Kiss
PNC Music Pavilion
July 19, 2014

For 40 years, Kiss has been a well-oiled, money-making, touring machine. The make-up-wearing, leather-clad quartet has undergone a few lineup changes, but some things remain the same. If you go to a Kiss concert these days, you're going to hear the hits. You're going to see Gene Simmons spit fireballs, drool blood and fly to the rafters. You're going to hear Paul Stanley hit all the high notes and run his hands through his hair. You're going to see Tommy Thayer shoot fireworks from his guitar.

Walking into a Kiss show, you don't expect surprises, you simply expect to be entertained. On the band's current tour, they're playing a 75-minute closing set after co-headliner Def Leppard. Instead of reviewing the show and giving you the same details you can read in countless other places, we thought we'd offer some of the gems we caught wind of in the crowd, along with five comments you'd never hear at a Kiss show.

Heard in the VIP area between sets by a loud guy talking to a group of his buddies:
Guy A: "It's not a good concert unless you see titties. I'd even take one titty."
Guy B lifts his own shirt to expose his chest.
Guy A: "Not yours. You keep your shirt on!"

Woman talking to her friend about a makeup- and spandex-wearing Gene Simmons look-alike walking around in the crowd:
"Let's get a picture with him! Wait ... He's not the young Gene Simmons, he's the old, fat Gene Simmons. Nevermind."

Guy to a woman working at one of the drink stands:
"You don't have the Cran-Brrr-Rita?!"

Tipsy older gentleman standing next to me during the Kiss performance:
"You really think that's Gene Simmons up there?! That's not Gene Simmons."

Paul Stanley to the sold-out Charlotte crowd:
"Last night we were in Atlanta."
Crowd unleashes a sea of boos.
"That's OK. They said the same thing about you."

Guy to his friend heading toward the stairs at the back of the lawn as Kiss winds down its penultimate song:
Guy A: "'Detroit Rock City' means get the fuck out [of the concert] while you still can."
Guy B: "You can say the same thing about the city."

And five things you'll never hear at a Kiss show:
- "Do you think they'll play 'Rock and Roll All Nite'/'Detroit Rock City' tonight?"
- "I wonder if Gene Simmons will stick his tongue out tonight."
- "How do you think they clean the blood off of his bass?"
- "It would be great if Paul Stanley acknowledges that he's in Charlotte as much as possible."
- "Is that [lookalike] really Gene Simmons?"

Kiss setlist
Psycho Circus
Deuce
Shout It Out Loud
War Machine
Hotter Than Hell
I Love It Loud
Lick It Up
Bass Solo
God of Thunder
Hide Your Heart
Cold Gin
Love Gun
Black Diamond
Detroit Rock City
Rock and Roll All Nite