Live Review: KISS - The O2, London 05/07/2023
It was officially the end of the road for Kiss, but last Wednesday night at the O2 Arena you could’ve been mistaken for thinking it was just the beginning.
The New York legends delivered a show that will preserve their legacy as one of the greatest acts to see live, with their explosive spectacle of hair, heels, leather and fire, that perfectly mixes the dark and satanic with disco balls and glam.
The Rock’n’roll Hall of Fame inductees blasted their way through their most iconic hits during their full-throttle yet poignant two-hour-long, last-ever London show, with blood, glitter and fan tears all shed along the way.
Excitement skyrocketed through the venue when Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll filled the arena, signalling show time was imminent, shortly before a short video played of the band making their way from backstage to stage.
Fireworks exploded as the band members finally appeared and descended from suspended platforms while teetering on their signature platform heels, surrounded by fire and smoke as they lowered down to the unmistakable intro of ‘Detriot Rock City’.
Giant lit-up statues flanked either side of the stage, reminding the audience of the band’s colossal presence not only in the arena but their gravitas throughout rock music history as well.
From the off, the band hammered home to the crowd that it was the last gig they would ever play in London - also that it was the 20th time they had played in the capital.
They pulled out all the stops to say goodbye to London, or the ‘holy land’ as frontman Paul Stanley referred to it: “It’s a sad night but we’re gonna make the most of it. It’s the last time we’ll ever play London.
“London has always been the holy land - this is where the music we love came from. That’s why I know how awesome you people are. I know how crazy you can get.’
Throughout the evening the legendary rockers slid right up and down their back catalogue and musical timeline, jumping from the ‘70s to the ‘90s in a beat.
They weren’t afraid to touch tracks they admittedly hadn’t played in a while, like 1976’s ‘Makin Love’.
1983’s arena-ready anthem ‘Lick it Up’ was a crowd favourite, a highlight was the energetic solo battle between Stanley and guitarist Tommy Thayer.
Stanley, AKA Starchild, was playful with the audience throughout, praising them on one hand or in the same breath teasing them for not being wild animals or ‘crazy’.
If they weren’t giving the band enough, he knew it and he wasn’t going to let it slide on their final time in the city: “It’s an honour to be up here but I tell you something, it kinda makes me puzzled and a little sad when I look out there and I see people on [their] asses.
“My god, this is a rock’n’roll concert, I wanna remember you. I don’t wanna be up here anymore, I wanna come up there and be with you, I can do it too you know it. But you have to invite me, like a vampire.
“I’ll make this easy”, he continued, I’ll count to three and say my name as loud as you can.”
With all their infamous makeup on, the band did almost look immortal, like they haven’t aged since their heydey of the 70s.
During a performance of Deuce, from their first-ever album, visuals in the background played an old montage of the band when they were younger, and they mirrored the moves shown on screen like it was just yesterday.
Their stage antics are a huge part of their shows and there was no skimping on these tonight, they still nail all of the classic Kiss theatrics.
They might not be setting their hair on fire on the stage anymore, but they’re still dabbling with torches set alight and guitars that shoot fireworks.
Paul Stanley’s wild trick was his infamous ‘flight’ from the main stage to the centre of the arena, landing on a tiny podium to perform ‘Love Gun’.
A large glitterball sent splinters of light around the arena while lasers projected upwards around the podium, making a sort of futuristic cage around Paul and giving the 02 a full glam rock treatment.
Each band member got their time to really shine during the two-hour-long show and it felt refreshing to witness a band with no beef or stage egos clashing.
One of the most infamous moments that’s become a favourite on the band’s tour circuit is bassist Gene Simmon's sludgy, dirty and blood-soaked performance of ‘God of Thunder’.
The crowd went wild at this homage to horror movies, as blood trickled down his even more infamous tongue and he rose up above the stage on a platform.
Drummer Eric Singer performed a well-timed drum solo, perfectly hitting the mark of the cameraman each time the solo climaxed, gesturing to the audience with a smug finger gun.
Following a short encore from the band, Singer then also took to the ivories, rising out of the floor to play an impassioned rendition of ‘Beth’ as the crowd waved their lighters in the air.
“You don’t wanna go home yet do ya?” asked Paul. “Cool! Can you sing with us, I know you can! It’s simple, do, do, doo-doo, do, do, doo…’
Cue disco-tinged ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You’ as huge balloons dropped from the ceiling and pinged around the arena.
“I’m talking to you, yes you! What do you say, do you wanna rock and roll all night and every day?”
Confetti poured out from above as the band then launched into their final song, another banger from the vaults, 1975’s ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’.
With all Stanley’s questions and posturing to the arena screens, for one night only, it felt like we, the audience, were the fifth member of the band.
This notion peaked when the crowd acted as acapella backing singers in a stripped-back section of the ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’, singing over nothing but a drum beat.
It’s clear that the band and audience make each other go crazy in some kind of symbiotic relationship, the wilder they got, the wilder the audience got, and vice versa - this was no better articulated than in the finale song’s lyrics itself: “And you drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy.”
Whether you’re a Kiss fan or not, that's what you’ve got to give them credit for - they will make you want to party. It’s undeniable.
At the end of the show, Stanley held his guitar high in the air in front of a wall of fire, almost as a sign of solidarity, before smashing his guitar on the floor for one final time in the city - signifying the end of 50 years of playing, 20 shows in London, going as far back as 1973.
He ended the night with one final question and quip to the fans: “Did you get what you came for?! London, we would never forget you!”
Words by Monique Hall
Photography by Abigail Shii
