On Thursday 5/4/01 Kiss played there last ever Melbourne show. Melbourne has always been kind to KISS from the Unmasked tour @ V.F.L. Park in 1980, the Kiss my ass tour in 95, Alive Worldwide in 98 and now the Farewell tour.
DRAMA!!!!! Thu 5pm.
My sister Anne rings my mobile "My car won't start! I just had to tell someone". The tickets were booked with her credit card, so right about then I started to panic. 5.45 pm my Anne arrives home courtesy of a taxi fortunately mum was in Tassie so we were able to use her car to pick up Darky and the tickets.
DRAMA!!!!! "I can't belive this where is my Credit Card!" a quick rummage thru the purse find her minus the card. A thourough sears of her bag, same result. A mad scramble thru the house, still no card. Back to the bag "Here it is!"
At 7pm the tickets are ours, time for a nerve calming beer. By this stage Darky and I are running low on funds Darky says "Is there an atm here" I say "Well I used the atm @ Deep Purple, it's gotta be around here somewhere". A quick lap of the Rod Laver Arena and still no atm, finally I say to the usher "Where's the atm mate?" he says "It just got removed".
DRAMA!!!! Darky and I are faced with a dilemma. The Screaming Jets are due on stage in 40 minutes, do we go without beer or walk down Swan st and find an atm.
Of course we went to get money!!!!!!!!!!!! A very brisk walk finds us at the corner of Swan and some other st. Dilemma do we try the servo or keep going down Swan. We decide on the servo due to lack of time and pray it has an atm. WOO-HOO!!! not only does the servo have an atm, it's actually working! On the way out I grab a pie my first food in 6 hrs and Immediately wish i'd grabbed 2!
Another brisk walk back to Melbourne Park left us with very little time for beer. As it turned out we missed the Screaming Jets first two songs (nearly half their set!). They only played for about half an hour to a 1 qtr filled stadium, a real insult to one of Australias finest bands. It was however good to see them live again.
After the Jets we nipped out for another beer and while I was lining up for a second it was announced that Kiss would be on in 5 mins so I thought stuff the Beer and we went to take our seats.
We were sitting up near the roof in row NN a fair way away from the stage. Then suddenly the house lights went down and expectation rose. Then suddenly BOOM! Kiss are on stage! Very early on it became clear that Ace Frehley was not a well boy as he stumbled and staggered around the stage. Intoxicated? Tired?, The Flu? all of the above? The First sond is Detroit Rock City which features Paul, Gene and Ace all standing side by side at the front of the stage. Was this a coincidence or were Gene and Paul there to hold SpaceAce up? We'll never know for sure.
Then Deuce explodes from the speakers (my fav Kiss track) The band are playing well but Frehley still looks drowsy. Darky commented at that stage "I'm tipping he'll go head first into the drumkit and we'll have a riot" Then it's Frehley's turn to sing, I hold my breath, will he spew all over the front row?, will he forget the words to Talk to me? The answer is no, he is a pro and sings it well, despite forgetting where his mic is on occasions, while he is looking at which notes his fingers are supposed to be playing. Then follows Firehouse.
The band then went thru some of the better songs from the 80's which amounts to Lick it up,Heavens on Fire and I Love it Loud basically. Back to the 70's with Shout it out Loud,Parasite,Let me go Rock 'n' Roll,Calling Dr.Love and Do you love me?
Then it's time for Shock me, a song written and sung by Ace Frehley. By this stage Ace had appeared to have woken up a little, but this was a much tougher test than Talk to me. Did he cope? You better belive he did even Darky was impressed, despite baggiing Frehley for 10 years solid!
Cold Gin,100,000 Years and Black Diamond are played and played well. However the band then decide to play God of Thunder, not one of my favourites. When played live it features a rather wierd Bass Solo from Simmonds which is spoiled by the sound effects, too distorded, just pain shite! It also goes for nearly 10 minutes so it allowed me to goto the loo (I was busting!) and have a smoke (I was busting!!). While out side I saw John the guitarist from Pegazus (who I'd met a few weeks previous), we both agreed it was a good idea that they put this intermission in every night.
I made it back just as the song was dying it's extremely painful death. At one stage the stage was cleared of all members except Paul Stanley. Stanley went into a kind of Solo Medley featuring Forever,Hard Luck Woman and finally Shandi (a top 10 hit in 1980 apparently!) While this was going on Darky suddenly remembered that it had been at least half an hour since he'd had a beer so he ran to grab a couple.
The only song from the post 1985 that I can remember them playing was Psycho Circus. Then it came time for the Paul Stanley suck up session, u know when they say this is our home away from home and how much they love coming to Melbourne etc... This was topped off by Paul Stanley askin if the crowd wanted him to "come out and see them" He said he would if the noise meter (yes Noise meter???) reached the red, it did of course on the 5th try! So with Love Gun thumping out all around Rod Laver Arena Paul hops on this thingy which takes him to this tiny stage in the middle of the arena. By the end of the song Paul is back on the big stage with his bandmates and once finished the band say their good bye's and walk off. What I hear you ask? No I was made for lovin you? no Rock 'n' Roll All Nite? Well they had to save something for the Encore didn't they?
Back on they came and Started with I was made for lovin you (another big hit in this country in 79). The band then went into a sort of medley where they played some songs the obviously hadn't played in years. Some of the songs to feature were, Strutter, She, Mr.Speed,Comin Home and New York Groove amongst others. None of these songs were played in their entirety (usually because at least one of the band forgot their part)
Finally Rock 'N' Roll all nite is played and the performance is over.
