EOTR 2020 - Mar. 4, Los Angeles, CA

[Fartbone]

[sagedrummer]

Some initial thoughts... Staples Center is a much worse concert venue than the LA forum where they played last Feb. Due to 3 stories of loges/suites, the ceiling is so tall and a lot of energy is dissipated. This isn’t just a Kiss thing, this is the reality at all shows there. It wasn’t built for concerts.

I really noticed the lack of pods they have as well as the lights that drop down on the scissor lifts have been cut. Less pyro in general as well. It didn’t feel as impressive, and in a big room like Staples it was a bit underwhelming.

With the exception of the floor and the lower level the crowd was sitting down, even when Paul flew out which I thought was a bit lame. You are at a fucking rock concert, get on your feet!!

The show was good but I’d have to say the show last Feb was better in my opinion. Paul seemed in good spirits and even donned a Kobe Jersey at the beginning of Do You Love Me which was cool.

No surprises in the set list.

David Lee Roth was fun, had the floor and lower level on their feet for most of the time which was cool to see seeing that he was the opener. I wasn’t expecting to go see David Lee Roth circa 1981 so I knew what to expect. The backing tracks were obviously taped so all the choruses sounded great. It dawned on me that 70% of the night was lip synced which is what it is. It’s more of a show than a concert. He seemed to be having a blast and whenever you see a performer on stage with a grin as big as he is you can’t help but be happy yourself.

It’s always fun being at a Kiss show but last night I couldn’t help but feel that they have lost a bit of their magic. Not much movement on stage and Gene is a statue most of the night but I know all of this so I wasn’t expecting anything different. It was fun to sing along to the songs that have meant so much to me for one of the last times, even though the crowd were the only ones who were really singing

I’m ok for it to be over. I’ve said my goodbyes and will cherish fondly the memories I have from seeing them live over the years. They seriously got me through my adolescence and I will love the band forever for that. Hell, I may even squeeze in another show before it’s all over.

[AJrox]

So here's my review of the show:

Let me start by talking about David Lee Roth. First of all, having a band open versus a painter made a HUGE difference in enjoyment leading up to the show. I have nothing against David Garibaldi and I do think he's a talented painter, but I enjoy having musicians open for other musicians on shows. Having seen DLR perform with Van Halen on their last tour, I pretty much knew what to expect from him in terms of vocal delivery; however I didn't think it was all that bad to be honest. Having a pretty decent amount of songs on the setlist with a limited allotment for time kept him on pace. He was pretty much what everyone wanted him to be; being goofy, doing the hits with the help of a very talented backing band. It was a lot of fun and the crowd around me were really digging him. Also just to clarify, I had floor tickets near the soundboard, so the area around me was pretty active and excited through the whole night.

Then, it was time for KISS. I had attended the show at the Forum last year, so most of the setlist was what I remembered. Still, when the curtain dropped to Detroit Rock City with KISS coming down, my excitement was right up there. One thing I was worried about was how distracted I would be about the less amount of pods at this show compared to the Forum but it really wasn't too bad. Don't get me wrong, I think it would have looked better with the original amount, but being there and looking up at what they had was in no way bad. This setup looks like it would be easier for amphitheater dates, which I'm sure that's part of the reasoning behind the change. It also looks like they stripped away the boarder that was around the screen from the last time I saw them, but I'm not sure about that.

Performance wise, it was great. Yeah, yeah, I know about Paul and his "vocal smoothing petal" but I'm talking in terms of everyone else and everyone's playing, it was awesome. They sounded tight and it looked like they were having fun on stage. I enjoyed the setlist as well. I'm a BIG fan of the idea of playing at least one song from each era. I know many here want them to drop Say Yeah, but I'm glad they played it since it is my favorite of this lineup. That said, I can understand why a different song might work better now. When they played this at the Forum, the crowd got really into it and sang the chorus, even though most didn't know the song. At Staples, it was the first moment I noticed the crowd didn't sound as loud. Some around me were singing along, especially an older later next to me who seemed even more excited than I was for the song, but the energy from the crowd did noticeably dip at that moment.

