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Story by Andy Argyrakis Taking over the Hard Rock Hotel in November 2014, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer conquered their nine-night run and also gave the army a second chance to relive the action when Fathom Events brought the concert film "KISS Rocks Vegas" to select theatres all across America (including Chicago's ShowPlace ICON at Roosevelt Collection). Following a mini-documentary featuring all the unmasked players explaining the intricate production, they took the stage in full character, blasting off to the beats of "Detroit Rock City" as giant video panels accompanied more flames and fireworks than the 4th of July. Throughout the next 90 minutes, KISS amped up the action with similarly structured fist-pounding anthems such as "Psycho Circus," "War Machine" (accented with Simmons' fire breathing) and "Deuce" (to name but a handful from the vault). For "Lick It Up," Stanley and Thayer took a ride on a hydraulic lift to give those in the rafters a closer view, while simultaneously inserting some fitting riffs from The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again." There were several more flights above the audience (Simmons' blood-spitting bass solo, the Stanley-led "Love Gun"), plus there was even a levitating drum kit as Singer sang "Black Diamond." The energy and literal explosiveness climbed yet again in the encore thanks to "Shout It Out Loud" and "Rock And Roll All Nite," which very well may have broken the record for all-time sensory overload at any movie theatre, and at the very least, supplied an adrenaline-doused primer for KISS appearing in the flesh on the "Freedom To Rock" Tour all summer long. |
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