Introduction

By this era, the band had begun to be introduced as “ the hottest band in the land ’’. After viewing this video, you’ll see why they could make such a claim.

Background

This is the second show of a three-night stand at Cobo Hall. This show (the second one) is the only one currently available in its entirety. The third night does not exist on the collectors market but many songs have been seen in some of the official home videos.

Video Specifics

This is a pro-shot show but it does have a few more cliches (a few lines and dropouts here and there) then the first night but is nothing major at all.

The Show

Deuce- a high energy version gets the show off to a great start with a nice scream by Gene towards the end of the song.

Strutter- top notch vocals by Paul and bass work by Gene.

C’mon and Love Me- one of the best version of this tune ever played.

Hotter Then Hell- another high-energy rocker. A few roadies can be seen standing offstage throughout the song. Paul sings the last part of the song with his back sort of turned to the crowd. This song segues into…

Firehouse- a well played song with great red lighting adding to the effect. At the end of the song, Gene blows two fireballs. As he is throwing down the firestick, his hair briefly catches on fire and he can be seen quickly trying to put it out before the lights go off. If you are expecting a huge bonfire then you are going to be disappointed.

She- a rather standard playing with a few hand gestures during the lines “I know she's goin' down ’’ and “ the powers are within her ’’ by Paul. There is a nice little jam session type of vibe that happens before Ace’s solo.

Parasite- not as good as the San Francisco ’75 video version but still solid. Paul plays a black Les Paul during this song and the next song then switches back to his Flying V guitar, which is played during the other eight songs on this video.

Nothin’ To Lose- a great rendition with “ shake it for Petey ’’ vocal ending by Peter.

100,000 Years- a great version. It gets started with Gene’s blood spitting, which has a few video glitches that kind of detracts from it but not a total waste. During the audience participation section after Peter’s solo, Paul says “ we had a rowdy bunch last night ’’. Paul seems more energetic during this show then during the first night. The song ends with fire from the various flame throwers. If you were going to show a non-fan a single clip of what makes Kiss great then this song would be a great idea.

Black Diamond- we can hear Paul tune up before the song starts since the stage lights are all off. A standard playing with a mirrorball effect at the beginning and Peter’s raspy vocals. The song ends with the drum riser rising (imagine that) along with lots of pyro.

Cold Gin- the band comes back out on stage and Paul sees a rowdy fan and says “ you calm down…this is a rock and roll party, not a rumble. ’’. Paul asks everyone if they are alright. He seemed to do this before every song of the show. During Paul’s raps, Peter pokes Ace (who is sitting on the front of the drum kit) with his drumsticks. Prior to the vocals, Ace gives a high leg kick or at least high for him, which is a rare sight. Generally well played with good vocals by Gene.

Rock And Roll All Nite- the band comes back on stage, again. They bow and Paul gets Peter in a headlock. The stage is dark and viewer can hear them tuning up. Paul then introduces the song “ we wrote this while in Detroit ’’. I think this song was written on the West Coast in January of 1975. A rather average version.

Let Me Go Rock and Roll- the band comes back on stage, once again. However, this time they are wearing black robes with hoods so the viewer can’t see exactly who is who. They discard the robes. I’m not sure what the purpose of this was but it seemed rather odd. The song begins with Gene screwing up the first part of the song by singing the first few words of the previous song before catching himself and realizing which song this actually is. Paul helps get Gene back on track vocally. This part can be seen in the Kiss Konfidential home video. This version has a good vibe to it. The microphones are removed to the sides of the stage during the storm of confetti/ jam session ending. Gene and not Peter ends the show by saying “ Detroit, Kiss loves you ’’. Paul smashes his guitar and throws it into the crowd and is helped back to the stage by a security guard.

Overall

Certainly a more energetic performance then the first night. At any rate, you can’t go wrong getting either night as a document of the band near its musical peak. Overall, a 9 out of 10.