I was also happy for them to play Tears Are Falling. It is my favorite Bruce Kulick era song and one of my favorite KISS songs in general. I'm also really happy that Psycho Circus is still in the set. That is my #1 favorite KISS song, so anytime its in the set I'm happy. I also love the stage design for this specific song. So I was a little disappointed they dropped Crazy Nights for Do You Love Me. Yeah, yeah, maybe I'm in the large minority for that one, but I really like Crazy Nights and the idea of Crazy Nights into Rock and Roll All Night just sounds better to me. But, the way this specific show went, I couldn't really focus on the change for Do You Love Me.

As its been shown around, Paul took a moment to address the passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with the other victims of the horrific helicopter crash on Jan 26. Being we were in Staples Center and how much of an impact this incident has had on our city it made perfect sense to take a moment to honor them. Paul took of his vest and put on a Kobe 24 jersey but had the numbers sequenced (still got to keep it Paul-ish ) and as they go into Do You Love Me, the pods showed the numbers 8, 24, and Gigi's #2, along with having Lakers colored balloons come down with the regular black KISS designed ones. This moment felt the most electric of the whole night and had a real community feel to it. This is something that I'm sure will stand out with my memories of KISS shows.

As sagedrummer mentioned, the crowd energy didn't really seem to be there like it was for the Forum show. Where I was on the floor was great, but until the Kobe moment, it didn't have the electric crowd feeling that the Forum show. Maybe it's because of it being a Wednesday night or maybe because of the separation of the crowd caused by the 3 levels of suites, but it just didn't have the same feel. That said, in terms of my own enjoyment I had a great time.

This show was special to me. My very first KISS show was in Staples Center in 2009 and I was able to get floor seats for it. I was 20 and I had been trying to see them since the Psycho Circus tour in 1999 (I was in Nashville at the time so that's when they would have been there). So getting to go to the place where I finally got to see them for the first time and get seats back on the floor for this tour meant a lot to me. It also meant a lot because I got to take my dad this time. While he's not a diehard KISS fan, he does enjoy them and he did introduce me to their music technically. He's a big sports fan, so he did see KISS before because of the free show they did in Anaheim in 2014 for their football thing and an acoustic show they did as well because of the football thing, but he had never seen a KISS show with all the bells and whistles before. He hasn't seen much footage of what their shows are like either, so it was a blast getting to be there with him as he experiences it all for the first time. Lick It Up is his favorite song of theirs, so he was ecstatic that they played it (I didn't tell him its practically in all their setlist lol). After the show he was telling me how the records don't capture how good it sounds live, to which I'm like "Yeah, why do you think I'm always going to shows?"

I don't think this will be my final KISS show, but if it does happen to be, its not a bad one to end with. I'm very happy with the show and I'm thrilled I got to experience it with my dad.

[Vatreni]

While the Kobe tribute was a nice touch......where is the Eric Carr tribute? And don't give me the odd split-second snippet on the screen tat appears throughout the show.

I'm all for this tour, I'm happy, I'm proud that we get to celebrate Kiss for what could be 3 years. But the lack of respect towards Eric Carr has put a dampener on it for me.

[sagedrummer]

Ajrox, glad you had an awesome time, I’m glad to hear the energy was good on the floor. It can really make it or break it depending on if people are into it in your section at a show. Very cool that you got to experience it with your Dad.

[Doose]

I think the over-the-top success of the Staples show - packed arena, fellow rockers raving, great reviews, etc. - will be a shot in the arm after the last leg was a bit soft. Hopefully this carries through the next week or shows in the US, and then it's on to packed houses in South America. The naysayers can complain all they want, but the EOTR Tour is kicking ass.

[AJrox]

For those with Facebook, there are some great photos from the show on Ross Halfin's page and on the official Staples Center page.

[AJrox]

Someone on YouTube has taken some videos of the show and put them together in one. Some stuff is left off here and there and the quality changes throughout the song, but its decent until a full show boot surfaces. Still, really cool whoever did this for those of us who want to go back and enjoy it.

