By Christopher David<\/p>\n
Well, not entirely, but damn close. Yes, it\u2019s true\u2014the Demon, the God of Thunder himself\u2014Gene Simmons, backed by a four piece band that would easily rival any of the classic \u201880s rock bands on their own, landed at the Arcada Theatre on Thursday, delivering a well-rounded set that explored classic KISS tracks along with an abundance of deep cuts to a room filled with members of the KISS Army.<\/p>\n
Simmons has been touring a solo project for a while now during KISS\u2019 off-season, and while it would be easy to phone in a set that mirrors that of a KISS show, he\u2019s taken a different route, which is both refreshing and honestly endearing. Ever the showman, he spent the night both cracking wise and rocking out in equal measure, his love for performance clearly on display, while soliciting help from the audience on several occasions.<\/p>\n
A horde of women flanked the band for a singalong version of \u201cI Love it Loud,\u201d while a horde of men, some of whom sported Demon makeup and bat wings in solidarity, gathered on the stage for \u201cDo You Love Me.\u201d While the party atmosphere was a lot of fun, for serious KISS fans, the setlist held some rarely-heard treasures. \u201cA World Without Heroes,\u201d one of the standouts of the night and a single from KISS\u2019 underrated 1981 concept piece The Elder<\/em>, was as bombastic as it was atmospheric, and the raucous \u201cI\u201d from the same record was nearly as rousing, from a melodic standpoint, as classics like \u201cShout it Out Loud\u201d and \u201cDeuce.\u201d (And let\u2019s face it, for the diehards, any opportunity to get something from The Elder<\/em> is not to be taken for granted.) \u201cIt\u2019s My Life,\u201d a Stanley\/Simmons tune that, to date, has only surfaced as a bonus track on a long out-of-print boxed set, is a criminally underrated piece of KISStory, and, let\u2019s be honest, most of us never thought we\u2019d get to hear \u201cSweet Pain\u201d or \u201cCharisma\u201d live.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a common but mistaken assumption that when a megastar like Simmons takes on a solo project, the backing band will be a bunch of hired guns who aren\u2019t really unique or special in their own right. But Simmons\u2019 band are a force to be reckoned with, taking on the additional vocals and offering the energy of any hungry young rock band. Guitarists Ryan Cook, Jeremy Asbrock, and Phil Shouse (of Nashville\u2019s Rock N\u2019 Roll Residency), along with drummer Brent Fitz, kept the crowd riled even during the moments when Simmons took a step back to let them do their thing, culminating in a stomping rendition of \u201cLong Tall Sally\u201d that had the black-clad frontman beaming with joy. Say what you want about KISS; watching one of the two key figures in that group enjoy himself so much in a small theater said everything about how much he truly enjoys what he does – the energy was infectious and will undoubtedly carry fans until the next KISS tour. For the time being, it was a rare pleasure to see Simmons without costumes, without makeup, without the glam rock trappings, throwing his own rock n\u2019 roll party.<\/p>\n For more on Gene Simmons, Kiss and related projects, click here<\/a><\/p>\n