Summer '11 Show 3: 6/24/11 - Spokane, WA

[Admin]

Discussions, reviews, live-updates, meet-ups, etc!

http://kissfaq.com/tourdates/2011/062411.html

Details
Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA
Promoter:
Opening act(s): Bad City
Reported attendance: ? / 12,500

SETLIST

Notes:
- The Envy were scheduled to open most dates on the tour, but cancelled all on 6/19...

[stlkiss]

Is Bad City opening for all the KISS dates?

[Admin]

Is Bad City opening for all the KISS dates?

Dunno. But the Envy are on most dates, so it may be similar to the last tour with local bands added.

[nobodys-perfect]

I'll be there! I got 5th row to the right. I couldnt resist seeing them in my home town. Its been 15 years since they played here. Since then I did see them at...
2000...The Gorge, Wa
2003...Auburn, Wa
2008...Konocti Resort, Ca
2009...Seattle, Wa
2010...Salt Lake City, Ut
So since the reunion I basically had to travel. Rock On KISS!!!!!!

[gothunder]

I'll be there! I got 5th row to the right. I couldnt resist seeing them in my home town. Its been 15 years since they played here. Since then I did see them at...
2000...The Gorge, Wa
2003...Auburn, Wa
2008...Konocti Resort, Ca
2009...Seattle, Wa
2010...Salt Lake City, Ut
So since the reunion I basically had to travel. Rock On KISS!!!!!!

Good times, i was at The Gorge(my fav show ever!!!). Also at the SLC show at Rio Tinto last summer.

[nobodys-perfect]

I'll be there! I got 5th row to the right. I couldnt resist seeing them in my home town. Its been 15 years since they played here. Since then I did see them at...
2000...The Gorge, Wa
2003...Auburn, Wa
2008...Konocti Resort, Ca
2009...Seattle, Wa
2010...Salt Lake City, Ut
So since the reunion I basically had to travel. Rock On KISS!!!!!!

Good times, i was at The Gorge(my fav show ever!!!). Also at the SLC show at Rio Tinto last summer.

Yeah That Gorge show was kick ass!! The last time I saw the original 4! They were all.great that night! I was 2nd row Genes side at the Rip Tinto show. That was cool too!

[gothunder]

I'll be there! I got 5th row to the right. I couldnt resist seeing them in my home town. Its been 15 years since they played here. Since then I did see them at...
2000...The Gorge, Wa
2003...Auburn, Wa
2008...Konocti Resort, Ca
2009...Seattle, Wa
2010...Salt Lake City, Ut
So since the reunion I basically had to travel. Rock On KISS!!!!!!

Good times, i was at The Gorge(my fav show ever!!!). Also at the SLC show at Rio Tinto last summer.

Yeah That Gorge show was kick ass!! The last time I saw the original 4! They were all.great that night! I was 2nd row Genes side at the Rip Tinto show. That was cool too!

For Rio i was 11th row dead center, great view. Last time i saw ALL Originals was Gorge, great bootleg of that concert out there.

[Austin Allison]

Lived in Spokane for 4 years during high school (04-08 ), and Kiss never came to Spokane. My parents lived in Spokane up until April 2011, and then they move and Kiss comes to Spokane!!!

[nobodys-perfect]

Lived in Spokane for 4 years during high school (04-08 ), and Kiss never came to Spokane. My parents lived in Spokane up until April 2011, and then they move and Kiss comes to Spokane!!!

yeah I was surprised to here they were coming to Spokane. I got about10 msg's or so when it was first anounced. Cause everyone that knows me knows Im a KISS fan. I didn't think they'd ever come back here. Im psyched!!!

[gothunder]

Lived in Spokane for 4 years during high school (04-08 ), and Kiss never came to Spokane. My parents lived in Spokane up until April 2011, and then they move and Kiss comes to Spokane!!!

yeah I was surprised to here they were coming to Spokane. I got about10 msg's or so when it was first anounced. Cause everyone that knows me knows Im a KISS fan. I didn't think they'd ever come back here. Im psyched!!!

Got my dad and step mom to get tics(they are both 60). They've known my fasination for Kiss since i was a kid and told them they HAVE to see the show at least once. Cant wait to get the feedback.

[nobodys-perfect]

Lived in Spokane for 4 years during high school (04-08 ), and Kiss never came to Spokane. My parents lived in Spokane up until April 2011, and then they move and Kiss comes to Spokane!!!

yeah I was surprised to here they were coming to Spokane. I got about10 msg's or so when it was first anounced. Cause everyone that knows me knows Im a KISS fan. I didn't think they'd ever come back here. Im psyched!!!

