fillmore stage for all it was worth. I felt like he was giving it 110% and he was interacting tremendously with the audience. Even more so than at a gig with his primary band. Paul’s rap to "Strutter" provided the canvas for what I consider to be his pseudo-heckler bit. He certainly picked up on something said that interrupted him and allowed him a bit of time to do some comedy. I guess for those of use who spend too much time online analyzing KISS-nerd stuff, knowing his raps and one-liners ruins it right down anticipating a heckler rap. Still fun though. "Strutter" rocked. Another classic.
"Every Time I See You Around" is for me a bit of a "Forever" clone. It sounded good in concert, but is certainly not one of my favorite tracks off Paul’s album. Followed by the ever-excellent "Do You Love Me?" it’s really hard to fault things too much. Being another of my favorite KISS tracks I was happy, and the number of fans singing along to it around me was impressive.
I’d rather have an emergency root canal over the extended "I Want You" any day now. It’s been the low-point of recent KISS tours for me, even though I like the song. I just don’t like the audience participation waste of time, even if it’s fun for them. "Love Gun" brought the set back into my happy zone. There is no way Paul would do a solo show and not perform this song. I hope!
It’s hard to really feel that the final songs are encores; the band doesn’t really take that much of a break. "Lift," one of my favorite tracks off the new album is really cool live. Maybe I like it because I don’t listen to much "current" music so don’t understand many of the comparisons that have been thrown at it. Whatever. Closing out the set with "Detroit Rock City" and "Goodbye" gave the event the final one-two punch and provided the knock-out. Perfect.
I must say that Paul has provided a nicely balanced set. I’ve got a couple of foibles, but I don’t really have any complaints about the material. Sure, some things I’ve noted are personal preferences, but he really couldn’t pick much better. He certainly provided some surprises in the set. Thank you Paul! I paid my money, I was entertained, I certainly have no complaints. Gary, nice to meet ya!... «Post A Comment»
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