[Dr Like]

I went to both the LA and Oakland shows - they were both great - I took an old friend to the LA show who had never seen KISS and she loved it. I took a new friend to the Oakland show who had never seen them and she loved it too!

I legit loved both shows - I felt like the playing in LA was a tad sloppier (missed notes, etc) but both shows were very fun. I loved the set-lists - though I'm not crazy about Parasite, but at this point, so close to the end, any KISS song is better than nothing.

Unpopular hot-take here, but I'd rather they let Tommy sing one. He was doing that for a while a few tours ago, and I thought it broke the set up a bit - added something fun to the show. I loved his Outta This World song from Monster. Add that to the set-list for pure perfection.

Also - I don't know how much I loved Tears are Falling. When they played it in Vegas I got nostalgic for it, but by Oakland, I was all "this again?" BUT - key point here - both the people I brought to the shows LOVED it, so it gave me new eyes/ears to see/hear the song with, I suppose.

I saw a show earlier on the tour where I had floor seats, so for these two I took seats up in the stands, to see it from a different perspective and ... the floor seats are way better. I guess that's a strange observation - of course they are, right? But if you're still contemplating going to a future show - get the floor seats.

The crowd really ate it up - I was kind of surprised how much people liked DLR - as hammy as he was, I honestly preferred the painter. I sat through it in LA, but by Oakland, I used that time to buy stuff at the merch stand. (got a few shirts and an Eric Singer drum-head). Speaking of the crowd - everyone was in great spirits - I think it's easy to lose sight of how much joy KISS brings to so many people when you hang out on message-boards. Both arenas were packed with super happy people - multiple generations of happy fans singing and dancing and having a great time. Too much of a great time in a few cases! Both shows featured people near me losing complete control and pissing/puking all over themselves. Which... in a way... is a kind of mark of a fun night, I guess. There was much fun had at both shows, going out afterwards to local diners - I ended up at some place in ... maybe San Leandro, maybe, after the Oakland show and there were tons of KISS fans there and everyone was in great spirits. It was a great time.

As of now, this could be my last KISS show, but I hope not. I'm eye-balling future dates - maybe a fun trip somewhere in the future. I've been meaning to take a trip to Pittsburgh to do a George Romero tour, but they've already played there. I need to find somewhere fun to tie a KISS show into. I'm guessing they've played all they can in California, though.......... SF and SJ still haven't been played, right? So those options are on the table for future dates, I suppose. Have they played Fresno on this tour yet? I had a great time. Every time I see KISS it's like a fun party with great friends. You have a great time, you laugh and see stuff blow up and you cheer and you hear fun music. I'll be sad when it's all over. KISS had been there for me my whole life - it's really sad to think there will be a time when you can't just... you know, go to a KISS show. It had to happen, and at least it's not due to someone dying. Still very sad. I look back at KISS tours I didn't go to and curse myself for it. It just seemed like they'd always be there. But there's still time to see another show before it ends!

[Admin]

Unpopular hot-take here, but I'd rather they let Tommy sing one. He was doing that for a while a few tours ago, and I thought it broke the set up a bit - added something fun to the show. I loved his Outta This World song from Monster. Add that to the set-list for pure perfection.

Also - I don't know how much I loved Tears are Falling. When they played it in Vegas I got nostalgic for it, but by Oakland, I was all "this again?"

Not unpopular at all. I'd love Tommy to sing one of his songs. I was thrilled for TAF, even after enjoying it in Vegas -- guess that just because it's my entry point.

[Dr Like]

You're a good guy, Admin! I will say, I loved the very 80s pastel KISS logo during TAF. And, yeah, it was at the height of my original KISS fandom, so it does hit home. For sure

[AJrox]

Unpopular hot-take here, but I'd rather they let Tommy sing one. He was doing that for a while a few tours ago, and I thought it broke the set up a bit - added something fun to the show. I loved his Outta This World song from Monster. Add that to the set-list for pure perfection.

