The Midwest has always been good to its rock n\u2019 roll bands. Since the dawn of rock anthems, big hair, and pyro, Midwestern cities have been kind hosts to the unapologetic rock show, and Rockford was in the spotlight on Saturday when KISS brought the \u201cFreedom to Rock\u201d tour to the BMO Harris Center.<\/p>\n
Opening with \u201cDetroit Rock City\u201d and blazing (literally) through ninety minutes of classics, the band reminded everyone in attendance why they can still command an arena. The smaller-than-usual venue made the band\u2019s gigantic presence feel even more in your face, and harkened back\u2014at least in some small way\u2014to how it must have felt when Gene Simmons\u2019 demon boots trod all over the midsized stages of America in the mid-70s as the band ascended to power.<\/p>\n
After over forty years, KISS doesn\u2019t necessarily need new tricks up its sleeve \u2013 it just needs to deliver the ones people want to see, and deliver they did. Simmons\u2019 breathed fire during \u201cWar Machine\u201d (a criminally-underrated track in the canon from 1983\u2019s Creatures of the Night<\/em>) and spat blood before ascending to the rafters for \u201cGod of Thunder.\u201d Paul Stanley, the consummate showman, rode a trapeze to the center of the arena for a laser-driven \u201cLove Gun\u201d and generally kept the entire place on its feet. Guitarist Tommy Thayer sported a rocket-shooting guitar and delivered one of the band\u2019s most-beloved tunes, the Ace Frehley-penned \u201cShock Me\u201d (which admittedly felt a bit strange to fans who are rooted in the band\u2019s early years), and drummer Eric Singer delivered the lead vocal on \u201cBeth,\u201d which sported a full-band 12-string acoustic arrangement — it was an interesting approach, if somewhat lost in the sea of epic rock songs.<\/p>\n And as it turned out, the band did, in fact, have a few surprises. \u201cFlaming Youth\u201d from 1976\u2019s Destroyer<\/em> was a welcome shock to the faithful, having been played live only once by the band prior to this tour, and Cheap Trick\u2019s Rick Nielsen\u2014a hometown hero\u2014joined the band for \u201cRock N Roll All Nite,\u201d bringing the night to an explosive conclusion complete with seemingly endless amounts of confetti, streamers, and fireworks.<\/p>\n Rare for a band like KISS, the night\u2014and tour\u2014had a message as well. On each stop, the band has employed a \u201cRoadie of the Day,\u201d offering veterans the chance to assist with the backstage machinery of the show, and the band has routinely donated $150,000 in each city to help sustain the cause as well. On Saturday, Mayor Larry Morrissey was on hand to deliver a proclamation of \u201cFreedom to Rock\u201d Day as local veterans joined him and the band onstage, followed by a full-band rendition of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n As veterans of a different sort, KISS has weathered trends and eras as deftly as any band could, and Saturday\u2019s crowd saw fans in every demographic and age group thrilling to the band\u2019s set in equal measure. As Morrissey noted in his proclamation, KISS are indeed one of the most important bands in the history of American music, love them or hate them\u2014and on Saturday, there was nothing but love from both sides of the stage.<\/p>\n By Christopher\u00a0David<\/p>\n For more on KISS, including the current tour, click here<\/a><\/p>\n