Recently KISS performed their last show ever and I Was There!

The event took place at New York City’s historic Madison Square Garden, a venue that KISS first headlined in 1977 for three big nights.

When the final shows were announced I had mixed feelings about attending but ultimately decided I should go. It’s my favorite band playing in their hometown one last time and New York City is one of my favorite cities, so it was a win/win.

My history with KISS goes all the way back to July of 1976 when I saw them in Charleston, WV on the Destroyer tour. That was my first concert ever! When I attended that concert in 1976, I was young and really had no idea who KISS was. I think my parents took me along because they couldn’t secure a sitter to look after me for the night. So, I got to go along with my parents and my older brothers to a show that forever changed my life. After that night, I was all in; I’d found MY thing.

So, over the next 47 years I stuck with the band through all the ups & downs. I’ve probably attended over 40+ KISS concerts and attended a lot of cool KISS- related events. I figured with all that history behind me, I had to go to the “last” show.

Fans in the KISS circles have speculated if this would really be the last show, but I feel like they are done touring. Time has caught up with them and it’s not easy doing the kind of show they do at their age.

It’s been a long run, and they deserve to take a bow.

I flew into NYC early Thursday morning and as soon as I stepped off the plane, I saw KISS fans with luggage in hand making their way out of the airport. I headed to my Airbnb in the West Village and devised a plan on how to spend my time the next few days.

KISS had taken over New York and there were a lot of things going on to celebrate the band’s last two shows at The Garden.

There was a KISS Pop Up shop near the Garden selling exclusive merch that you could only get at that location. There were three consecutive days of the New York Post with exclusive KISS covers. Prince Street Pizza was offering a KISS pizza with a custom KISS box. The Empire State Building was lit up in KISS colors and synced to music on Thursday evening. Some New York City cabs were wrapped in KISS graphics, and you could also get a limited-edition KISS Metro card to ride the subway.

Kisses were everywhere and they had really taken over New York City.

The streets were flooded with KISS fans wearing KISS T-shirts and jackets. Some wearing the iconic makeup, too. It was a cool feeling to be running around the streets of New York and having people call out my name and give me a wave. Some people I ran into I had only met via social media, so it was great meeting face to face.

The energy in the city was electric.

The first of the two sold-out shows at The Garden took place on Friday night. I did not have a ticket for this show but could have scored one last minute, but I opted to take in some sightseeing around the city and do some record shopping in Brooklyn.

I tried to avoid social media as much as possible in case there were any show spoilers from the Friday night show. I wasn’t really expecting anything major to happen at these shows but just in case it did, I wanted to avoid any details that may leak.

Saturday arrived and my final KISS show was only hours away.

I was excited but figured it would pretty much be the same show we saw throughout the End of the Road tour. Still, I was there to take it all in one last time and salute Paul & Gene for the 50 years they have put into this thing that we all love.

Granted, the KISS of today is way different than the KISS that ruled my world from the mid ‘70’s to the mid ‘80’s and different than the KISS that reunited in the mid ‘90’s and took over the world again, but it’s still the band that gave me a love for music and the band that inspired me to be a musician. For that they will always be my Number One band.

Amber Wild featuring Paul Stanley’s son, Evan Stanley opened the show with a short set. They are a decent band, and you could tell they were excited to be playing The Garden. I am sure Paul must be proud watching his son up there doing his thing.

This final show was being broadcast live around the world via Pay Per View and during the intermission we got to see some of the interviews that were being aired on TV, but the audio was kind of weird and the video dropped out from time to time, so it was tough trying to hear what was going on.

I did manage to catch most of Desmond Childs interview, and you could tell he was excited to be there celebrating the legacy of KISS. Desmond co-wrote “I Was Made for Loving You” in 1979 with Paul and he said that is what led to him being able to write songs for the likes of Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and countless others.

We also got to see interviews with the KISS Kids; Nick & Sophie Simmons and Evan Stanley. One of the funniest moments during these interviews was when the interviewer asked the kids if they thought this day would actually come, that the band would end and Nick Simmons said, “I thought it ended in 1999.”