I'd love for one of Tommy's songs to be in the set. I was happy back in late 2012 when they added Outta This World into the set and was hoping to hear it live, but by the time KISS played in my area again they were no longer performing it.

[hardrockfan818]

Okay, I know i'm two weeks late with my review for this show.. but I had a freaking blast!! after having dinner at the LA Live Yardhouse, my mom and I made our way to the Staples Center.. and we had gotten tickets in nosebleed sections of the Staples Center.. But the Staples Center nosebleed sections are designed like a fucking death trap, not even joking or exaggerating.. There's like, one flimsy wall made of fiberglass on the balcony and the staircases to get up there are STEEP.. When we tried going up the stairs, I looked down and I swear to God, it looked like I could fall over the railings with one wrong step, so I was overcome with a panic attack.. So my mom said "You know what, let's go see if we can exchange these tix for closer seats, I don't care if I have to pay a bit more".. So then we went to guest services to exchange them.. and to our luck, they exchanged them for some unsold seats on the lower tiers, free of charge!! That was so cool of the Staples Center to do for us! After we got our new seats, we were able to enjoy the show!! I did have to miss a bit of David Lee Roth's set because of the ticket situation.. but I made it back in time for the last few songs of his set and I thought both bands were fantastic!! Seriously, both bands freaking killed it that night!! The tribute that KISS did to Kobe Bryant during the encore was so damn moving.. If this was indeed the final KISS show for Los Angeles, I was glad to have been there.. If not, here's to more KISS shows in LA someday down the road..

[AJrox]

Okay, I know i'm two weeks late with my review for this show.. but I had a freaking blast!! after having dinner at the LA Live Yardhouse, my mom and I made our way to the Staples Center.. and we had gotten tickets in nosebleed sections of the Staples Center.. But the Staples Center nosebleed sections are designed like a fucking death trap, not even joking or exaggerating.. There's like, one flimsy wall made of fiberglass on the balcony and the staircases to get up there are STEEP.. When we tried going up the stairs, I looked down and I swear to God, it looked like I could fall over the railings with one wrong step, so I was overcome with a panic attack.. So my mom said "You know what, let's go see if we can exchange these tix for closer seats, I don't care if I have to pay a bit more".. So then we went to guest services to exchange them.. and to our luck, they exchanged them for some unsold seats on the lower tiers, free of charge!! That was so cool of the Staples Center to do for us! After we got our new seats, we were able to enjoy the show!! I did have to miss a bit of David Lee Roth's set because of the ticket situation.. but I made it back in time for the last few songs of his set and I thought both bands were fantastic!! Seriously, both bands freaking killed it that night!! The tribute that KISS did to Kobe Bryant during the encore was so damn moving.. If this was indeed the final KISS show for Los Angeles, I was glad to have been there.. If not, here's to more KISS shows in LA someday down the road..

Glad you were able to get better seats and had a great time. I'm not sure if Staples Center always does this, but I saw people getting free upgrades during the 2nd night TOOL show there. Apparently lower level tickets dropped in price to where it was the same as the 300 sections before, so they allowed free upgrades to fill those out.

[ace_frehley]

For those of you that were wondering about the concert and how it was, I posted my view of it in the General Kiss Discussion, its titled ¨My FIrst Time Seeing Kiss¨

[Sam T Serpent]

Unpopular hot-take here, but I'd rather they let Tommy sing one. He was doing that for a while a few tours ago, and I thought it broke the set up a bit - added something fun to the show. I loved his Outta This World song from Monster. Add that to the set-list for pure perfection.

Also - I don't know how much I loved Tears are Falling. When they played it in Vegas I got nostalgic for it, but by Oakland, I was all "this again?"

Not unpopular at all. I'd love Tommy to sing one of his songs. I was thrilled for TAF, even after enjoying it in Vegas -- guess that just because it's my entry point.

Outta This World was the highlight for me for every Australian show in saw in 2013. It's definitely better than Shock Me. His Solo would be better suited for OTW with the rockets shooting the UFO's