Got my dad and step mom to get tics(they are both 60). They've known my fasination for Kiss since i was a. kid and told them they HAVE to see the show at least once. Cant wait to get the feedback.

That's Awesome! The looks on there faces should be priceless!

[gothunder]

Lived in Spokane for 4 years during high school (04-08 ), and Kiss never came to Spokane. My parents lived in Spokane up until April 2011, and then they move and Kiss comes to Spokane!!!

yeah I was surprised to here they were coming to Spokane. I got about10 msg's or so when it was first anounced. Cause everyone that knows me knows Im a KISS fan. I didn't think they'd ever come back here. Im psyched!!!

Got my dad and step mom to get tics(they are both 60). They've known my fasination for Kiss since i was a. kid and told them they HAVE to see the show at least once. Cant wait to get the feedback.

That's Awesome! The looks on there faces should be priceless!

[nobodys-perfect]

Spokane Rock City!!

[nobodys-perfect]

...

[gothunder]

[myleskm]

I'll be there! I got 5th row to the right. I couldnt resist seeing them in my home town. Its been 15 years since they played here. Since then I did see them at...
2000...The Gorge, Wa
2003...Auburn, Wa
2008...Konocti Resort, Ca
2009...Seattle, Wa
2010...Salt Lake City, Ut
So since the reunion I basically had to travel. Rock On KISS!!!!!!

Good times, i was at The Gorge(my fav show ever!!!). Also at the SLC show at Rio Tinto last summer.

Yeah That Gorge show was kick ass!! The last time I saw the original 4! They were all.great that night! I was 2nd row Genes side at the Rip Tinto show. That was cool too!

Yeah, the Gorge farewell show was fantastic. I'll be at the Spokane arena show as well. I had great seats for the Reunion show there back in '96. What an awesome night that was.

Really looking forward to the 24th. I'm bringing my wife, this will be her first Kiss show. Couldn't talk her into the other two, but I don't think that she'll regret going this time. She's not particularly a fan, but knows what a nut I am and likes a few tunes, so is willing to give it a shot I guess! Thanks for the billboard pics btw!

[nobodys-perfect]

No problem! Too bad ur wife wouldn't go for the reunion or the gorge. Those were magical
nights! Well they still put on a good show and at least she's going now. Im realy excited!! 9 days and counting!!

[black diamond]

Lived in Spokane for 4 years during high school (04-08 ), and Kiss never came to Spokane. My parents lived in Spokane up until April 2011, and then they move and Kiss comes to Spokane!!!

I'm sure they will start the new album tour in Turkmenistan so you can go see them soon.

[nobodys-perfect]

6 days and counting !

[StarChildBlade]

I'm excited for you guys. Enjoy the show!

[nobodys-perfect]

I'm excited for you guys. Enjoy the show!

[StarChildBlade]

[myleskm]

I'm excited for you guys. Enjoy the show!

Thanks (from both of us)
Seriously--is no one else from this board going to this show?

Starting to get pretty amped up right about now!

This is Spokane remember----we get cool shows like this about once every 5--7 years

[nobodys-perfect]

Just a heads up for anyone that still would like to attend the Spokane show June 24th, On June 23rd at 12:01am pacific time, all remaining tickets will be $30. Only available through ticketswest.com. There's not many tickets left so pass the word if you or anybody that you know that still wanna go.

[Austin Allison]

Any reports?

[naokiss]

Setlist?

[KISS Unmasked II]

Anything ???

[KISS Unmasked II]

Got this from Tommy :

Back at the hotel after the Spokane KISS bombast.. Great fans and a fiery show..

That's all I can find at the moment...

[kissthat]

kiss spokane.jpg (57.03 KiB) Viewed 4629 times

[toffie]

so looks like god gave rock n roll to you wasent played... im guessing everything else was the same?? nothing else was added or dropped?

[1111976]

I'll be there! I got 5th row to the right. I couldnt resist seeing them in my home town. Its been 15 years since they played here. Since then I did see them at...
2000...The Gorge, Wa
2003...Auburn, Wa
2008...Konocti Resort, Ca
2009...Seattle, Wa
2010...Salt Lake City, Ut
So since the reunion I basically had to travel. Rock On KISS!!!!!!

