Kiss: Rocks Vegas – Live At The Hard Rock Hotel

album by:
Kiss
Version:
dvd
Price:
£17.99

Reviewed by:
Rating:
4
On 28 August 2016
Last modified:29 August 2016

Summary:

From the opening bars of Detroit Rock City the Kiss army are in heaven, and there they remain for the next 114 minutes.

Kiss have always been a band you have to see live at least once in your lifetime, it really should be on every rock fan’s bucket list. In November 2014 KISS brought their legendary live show to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for a Las Vegas residency. This CD/DVD combo ‘KISS Rocks Vegas’ captures the event in all its pyrotechnical glory as the band power through hit after hit in front of the adoring KISS Army.
That run of gigs is now legendary, as they squeezed an arena sized stage show into a small venue, the result was a mass of video walls, pyrotechnics, blood spitting and rocket guitars, in fact basically the same format Kiss have played for the last 40 years. But bigger. Well this is Vegas after all.
The production and direction on this DVD is spot on, a lot of time and care has been taken to give the viewer exactly what they want, or what Gene wants you to see, depending on your point of view.
Every camera angle must have been practiced to death before these gigs went live, the camera is always in the correct place to pick up Gene’s tongue antics, Tommy’s solos as well as Paul Stanley’s mincing. And boy is he camp!!!!
We have a massive computer lit drum riser for Eric Singer to entertain us with, which he does, with ease.
Every explosion is filmed perfectly, every point-at-the-camera, eye contact is captured in perfect detail, and to me this makes it more like a Broadway musical than a live gig, a live gig should contain a certain amount of spontaneity, a throw away comment about the fans, the venue or even a smile at another band member.  We do not get to see any of this on here, and for me, this makes the whole experience a little sterile.
However there is no denying that Kiss live is an amazing experience, and this DVD is right up there with the best of them, from the opening bars of Detroit Rock City the Kiss army are in heaven, and there they remain for the next 114 minutes.

If you’re not a fully paid up member of the Kiss army, and I am not, the best thing to do is to just sit there and let the whole experience envelop you, and just accept it for what it is, a very well-rehearsed rock n roll show that has been 40 years in the making.

TRACKLISTING
1) Detroit Rock City 2) Creatures Of The Night 3) Psycho Circus 4) Parasite 5) War Machine 6) Tears Are Falling 7) Deuce 8) Medley: Lick It Up/Won’t Get Fooled Again/Lick It Up 9) I Love It Loud 10) Hell Or Hallelujah 11) Guitar Solo* 12) Bass Solo* 13) God Of Thunder 14) Do You Love Me 15) Love Gun 16) Black Diamond 17) Shout It Out Load 18) Rock And Roll All Nite 19) God Gave Rock n Roll To You II
* = tracks not on CD1

Filmed in high definition and simultaneously released on DVD, Blu-ray, DVD+CD set, DVD+2LP set and Deluxe Edition containing DVD, Blu-ray & 2CDs in a 60 page hardback book.
Deluxe set contains DVD, Blu-ray & CD of the live show plus a CD of the acoustic set packaged in a 60 page 30cm square hardback book.
Packed with KISS classics including: Rock And Roll All Nite, Psycho Circus, I Love It Loud, Hell Or Hallelujah, Tears Are Falling, Detroit Rock City, Lick It Up, Shout It Out Loud, Creatures Of The Night and more!
Bonus Features (on DVD, BLU-RAY & CD2)
KISS Acoustic: (1) Coming Home (2) Plaster Caster (3) Hard Luck Woman (4) Christine Sixteen (5) Goin Blind (6) Love Her All I Can (7) Beth

From the opening bars of Detroit Rock City the Kiss army are in heaven, and there they remain for the next 114 minutes.

About David Farrell

General Manager and 'THE' competition guy at planetmosh.com. Manager of The Goddanm Electric www.thegde.co.uk, Tour manager for Serpentine, and ex-general Dogsbody at Hammerfest.co.uk. Media partner to numerous bands. Also takes photos, writes reviews and likes classic rock, with a touch of thrash to get the blood flowing.