Thursday nights show was not a sellout but that did not detract from the atmoshpere. It was the 3rd Kiss tour i'd been a part of and easily the best. I was pleased with the sound quality and the setlist. I will miss them.
DRAMA!!!!! Thu 5pm.
My sister Anne rings my mobile "My car won't start! I just had to tell someone". The tickets were booked with her credit card, so right about then I started to panic. 5.45 pm my Anne arrives home courtesy of a taxi fortunately mum was in Tassie so we were able to use her car to pick up Darky and the tickets.
DRAMA!!!!! "I can't belive this where is my Credit Card!" a quick rummage thru the purse find her minus the card. A thourough sears of her bag, same result. A mad scramble thru the house, still no card. Back to the bag "Here it is!"
At 7pm the tickets are ours, time for a nerve calming beer. By this stage Darky and I are running low on funds Darky says "Is there an atm here" I say "Well I used the atm @ Deep Purple, it's gotta be around here somewhere". A quick lap of the Rod Laver Arena and still no atm, finally I say to the usher "Where's the atm mate?" he says "It just got removed".
DRAMA!!!! Darky and I are faced with a dilemma. The Screaming Jets are due on stage in 40 minutes, do we go without beer or walk down Swan st and find an atm.
Of course we went to get money!!!!!!!!!!!! A very brisk walk finds us at the corner of Swan and some other st. Dilemma do we try the servo or keep going down Swan. We decide on the servo due to lack of time and pray it has an atm. WOO-HOO!!! not only does the servo have an atm, it's actually working! On the way out I grab a pie my first food in 6 hrs and Immediately wish i'd grabbed 2!
Another brisk walk back to Melbourne Park left us with very little time for beer. As it turned out we missed the Screaming Jets first two songs (nearly half their set!). They only played for about half an hour to a 1 qtr filled stadium, a real insult to one of Australias finest bands. It was however good to see them live again.
After the Jets we nipped out for another beer and while I was lining up for a second it was announced that Kiss would be on in 5 mins so I thought stuff the Beer and we went to take our seats.
We were sitting up near the roof in row NN a fair way away from the stage. Then suddenly the house lights went down and expectation rose. Then suddenly BOOM! Kiss are on stage! Very early on it became clear that Ace Frehley was not a well boy as he stumbled and staggered around the stage. Intoxicated? Tired?, The Flu? all of the above? The First sond is Detroit Rock City which features Paul, Gene and Ace all standing side by side at the front of the stage. Was this a coincidence or were Gene and Paul there to hold SpaceAce up? We'll never know for sure.
Then Deuce explodes from the speakers (my fav Kiss track) The band are playing well but Frehley still looks drowsy. Darky commented at that stage "I'm tipping he'll go head first into the drumkit and we'll have a riot" Then it's Frehley's turn to sing, I hold my breath, will he spew all over the front row?, will he forget the words to Talk to me? The answer is no, he is a pro and sings it well, despite forgetting where his mic is on occasions, while he is looking at which notes his fingers are supposed to be playing. Then follows Firehouse.
The band then went thru some of the better songs from the 80's which amounts to Lick it up,Heavens on Fire and I Love it Loud basically. Back to the 70's with Shout it out Loud,Parasite,Let me go Rock 'n' Roll,Calling Dr.Love and Do you love me?
Then it's time for Shock me, a song written and sung by Ace Frehley. By this stage Ace had appeared to have woken up a little, but this was a much tougher test than Talk to me. Did he cope? You better belive he did even Darky was impressed, despite baggiing Frehley for 10 years solid!
Cold Gin,100,000 Years and Black Diamond are played and played well. However the band then decide to play God of Thunder, not one of my favourites. When played live it features a rather wierd Bass Solo from Simmonds which is spoiled by the sound effects, too distorded, just pain shite! It also goes for nearly 10 minutes so it allowed me to goto the loo (I was busting!) and have a smoke (I was busting!!). While out side I saw John the guitarist from Pegazus (who I'd met a few weeks previous), we both agreed it was a good idea that they put this intermission in every night.
I made it back just as the song was dying it's extremely painful death. At one stage the stage was cleared of all members except Paul Stanley. Stanley went into a kind of Solo Medley featuring Forever,Hard Luck Woman and finally Shandi (a top 10 hit in 1980 apparently!) While this was going on Darky suddenly remembered that it had been at least half an hour since he'd had a beer so he ran to grab a couple.
The only song from the post 1985 that I can remember them playing was Psycho Circus. Then it came time for the Paul Stanley suck up session, u know when they say this is our home away from home and how much they love coming to Melbourne etc... This was topped off by Paul Stanley askin if the crowd wanted him to "come out and see them" He said he would if the noise meter (yes Noise meter???) reached the red, it did of course on the 5th try! So with Love Gun thumping out all around Rod Laver Arena Paul hops on this thingy which takes him to this tiny stage in the middle of the arena. By the end of the song Paul is back on the big stage with his bandmates and once finished the band say their good bye's and walk off. What I hear you ask? No I was made for lovin you? no Rock 'n' Roll All Nite? Well they had to save something for the Encore didn't they?
Back on they came and Started with I was made for lovin you (another big hit in this country in 79). The band then went into a sort of medley where they played some songs the obviously hadn't played in years. Some of the songs to feature were, Strutter, She, Mr.Speed,Comin Home and New York Groove amongst others. None of these songs were played in their entirety (usually because at least one of the band forgot their part)
Finally Rock 'N' Roll all nite is played and the performance is over.
Thursday nights show was not a sellout but that did not detract from the atmoshpere. It was the 3rd Kiss tour i'd been a part of and easily the best. I was pleased with the sound quality and the setlist. I will miss them.