The Gorge was a fantastic show!!!!!!

[RARANAPED]

so looks like god gave rock n roll to you wasent played... im guessing everything else was the same?? nothing else was added or dropped?

damn that sucks

[kingotnw]

Par for the course stuff, though I will say that Eric actually sounds pretty good singing Beth, and Paul still is having his issues. He sounds strange to me now... He knows he can't hit certain notes so he is kind of talking the songs, but he sounds kind of... Tired?? Not much life in the vocals he does, which bums me out. Speaking as someone whose favorite member is Paul, it makes it really hard for me to enjoy clips.

[RARANAPED]

i fixed your last video for you:

[daltonic1]

yeah, it's a drag.

[butkus]

where the fuck is Spokane?

[Austin Allison]

where the fuck is Spokane?

Eastern Washington, mofo.

[myleskm]

A Review--KISS, Friday night, June 24th, Spokane Arena


Well, it's been 15 years since KISS graced Spokane with their presence. The last time, everyone was on the high of the reunion and the re-introduction of the makeup, costumes, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
This time out was a different animal, but not different enough to keep the crowds away as Friday nights' house at the arena was pretty well packed.
This review comes from a fan of 35 years having just attended his 4th KISS show, and his first without Criss on the skins or Frehley bending the strings. But I'd like to jump back a bit and touch on the opening band “Bad City”.
In short, Bad City was, for a group of relative unknowns, a fairly entertaining band. Tight harmonies, reminiscent of some '80s bands like Def Leppard or Winger, coupled with interesting songs that actually went somewhere musically, and decent stage presence made for a set that kept your attention. The downsides would be that the front man maybe should spend less time trying to be cool when addressing the audience, and more time just laying back and being cool. He sold me when singing and performing, but lost me when talking. Secondly, these boys really need to solidify their look. Every member looks like they came from a different band. A little cohesion would work wonders for this band that seems to be able to write and perform interesting music.
Ok, on to the KISS show. I quite enjoyed hearing Modern Day Delilah as an opener even more than I thought I would. It is a very strong song off of the Sonic Boom album, but hearing it live was a nice, fresh sound that I found myself singing along to immediately. Of course, with the concerns floating about regarding Paul Stanley's vocal problems of late, I was curious as to how Friday nights' show would fare and was listening closely, especially during the opening number. Now, perceptions can be skewed when “in the moment” certainly, but these ears have to honestly report that Pauls' singing throughout the night, while not displaying the calisthenics of the Farewell era, were unfaltering in delivery. He seems to have made a few adjustments to his approach that allow him to avoid any strain while still hitting the required notes. At least one number (Love Gun for example) was even started A capella before launching into the familiar machine gun beginning.
The set list was what you would expect from a band with 37 years and some 23 studio albums behind them, and 2 hours to cover it all. Now, this reviewer would have gladly sat through an evening of obscurities and rarities, but thoroughly enjoyed hearing the classics that were offered up that night. This was augmented by the excellent sound quality in the hall. The mix was about as close to perfect as it gets with everything cutting through nicely. Being able to hear the distinction between Tommy Thayers' and Pauls' guitars was a treat. The bass tone coming out of Gene Simmons Punisher bass was nothing short of spine-tingling (not sure what amp rig he is currently using). And not just during his solo, but throughout all of the songs that night, especially his breakdown in “Let Me Go...” wonderful growl and thump. Eric Singer's drum kit has a distinctive warmth in the toms that burns through everything when he executes a roll-down, and his overall sound definitely makes you want to move, as was evidenced by a couple of the ladies in the seats in front of me. Singer was particularly on fire that night, playing with an enthusiasm as if it was his first show and he was having the time of his life. All the while keeping the tempos even and exactly where they needed to be.
The audience was, as most are at a KISS concert, very enthusiastic. However, when Paul announced the the next song (Say Yeah) was from the new album Sonic Boom, the response from the floor was less than hysterical, indicating that many in the crowd weren't familiar with the record ( a shame in this reviewers opinion). This conclusion is drawn by way of the fact that, earlier in the show, when Paul announced the next song (Do You Love Me) being off of Destroyer, the crowd wasn't a whole lot louder, again indicative of an audience made up of mostly casual fans (however it should be mentioned that you couldn't turn your head in the audience without seeing someone with a painted face). None of this takes away from the fact that, when the crowd was encouraged to sing along to Say Yeah, they were more than ready to comply and made a goodly amount of noise at it.
