I was on silent retreat at a monastery last week (and intend to post a few reflections about that later). Each evening I would check in with my husband via cell phone as I walked to the chapel for Compline, which is the closing prayer service of the day, at 7:30. One evening as I walked through the silent dusk, my husband excitedly told me that he had scored free tickets for the KISS concert. Did I want to go?
Of course, I said. Then went into the chapel to listen to the monks chant the Psalms.
It strikes me that I am equally at home/not at home in these two worlds, silence and heavy metal.
Last night was the concert: KISS Live 35. I’m not a KISS fan, but I am a member of my generation. And I’ve got to hand it to a band that can still be touring, 35 years later. Longevity is not to be taken for granted. I feel good about my marriage going strong at 25 years, and my hat is off to any creative group that can keep it happening.
I read Wikipedia before we went, to see if I recognized any song titles beside “I Want to Rock & Roll All Night”. My husband assured me that I’d recognize the music when it began. He said: Remember the 80s? It’s the stuff that would come on the radio and you’d change the channel. Since he and I met in 1983, I can assure you he did not make this up.
The concert was at the Verizon Center in downtown DC. We got there a bit early, got on-street parking for a bargain price, then had supper at Legal Seafoods, always a treat. Sauntered across the street to find our seats: very very high and front, so we were looking down on the stage with a jumbotron well-placed just to our left. We could get the big picture and see the close-ups at the same moment, really great.
The warm-up band was called Buckcherry, the usual drums and guitars. The lead singer didn’t play any instruments, and he hopped straight up and down, a lot. I didn’t recognize anything they played, it was a real muddy metal sound. All of the members were heavily tattooed: full sleeves, chest, neck. As I watched, I thought 2 things: 1) are they meth-heads?, and 2) at what point will they tattoo their legs and dispense with pants?
If this doesn’t seem too profound, sorry.
Then the switch to the main event. The warm-up band probably had a hundred amplifiers etc on stage which were removed by a swarm of guys. Then black curtains came down. When they finally came up to reveal KISS, the set was very clean-looking with an elevated drumset, lots of fiery red lights and smoke and pyrotechnics. The warm-up band was like seeing junior high kids at a talent show, compared to watching professionals.
The makeup is a hoot, and you gotta love the silver and black costumes, they are classics. I remember seeing their boots at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in August. What struck me about the costumes: with the black wigs, lack of tattoos, and eyes that aren’t bloodshot, the band almost felt clean-cut. They may not like to hear that, but that’s how it felt to me. Like kids trying to be Baaad for Halloween. The blood-spitting is just kind of ridiculous, and yes, I jumped every time they lit fireworks.
On their most famous number, “Rock & Roll All Night” the confetti canons were going full-tilt. Then there was the obligatory guitar-smashing and Gene Simmons ascended into the heavens on a wire. “You didn’t come here to save the whales or solve global poverty” they said. “You came here to forget all that, so let’s rock on!”
Yep, not every band is U2 and that’s a good thing. These guys were having fun and giving the crowd what they wanted. The musicians didn’t seem altered at all. They did what they do with a flair that makes me say: marketing can be a beautiful thing. Love your fans. They’ll love you back. The scads of parent/child fan sets were a testimony to that.
Rock on, America.
Couldn’t help but burst out laughing and giggling at your question: “2) at what point will they tattoo their legs and dispense with pants?”.
So good. So funny.