If you’re a legacy band playing The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, it can be assumed that you’d want to anoint the new host of the most prestigious of the late night shows. That’s exactly what KISS did earlier this evening at the taping for the show, which will air at 11:35, serenading Fallon with “King of the Night Time World.” It’s been three years since the band played the song live, and 15 years since they’ve played it regularly, according to setlist.fm, and Metal Insider was at the taping, which took place in front of about 200 fans.
For the first time since the debut of the show, when U2 played atop 30 Rock, there was a special stage set up for a musical guest on the Tonight Show. Fallon’s old Late Night studio, which adjoins his new one, was set up with enough pyro, confetti and explosions for an arena tour, and the crowd was enthusiastic enough for one. While those led to the KISS stage only got to watch the show in progress via a TV screen in back of the room, the crowd really came to life when Nicolas Cage, Fallon’s first guest, was led into the small room to watch. Comedian Jeffrey Ross was also in attendance. As Fallon came into the room to introduce the band in front of one of the smallest shows they’d played in some time, Paul Stanley flicked guitar picks at him. When they began, it was thrilling to hear “King of the Night Time World,” but it was even more exciting to be close enough to feel the flames every time pyro went off and be covered with confetti as the song ended. And while the band always plays to the rafters, it was somewhat surreal to watch them play to such a small room.
After the song ended, Fallon suggested that KISS might come back. They then went back into the Tonight Show studio to interact with the audience as the show ended, then made their way back to studio 6B to play a few more songs for the die-hards. “Deuce,” “Black Diamond,” “Hotter Than Hell” and “Firehouse” ended the band’s set and was a nice cap to the band’s week that involved them being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That being said, Stanley took several shots at the Hall, telling the crowd “those people go to the Hamptons, they don’t go to shows. They don’t buy music.” At the end of the day, KISS won. They got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and got to play the Tonight Show.
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“Hotter Than Hell”/”Firehouse”
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