The energy level displayed by the band as a whole was reasonably high the entire evening, the exception being Gene, who, typically plays up to the cameras at every turn and loves to chew scenery throughout a performance, as we would expect and demand from every member of this band. This night however he seemed somewhat subdued, with less spark overall than we are used to seeing. His vocals however were in fine shape throughout the night, all lyrics and lines present and accounted for. As well, his spotlight moments of fire-breathing and blood-vomiting contained all of the drama and power that we have come to appreciate. And, as one of the most under-rated bass players in rock and roll, he laid down the thunder with his usual melodic and groove-heavy style.
“The New Guy”, Tommy Thayer, got his moment to shine during the Ace Frehley penned “Shock Me”, a number that, when announced by Paul, generated a decidedly LOUD response from the audience, both before and after the performance, indicating that a great song is a great song and when delivered right (as it was this night) it moves you regardless of who is at the helm. Thayer, while not displaying quite the “commanding” presence of the others on stage, is nonetheless fun to watch and as lead guitarist he keeps everything very solid, provides great vocals, interacts well with the audience and rips out those leads the way we want to hear them.
From a musical and song performance standpoint, Tight-As-Hell are the only words that come to mind to describe this version of KISS that stepped onstage that night. Some take issue with Tommy and Eric in the former members makeup designs, but here's the thing. These songs in a live setting haven't sounded this good, or accurate to the albums, since 1979. On one level, Ace and Peter were most definitely missed for obvious reasons, on another, Tommy and Eric were most definitely enjoyed.
Among the highlights of this show, were those moments that were unexpected. For example:
the portion of the show where Tommy and Eric take solos, the trade-off between the two was fun, and they broke into a rockin' jam that I hope shows up somewhere on the new record. Well executed solos by both parties as well.
The breakdown in Lick It Up took them into a few phrases of Won't Get Fooled Again, which was unexpected and an enjoyable turn.
Paul's intro to Black Diamond graced us with a few bars of Stairway To Heaven with Paul asking the audience if they wanted to hear it played. I was hoping they would but alas...this is a KISS show after all.
One of my favorite moments came when, at the encore, Eric steps out to sing Beth and, much to my delight, Paul, Tommy, and Gene are backing him up on acoustic guitars....no backing track! Absolutely awesome.
I will say that, while I think Eric has a great rock and roll voice and I hope he has more vocal spots on the new album, Peter's rasp was missed during Black Diamond. However, Erics' take on it was great fun to sing along to.
I would have to say that, on a crowd pleasing level, Paul and Eric were the MVP's of the night. One really expects this from Paul of course, but Eric, once given the microphone to address the audience, seem to just shine and be a natural. Stanley, as always, is the consummate front man.
Another aspect that needs to be mentioned was the STUNNING amount of pyrotechnics at this show. More I think, than I've ever seen at a KISS concert and wonderfully over the top. The last time I saw them at this arena, on the reunion tour, I was a bit disappointed at the fire on display. Friday night made up for it about 50 times over. I was getting sweaty just from the barrage of heat from the firepots, and the fireworks and concussion bombs were in plentiful supply, making my wife jump at each one (much to my endless delight). I also felt that the staging and lighting was nicely done, as it gave a somewhat intimate feel to the evening, even in a medium sized arena.
It should be mentioned that I was able to attend this show “on the house” as it were, and as such, have no sense of “well of course it was awesome, I paid $60 to see it!” I went into the evening not knowing exactly what to expect and ready to call a spade a spade if it wasn't up to par. However I can honestly say that had I paid for the tickets, I would have most definitely felt that I had gotten my moneys worth. And as a fan who grew up on the awesomeness of the Paul, Peter, Ace, Gene era, and watched subsequent eras come and go while appreciating all of them, I can state that KISS 2011 delivers on the promise that the name implies. Even to those who came on board with this band early on.
A recurring thought that came to mind throughout the show was this: the folks over there at ye olde “Rock and Roll” hall of fame must exist in some parallel universe in that, if they were living in this reality, KISS would have certainly been at the top of a list of “Rock and Roll” hall of famers, because last Friday night at the Spokane Arena, was clearly one of Rock and Roll's finest hours.

[kissthat]

myleskm Nice Review
\

[myleskm]

[quote="kissthat"]myleskm Nice Review
\[/quote]

Thanks! Wanted to get those thoughts down before it all got fuzzy!

[rumblechris]

great review, thanks!