And so Kiss roll into Britain for their third last-ever-time. Their End of the Road tour – which has now lasted longer than the first world war and used nearly as many explosives – has already come to these shores in 2019 and 2022, each time promising to be the final UK shows (there was also a Kiss Farewell Tour in 2000-2001, but that didn’t make it to Europe). Nevertheless, here they are again, kabuki makeup and pyrotechnics present and correct.
Pretty much everything about Kiss is amazing: the self-mythologising, the shamelessness, the complete bravado of their stage show, which is more like a fireworks display than a gig. They haven’t earned the loyalty that fills arenas after 50 years by not giving the crowds what they want, and they haven’t becoming one of rock’s biggest brands without squeezing every last drop out of those loyal fans (there’s a vast range of T-shirts on sale tonight, starting at an eye-watering £45). The only thing they’ve ever lacked is enough great songs to fill a show of nearly two hours – even fan favourites such as Cold Gin or Makin’ Love are so basic you spend three minutes waiting for something, anything to happen.
