St. Louis, MO - Media Review Quotes

By Sean Derrick

Unlike Def Leppard, who didn’t issue even one photo pass and seemed stiff when they addressed the crowd, Kiss hammed it up for the photographers and knew how to play to the audience. It was pure showmanship at its finest. Stanley reminisced with the crowd about playing at Forest park during the KSHE 95 Kite Fly in 1974, as well as The Checkerdome and Kiel Auditorium, playing to the crowd’s heart strings.

But the main theme was spectacle. For instance, in the middle of “Lick it Up” the giant spider light rig came down to the stage, enabling Stanley and Thayer to hop on and ride to the rafters while playing The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.

Traditions at a Kiss show rule the roost. From Simmons’ fire breathing blood spitting bass routine to pyro spraying out of Thayer’s guitar and Eric Singer’s drum kit rising to the rafters, the fans eat it all up. Their motto for a Kiss show? “The bigger the better”. The rabid fandom that is the Kiss Army get vocally upset if the band tries to tone down anything or take away one of their signature shticks. To this end the band listens and reciprocates. Why wouldn’t they? With packed houses for every show why change a good thing?

Thursday’s show was packed with goodies for the fans. There was Simmons’ “flying” up 30 feet to sing “God of Thunder” from atop of the spider rig, and Stanley got a ride 15 feet above the crowd to a revolving satellite stage behind the soundboard in the middle of the house to perform “Love Gun”.

Say what you will about the band but a Kiss show is a spectacle in and of itself, a fun raucous party atmosphere that is like no other.

The Dead Daisies opened the show with a vibrant set from the band that features St. Louis native Richard Fortus who used to play in Guns ‘n Roses. Another GnR alumni Dizzy Reed is also a part of the band, as well as Thin Lizzy bassist Marco Mendoza along with Brian Tichey (drummer for Whitesnake, Billy Idol and Ozzy) and guitarist David Lowry and Jon Stevens on vocals. Touring in support of their self titled debut album. The band has been getting serious play on KSHE 95.

Def Leppard held the support slot with a 75 minute set that read as a greatest hits playlist. The highlight of their set was the infectious instrumental “Switch 625”.

By Examiner 2014.

By Jim Ousley

It was a particularly “metal” night, with the skies over Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre exhibiting enough thunder and lightning to give even the God of Thunder pause. This didn’t stop the 18,000 rock fans from packing the venue for the KISS and Def Leppard concert.

The Dead Daisies started off the night with a raucous set, entrenched in the classic rock–radio vibe of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, and Free. It was a homecoming of sorts for their guitarist, Guns N Roses axe man and Pale Divine legend Richard Fortus. His melodic solos cut through the mix as he ably struck every rock star pose like a boss. As usual, no one could keep their eyes off him, and by the time they played a scorching version of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” the crowd could have cared less if it was the apocalypse going on, much less a thunderstorm.

Def Leppard took the stage with “Let It Go” from their multiplatinum 1981 album High ’n’ Dry, with guitarists Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen effortlessly trading off solos as “The Ricks” (Allen and Savage) kept the rhythm grooving like a well-oiled pop-rock machine. Joe Elliot, decades into the game, has a voice that maintains the classic feel of the old material, but enough kicked-around maturity to keep it fresh after singing these songs forever. The video screens were put to magnificent use, especially on “Rocket,” where they seemed to morph into a solid wall of 3D television screens, each transmitting pieces of rock history. From “Photograph” to “Love Bites,” the set was a veritable Top 40 playlist, with the crowd singing along to nearly every word. It was clear that the evening’s headliners had no issue with being shown up. And just how about those headliners?

By Playbackstl 2014.

Read the full review at - playbackstl.com

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