While not interviewed for Pay Per View, The Garden was full of fellow rockers showing support for KISS. I saw posts from John 5 (Rob Zombie/Motley Crue), Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Butch Walker (Marvelous 3) and Jamie St. James (Black and Blue).

Once the house lights went down, we got the classic intro “Alright New York, You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best, The Hottest Band In The World………KISS!!!!!!”

….and we were off to the races.

The setlist was identical to what I had seen in Cincinnati a couple months prior; so, no surprises. The thing that was noticeably different was how loudly everyone in the crowd was singing along to all those classic songs. Everyone was singing like it was their last chance to do so. That amped up the electricity in the room.

I won’t go through the entire setlist, but all the classics were there, “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Deuce,” “Cold Gin,” “Heaven’s On Fire,, Lick It Up,” “I Was Made For Loving You,” “Love Gun,” “War Machine” etc.

I will admit it was pretty emotional at points but most of that emotion came from thinking back about all the memories I have had with this band over the past 47 years, not so much the performance they were in the middle of.

I thought about all those ‘70’s KISS shows I attended with my family. I thought about the various times I met different members of the band throughout the years. I thought about the times my band got to open for various KISS members. There was just a lot swirling around in my head as I realized this was the end of an era.

The band seemed to be having a lot of fun and kept it pretty light. Paul talked about being a cab driver in New York City in 1972 and he drove some people to The Garden to see Elvis Presley and he told them that one day his band would be playing Madison Square and they laughed at him. He said he wasn’t just saying it, he believed it. Paul also spoke about memories of playing the Garden and seeing their parents in the audience. I think that was probably the most emotional part of the night for Paul.

There was no big farewell speech, no special guests, no unexpected deep cuts, it was just KISS doing what they do best, a big rock & roll spectacle. That’s what we were all there for and that’s what we got.

On this special night I noticed how engaged the crowd was. One thing that kind of annoys me about modern-day arena rock shows is how people never seem to stay in their seats when the band is performing. People are always getting up to go get food, go to the restroom, getting another beer; can’t you do all that in one trip? Double up on those beers. This crowd was focused for the entire show.

The big finale came with “Rock and Roll All Night” and then it was all over…. or was it????

KISS disappeared in a cloud of smoke and then the opening chords of “God Gave Rock and Roll to You” started playing and images of KISS appeared on a big screen on the stage and Paul said “Kiss Army; your love, your power has made us immortal, the new KISS era starts now.”

And the KISS Avatars were introduced.

The crowd seemed very confused by what was happening at this point.

Not sure how I feel about this new era, but we will have to wait and see how it all unfolds. Personaly I don’t see myself attending a Kiss Avatar concert but maybe it will open up doors for new music from the band.

And just like that, the last KISS show ever was over.

I made my way out of The Garden and decided to grab a hot dog before heading into Penn Station to grab the subway back to the West Village.

Final thoughts?

I thought it was a perfect night. There has been a lot said about how they should have done things differently, but for me it was perfect.

I was there to celebrate KISS with my fellow KISS Army members, and it felt like a big party celebrating the Hottest Band in The World.

While this definitely felt like the end of touring for KISS, I feel like there will be more KISS-related events in my future.

I think Gene will tour with his solo band like he did a few years back. Paul will probably do more stuff with his R&B band Soul Station. There will be KISS conventions to go to and other things that will keep the KISS community connected.

I hope they continue to open the vaults and deliver more archival releases and celebrate their rich history of the band.

I am sure I am leaving out some stuff, but it was a great weekend in the Big Apple and totally worth the trip.

Legends Never Die……

Below are some photos from now and then……..

First Ticket, Last Ticket. My first Kiss concert ticket from July of 1976 and the Golden Ticket that was given out at the last show at Madison Square Garden. 47 Years!

Before the curtain dropped for the last time…..

Some Kiss swag I picked up at the Kiss Pop Up Shop, as well as the Prince Street Pizza box and a copy of the New York Post.

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH. band Radio Tramps. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

Blog