Introduction

A decent show but one that, ultimately, left me disappointed.

Background

Video Specifics

Tripod shot, single cam from the “ Gene ’’ side of the stage. The audio sounds a little distant to me. There is a multi-cam version of this show that is supposedly less enjoyable then this single cam version. However, I found the camera work of this single cam show to be very jerky, which detracted from the performance.

The Show

Psycho Circus- the camerawork during the opening is a bit shaky. The first think I noticed is the “ Bud Light ’’ banner in the background behind Paul. Gene spends lots of time mugging for the in-house camera. Paul’s vocals could have been better since they sound a bit buried.

Shout It Out Loud- a decent version. The audio gets low for the last part of the song for some reason. The song begins and ends with some pyro. Prior to the next song, the screen goes black but we hear Paul say “ we are home ’’.

Deuce- Paul introduces this song as “ the first song from the first album ’’. Strutter was the first song from the first album. The camera pulls back and we get a better view of the stage for the first part of the song. Prior to the next song, Paul says “ now we’re going to start 3D ’’. Paul hams it up, making hand gestures, for the 3D camera.

Do You Love Me ?- a well played version although the camerawork was a bit shaky at the beginning. At the end of the song, Ace descends the stairs that lead down underneath the stage. I have no clue as to why he does this.

Firehouse- the camera focuses on Paul for almost the entire song. A rather pedestrian version with Gene blowing 1 fireball at the end.

Shock Me- not a particularly great version. The camera focuses exclusively on Ace for the song.

Let Me Go Rock and Roll- the camera is black for the first part of the song. When it does return, it focuses on Ace and Paul. It’s not until the bass solo that we see Gene. Paul kicks a beach ball back to the crowd just at the start of the choreography.

Callin’ Dr. Love- certainly one of the better-filmed songs of the evening with all members getting screen time at the appropriate moments. Prior to the next song, Paul says “ we wanted to play a whole bunch of nights but they just didn’t have ‘em

available ’’. Right.

Into the Void- a decent enough version of this song, one of the few from the Psycho Circus that actually seemed to work well in a live setting. The filmer pans between Ace and Paul throughout the song.

Makin’ Love- this was the last performance of this song on the Psycho Circus tour. A head gets in the way, which means Ace gets as much screen time as Paul does throughout the song.

God of Thunder- Gene’s blood spitting routine has a “ just get it over with ’’ type of feel to it. Of course, there is ample posing by Gene. The shadows and lighting are not especially great when Gene is raised above the stage onto his small platform.

King of the Night Time World- pyro at the end of the song is hard to see.

Within- if you can watch the version of this song and know the words then congratulations to you because I would be had pressed to. The guitar work by Ace is good though. Peter’s drum solo ends off this song.

I Was Made For Lovin’ You- the screen is dark for the first quarter of this song. Paul gets most of the screen time for the other three quarters of the tune. The ending is similar to the pyro ending on Alive III.

Love Gun- Paul flies to his little platform after his rap about not wanting to be an uninvited guest and he briefly mentions that he use to be in the crowd now he is on the stage at Madison Square Garden. When Paul is on his platform, the view is really good. Too bad the whole show couldn’t be this close or good.

100,000 Years- a better version then one might expect. Well filmed with pyro during the “ do ya fell alright ? ’’ part. About half way through the song, Gene leans back to ham it up (or say something) with Peter.

Rock and Roll All Nite- the usual version with the confetti storm during the song. During the audience participation section, someone in the crowd hands Paul some flowers, which he discards onto the stage floor shortly after. Paul smashes his guitar to end the song.

Beth- Peter sits and sings.

Detroit Rock City- prior to this song a record industry person gives the band a gold album (their 30^th gold album according to this record guy) for Psycho Circus. The song begins with pyro and shortly after Gene starts to tongue Ace’s neck. Too bad Paul isn’t on camera for half of the song.

Black Diamond- Paul’s cracked mirror makes an appearance. It begins with Paul’s extended guitar intro. Peter says “ Kiss has got you under their thumb ’’. The song and the show end with the typical big finish of pyro.

Overall

A decent show but considering the quality of many of the shows from this tour, I can’t help but think that this show is inferior. Perhaps most objectionable about this show is the camerawork. While decent for the most part, many single handheld camera shot shows are better filmed and more enjoyable. You might want to look elsewhere. Overall, a 7.5 out of 10.