I Saw KISS with a Girl and I Liked It – Welcome To Rockville – Night 1
KISS
See what happens when you don’t have an editor? Cheesy headlines rule the day. But, after seeing KISS for the first time in my 40+ years of enjoying live rock, Cheesy seems to be the theme of the day.
Their act was predictably over the top, the costumes were flamboyant and the pyro sensational. Paul Stanley’s rapport with the audience seemed excessively needy and Gene Simmons spent considerably more time licking his bass than playing it. But, it was freaking great.
I loved it, and the 40,000 Rockvillains in attendance for the first night of Welcome to Rockville 2022 all had a blast. As a huge KISS banner dropped to reveal the stage, Stanley, Simmons and guitarist Tommy Thayer descended from platforms high above the stadium. They kicked into “Detroit Rock City,” and the show was on.
Stanley’s voice vocals still sounds good, even if he sounded remarkably similar to my Nana Claire when he spoke to the crowd in his deep NY accent. He actively moved around the stage throughout. The highlight was a trip over the crowd when he rode a rock ‘n roll zip line to a small platform in the middle of the crowd, where he got up close and personal with his fans for a few songs.
Simmons was a blast to watch. I was amazed he was able to move around on his humongous platform shoes – surely no easy feat for a performer in his 70s. During “God of Thunder” he rode a platform high above the stage and performed his iconic blood spitting (drooling). It was fun.
Guitarist Thayer was solid all night and is certainly the musical backbone for the band. Drummer Eric Singer had his spotlight moments towards the end of the set, including taking lead vocals on the main set finale “Black Diamond” and the first encore, “Beth.” (Read Scott Bourne’s insightful article on “Beth/Beck” here)
The band closed with a raucous version of “Rock and Roll All Nite.” With the house lights up, the song was highlighted by the largest amount of confetti and balloons that I’ve ever seen. It was a fun singalong moment that sent the exhausted crowd home happy.
I’m glad I finally got to see the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers on their ‘Final Tour Ever’ – at least until their ‘Totally Final Tour Ever Ever’ in 2023.
Five Finger Death Punch
Last time I saw FFDP, front man Ivan Moody, he had just wrapped up a rehab stint. At that show he seemed a little subdued. Not this night. Moody was in top form.
With longtime members Chris Kael on bass and Zoltan Bathory on guitar, the band delivered a powerful set. They delivered all of their hits, as well as a few deeper and harder cuts. Moody was a dynamic front man this evening, sounding great despite a few mic problems that left him visibly agitated. He disappeared from the stage a few times and seemed annoyed but came out repeatedly and killed it.
Moody had a few memorable moments with the crowd. He delivered a little a capella Justin Bieber snippet before melding into a portion of “Far From Homes.” He also brought out an American flag which he presented to a Vet in the crowd, after the entire band signed it. Nice touch…
Papa Roach
Damn – do these guys ever age? Guitarist Jerry Horton and vocalist Jacoby Shaddix have led Papa Roach for almost thirty years. They still look about the same as they did the first time I saw them 20 years ago, and they are still appear to be having an absolute blast on stage.
They sounded great, too. Shaddix still races around the stage and spends considerable time in the crowd, interacting up close with their fans. He’s a damn good front man and was on top of his game. He also showed some compassion during the show. He paused the set to make sure a fan received necessary medical attention and shared some poingnant comments about dealing with pain and loss before delivering a smoking version of “Scars.”
Mammoth WVH
I was intrigued to see Wolfgang Van Halen’s project for the first time. He sang and played all of the instruments on the album. It’s good stuff, and catchy as hell.
Along with a group of hired guns, they reproduced the sound well on stage. Van Halen’s voice is dynamic and distinctive. He also played guitar and keyboards – talented dude. However, he’s got some work to do on his stage presence. Sadly, there just wasn’t much there. Hopefully that comes with time because the music is excellent.
In This Moment
They are popular, especially with the ladies, and they put on an intricate show. They were fun to look at and sounded solid, but I didn’t understand the mass appeal. I was also frustrated by how long they took between songs, presumably to conduct costume changes.
Redlight King
This quartet was the biggest surprise for me. I decided to watch them instead of Bad Wolves and was grateful for that decision. They hit the stage with tremendous energy and delivered their anthemic hit “Born to Rise.” They never took their foot off of the accelerator.
The Canadian band offered up one of the best covers of the day with a smoking version of Rush’s “Working Man.” It was good, but their originals were better. I particularly loved their closer, “Bullet in My Hand.”
Most impressive about the band was their stage presence. They’ve played together for a decade and over 1,000 shows and you can tell. They’re professionals who know how to deliver a rock show. Damn good stuff.
Other Bands
I saw portions of Clutch, Black Label Society, Fuel, Bad Omens, and two songs from Bad Wolves. A hell of a lineup when those bands don’t even grab my attention… Well done Welcome to Rockville!
Rock On!
Bob Creedon
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Related: Van Halen’s Best Songs Ever
