When KISS comes to town, you gotta go. You just have to: it’s the greatest rock show on Earth. You’re not going for the fine musicianship, you’re not going to hear the crystal clear soprano-like voices. You’re going to watch an extravaganza. And when it comes to putting on a good show, KISS is second to none. No other band comes even close to giving you your money’s worth of sheer entertainment.

Their music may not be appealing to most people, and the make-up and costumes may put a lot of people off, but when they take the stage and play their hearts out for a solid 2 1/2 hours, together with explosions, pyrotechnics, lighting and confetti, it somehow all comes together and it works. This IS the greatest show on Earth.

They played mostly KISS Alive! era songs, circa 1975 and earlier, replaying the entire album, minus Rock Bottom and Firehouse. Only the encore had some later songs such as (the appalling) Lick it Up and (yawn) I Was Made For Loving You. It’s hard to believe that, apart from the slightly tamer explosions and fireworks, which are, no doubt, due to the Ottawa Bylaw officers keeping a close eye on things, that these guys are closing in on 60 (Gene’s turning sixty later this year, Paul is 57) and the show looks and feels just like the 1975 version, when the lads were in their late twenties.

A record 30,000 40,000 people came to see KISS at the Ottawa Blues Fest last night. A few showers didn’t dampen our spirits. In true Ottawa fashion, we all came, walking calmly from the bus station about 1 hour before the show, and left immediately after, in the same calm fashion, back to the buses. I was sitting in a bus, less than 1/2 hour after the show. Bravo OC-Transpo!

Got a headache, ears are ringing. feet are tired, knees are killing me:  I’ve been to a KISS show.