One of Gene's Grabbers for sale

[TBird1958]

In other news, Gene will be suing Summer's Eve because he's now a bigger douche than all the products they've ever sold.

Aaaaand I'm done here.

[lowend1]

Uwe's point about them "playing every shithole in the US" is well taken. I bought Alive! the day it came out, and was hooked before the end of "Deuce". It was too late for me to get tickets to see them a month or so later at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ (a notoriously piss-stained venue with sticky floors and junkies shooting up in the bathroom - that showed porno during the day). I had to wait almost a year to see them at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City (a crumbling, practically abandoned minor-league ballpark that hosted concerts during the summer). Hardly a Bay City Rollers show, there was nefarious activity at every turn, made all the more unsettling by the fact that someone had been stabbed to death at a Yes concert there a few weeks prior.

[uwe]

I like Kiss without being a fan, I have evey single one of their albums, I think Gene S. is hilarious and witty behind that facade of sledgehammer-"I don't care if you dislike me because I'm wealthier than you".

But when it comes to musical merits, a band like Aerosmith is skyhigh above Kiss. I saw the Luftschmitze only yesterday in Cologne (and Kiss maybe a month ago in Frankfurt), I enjoyed myself at both gigs, but where Aerosmith are like a National Geographic edition of various types of American music delivered with swagger, Kiss are like a porn magazine. Not that there is anything wrong with the latter, but Kiss is one-dimensional and obviously limited in what they can credibly deliver. Take a song like Walk this Way (by no means my favourite 'Smith song), and Tyler's lyrics and rhythmic delivery alone are as far removed to what Paul Stanley could do as Michael Douglas' acting is from Steven Segal's.

[lowend1]

Tyler's lyrics and rhythmic delivery alone are as far removed to what Paul Stanley could do as Michael Douglas' acting is from Steven Segal's.

I'm not sure I would equate Tyler with Michael Douglas. When channel surfing, I routinely pass his movies by while stifling a yawn, but if I even hear the phrase "Anybody seen Richie?", chances are I'll be glued to the TV like a mental patient. Its not that Seagal is a better actor, it's just that it is infinitely more entertaining to watch him find new ways to break someone's arm.

[Hörnisse]

[OldManC]

That's a shot of them I've never seen, Nice!

But when it comes to musical merits, a band like Aerosmith is skyhigh above Kiss.

I agree that Aerosmith's early catalogue has held up amazingly well and that they were far more inspired (than KISS) as far as their music being an artistic endeavor, but...

Years ago they did a double headline tour and I saw their stop at Jones Beach. 2003 or so. I can't remember for sure, but I think Peter was still around and Ace was out. The only reason I thought it would be fun was because my wife (at the time) had never seen them (so she wouldn't feel gypped by a stand in) and I'd never seen Aerosmith. I was way more excited about seeing them than Gene and Paul. I'd seen them last on the "farewell" tour in 2001 and they were as flat as Lindsay Wagner. So imagine my surprise when we rolled in late and were walking from parking when I heard the opening chords of Deuce and it sounded as mean and hungry as it did on their reunion tour in 1996. Made me want to run so I wouldn't miss any more. Maybe it was the professional rivalry, but they killed that whole set, and Aerosmith (in comparison and not just because I was once a starry eyed KISS nerd), came across as flat, bored, and completely uninspired. There was no swagger, no testosterone, and no passion at all in their performance.

My ex-wife is a Brit/Europop fan who looked down her nose way more at KISS than Aerosmith, but loved the former's show enough to go again a few years later, and both of us were so unimpressed by the latter that we opted to leave early just to avoid that Long Island concert traffic heading home. And I never leave shows early. Probably just a bad night for them but none of them stood out at all (not even Joe Perry's playing). Totally bummed me out.

[uwe]

I totally agree that Kiss is the more disciplined live band - they can be knackered as hell, illness and hate each other, but they still deliver to their best abilities. Kind of like Judas Priest who perform with even half the band stricken by flu and feverish.

There is also an indestructible bond between Stanley and Simmons that goes beyond friendship or even brotherhood - I think their mutual Jewishness has something to do with that.

As a group of people, Aerosmith are a lot more volatile than Kiss and there have been numerous phases in their history - drug-induced or not - where they hated each other's guts to the point of the band not working as a unit anymore. But none of that in Cologne, perhaps because the show was obviousl being filmed and recorded (audience mics everywhere), possibly because Lanxess Arena is all new and has a great sound. Tyler and Perry might not love each other anymore (if they ever did), but there is grudging respect. And Tyler went out of his way to highlight Perry at any point, he even had a short set to himself playing and singing a blues number plus Fleetwood Mac chestnut Oh Well. Which he did with aplomb.

Maybe they just want to leave a good impression on that more likel than not last tour and knuckle down to it in a more disciplined fashion than usual.

That said, I will forever prefer Whitford's more delicate soloing to Perry's flash. Whitford is almost Claptonesque in his impeccable choice of notes, every solo a fine piece of music. His solo ratio is only about 1:3 to Perry), but Perry is a lot more repetetive.

[Basvarken]

Still think Kiss and Kiss fans are a bit silly 

[4stringer77]

I thought that was Frank Zappa peeking out from behind Cher. Now there's a guy who would relentlessly work an ill band and recorded it for posterity as well.

Gene and Paul might have a bond because of being Jewish, although everyone from New York acts a little Jewish. Just watch Seinfeld. Joe, Steve and Tom met each other maybe even at an earlier age in the granite state of New Hampshire. Once they got rolling, they played everywhere they could including proms and barns. Those have to be some fairly strong bonds they created from their early days as well.
http://www.newhampshire.com/article/99999999/NEWHAMPSHIRE09/110429373

[lowend1]

Still think Kiss and Kiss fans are a bit silly 

Diplomatic today, aren't we?🤝

[bassilisk]

...although everyone from New York acts a little Jewish.

???I can unequivocally state that that isn't true, and watching Seinfeld(of all shows) is a bad example.

"a little Jewish" - (what does that mean exactly). I am sure the Brooklyn Italians would have an opinion on this....

Television is not a good window into reality. When I would go to Washington State on business and meet locals, there were a surprising number of people that were amazed I managed to reach adulthood without getting killed, or at the very least, shot. I'm sure I can thank Law & Order for that....

And when you say New York, be specific. There's a lot more to New York than New York City.

[gearHed289]

Diplomatic today, aren't we?🤝

Don't take the bait! 

[4stringer77]

???I can unequivocally state that that isn't true, and watching Seinfeld(of all shows) is a bad example.

"a little Jewish" - (what does that mean exactly). I am sure the Brooklyn Italians would have an opinion on this....

Television is not a good window into reality. When I would go to Washington State on business and meet locals, there were a surprising number of people that were amazed I managed to reach adulthood without getting killed, or at the very least, shot. I'm sure I can thank Law & Order for that....

And when you say New York, be specific. There's a lot more to New York than New York City.

Yes sir, you are correct. I was speaking tongue in cheek with my comments. The five Burroughs are full of all kinds of diverse wonderful people.

[4stringer77]

...and while many people with a Jewish background come from New York City, not all Jews are New Yorkers. The sheer number of Jews settling in the region have made an appreciable impact on the local culture to such an extent that many people's expectations of Jews outside of the city is for them to be all like Woody Allen. I can personally confirm that is not the case being a New Hampshire Jew myself. I may be slightly neurotic in some ways but nothing coming close to Woody and I also enjoy some country music and a hike in the woods occasionally.

[lowend1]

Rest easy, metalheads...
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/gene-simmons-trademark-devil-horns-withdraw/