KISS Gold Coast review: Rockers reach the End of the Road in Australia
It wasn’t the first “final show ever” KISS have played on the Gold Coast, but we can safely say it will be the last.
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Queensland, and the Gold Coast, have written the last chapter of KISStory again. Only this time it’s for real.
Twenty-one-and-a-half years ago shock rockers KISS played the Gold Coast in what was supposed to be their last show ever, anywhere.
History will show that with the help of replacement members they continued rocking and rolling all night and partying every day for another couple of decades, and on Saturday night they were back on the Glitter Strip for what must surely be their last Australian show ever, given founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons are now in their 70s.
This was, after all, the End of the Road Tour.
And it was a fitting journey full circle, with Townsville’s loss the Gold Coast’s gain as the gig was moved south to accommodate a Cowboys home NRL final.
AUSTRALIA!!! Thank you for your warm hospitality, terrific reception and amazing turnouts. 100,000 tickets sold and unforgettable shows. You are always in my heart. Now... returning home with all these memories. pic.twitter.com/t0cAQrp62F
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) September 10, 2022
KISS have only played regional Queensland once, Mackay in 2013.
“This is the second time we’ve been here,” Stanley told the respectably sized Gold Coast crowd.
“This is the last night of our Australian tour and we will not forget you.”
There may have been fewer painted faces in the crowd than in previous tours, but they were no less passionate.
This “last KISS” was also the first concert at the 14-year-old Cbus Super Stadium, which didn’t exist when the band’s Farewell Tour came to Carrara (now Metricon) Stadium in 2001.
The rockers might be reaching the end of the line but their solid two-hours-plus of showmanship and spectacle would be the envy of artists half their age.
They dazzled the senses, from fireworks and flame throwers to Simmons’ blood-spitting and fire-breathing, Stanley catching a flying fox across the crowd to a mini-stage to perform a couple of numbers, Tommy Thayer shooting rockets from his guitar and Eric Singer pounding out a killer drum solo.
And there was a rare full-band version of Shandi, the song that topped the charts during Australia’s first “KISSteria” in 1980.
While the setlist remained unchanged throughout this tour, it comprehensively covered off their career, including the lesser-known Say Yeah from 2009’s Sonic Boom.
In line with tradition they opened with Detroit Rock City and closed with Rock and Roll All Nite, Stanley’s guitar-smashing a fitting end to a relationship with Australia spanning decades.
Setlist: Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud, Deuce, War Machine, Heaven’s on Fire, I Love It Loud, Say Yeah, Cold Gin, Lick It Up, Calling Dr. Love, Do You Love Me, Psycho Circus/100,000 Years, God of Thunder, Love Gun, I Was Made For Lovin’ You, Black Diamond. Encore: Beth, Shandi, Rock and Roll All Nite.
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About to play the stadium in Gold Coast, Australia. pic.twitter.com/znrKebOCko
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) September 10, 2022
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