All the KISS fans may are still be waiting for the fourth installment of the ultra successful KISSOLOGY series but they will have to wait a little bit longer for that and in the meantime be content with this new live DVD called “KISS Rocks Vegas”. Shot in November 2014 in the frame of the band’s “40th Anniversary World Tour”, KISS played for 9 consecutive nights at “The Joint Hard Rock Hotel and Casino” and the final result reaches even after a two-year delay. As it is customary with every single KISS release, there are lots of positive and a few negative points but luckily in this case the positive aspects are far more and stronger! Let’s take a look at some of them…
I wouldn’t imagine saying this but it is one of the coolest set lists of a KISS show…at least the first half of it. Well, don’t think that KISS unearthed rare or long forgotten gems of its catalogue but it’s not an everyday thing to be treated with such songs as “War Machine”, “Creatures of the Night”, “Parasite”, “Tears are Falling” etc. Naturally, the latter half of the show is comprised by the usual numbers but that’s almost inevitable.
The stage –although smaller- is spectacular, the huge wall screens cover every inch of the stage, the light show is imaginative, the explosions loud and the fireworks as always impressive. It would be a mishap if we didn’t underline the fantastic job of the crew that captured the moment as they almost made us feel like we were into the venue.
Simmons is at his usual great form and he doesn’t stop posing in front of the cameras having his bass up in the mix, Singer is the juggernaut that gives the impetus to the band while Stanley is relatively consistent considering his vocal issues in the last 5-6 years. As for Thayer…well, all I can say is that he remains a copycat of Ace Frehley and the “yes man” of his bosses. He didn’t even have the balls to say “no” when they suggested to recreate Ace’s trademark solos with the rocket shooting. Nuff said…Closing these details by underling that this must be the most uncool audience that we’ve ever seen at a KISS show.
All in all, I dare to say that this must be the best KISS DVD since the “Unplugged” release back in 1996(naturally, the KISSOLOGY trilogy is excluded).
Highlight: There is also a bonus feature with a small acoustic set by KISS for the very lucky few who paid a fortune to meet them. As it is the case with every acoustic KISS set, there are included some rare songs in there like “Love Her All I Can”, “Plaster Caster”, “Christine Sixteen” etc.
