Kiss – Grand Casino – Hinckley MN July 15th 2017

Kiss grand Casino Hinckley 7/15/17

What can I say about Kiss that hasn’t already been said? Very early on in their career a critic wrote “the name of the band is Kiss whose members names do not matter. I hope they’re saving their money because they won’t be around very long”. It’s exactly that kind of attitude that is put kiss right where they are now. Critics of the band, especially in the 1970s, viewed them as a joke. But the kids didn’t and that’s all that really mattered.

Saturday night was no different, they completely brought it and the crowd loved it. Due to circumstances beyond the band’s control, the concert got started almost 90 minutes late but no one seemed upset. It was a beautiful night and everyone was in great spirits. They put on an incredible show and dug all the way back to the very beginning with the song Deuce. That was the opener of the show and from there it was one familiar song after another.

The personal highlight for me was a rare gem off their Destroyer album entitled Flaming Youth. That’s song pretty much sums up rock ‘n roll and the teenage experience in America in the 1970s. Yes, they did all the familiar songs like Detroit Rock City, Love Gun and Rock ‘N Roll All Night. But the concert experience when you go to see kiss goes well beyond the songs, Pyro and all of the other affects. Although on a side note I must say that Common World Productions based out of the Twin Cities put together a massive 40 foot screen behind the band. Their ability to do video production really adds to the performance of the band. I personally like shows like this that are somewhat stripped-down. Because of the amphitheater, Gene Simmons did not fly during God of thunder and Paul Stanley did not fly out into the audience during Love Gun. But they had plenty of other tricks up their sleeves.

Like I was saying, a Kiss concert goes well beyond the performance. It’s truly become a community of fans the travel from all over to see the band play. They’re currently on their 2017 tour which only is playing a handful of dates per month. There were people at the show that night I had met from as far away as Texas, North Carolina and even a gal from Brazil. Like Paul Stanley once said, “The last thing the audience wants to see is four slobs walking on stage that need a shave”. Kiss has always done their best to give the audience their monies worth.

For those of you that are not aware, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, two of the original members are no longer with the band. Tommy Thayer has now taken on the spaceman personality and Eric Singer is the cat man. These two gentlemen have breathed life into this band in a way that I can’t describe. I can tell the four of them are having fun. That translates to the audience and makes the show even better. Both Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer are incredible musicians. I can’t think of two people that fit better in this band. This is my Kiss!

I’ve always said anyone that doesn’t like Kiss, has never listen to them. If you’re someone who loves to go see live music, even if you’re a hippie, there’s no way you can’t appreciate this band. So, get up off your butt, get out there and see them when you can. This can’t last forever and you’ll be very disappointed if you miss it.

Setlist – Duece – Shout it out Loud – Lick it Up – I Love it Loud – Love Gun – Firehouse – Shock Me – Flaming Youth – God of Thunder – Say Yeah – War Machine – Psycho Circus – Black Diamond – Rock N Roll All Nite – Cold Gin – Detroit Rock City.

Review and photo by Tommy Sommers