KISS said goodbye to NYC (again) on End of the Road tour – 8/20/19

Many said goodbye to KISS on their Farewell tour back in 2000. The group has obviously resurrected from the dead and have been livin’ it loud for nearly two decades. These legends have released two albums since their prior farewell run with 2009’s Sonic Boom and 2012’s Monster, as well as toured across the globe countless times including their 35th and 40th-anniversary celebrations. With that being said, some fans remain skeptical if their current End of the Road run really does mean the end of KISS. According to Wikipedia, the End of the Road world tour is expected to conclude sometime in 2021. Rumors aside, no one was going to take their chances during last night’s (20th) show at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. There’s a chance; it could have been their farewell performance in their hometown. The venue was packed with devoted fans, and Metal Insider contributing photographer Mathieu Bredeau was there to capture the moment.

KISS have always surpassed your everyday live show. It’s more of a live it loud experience filled with pyro, blood vomit, and fearless momentum. Therefore, on Tuesday evening, it was time to bid farewell (again) to one of rock’s most legendary bands. Predictably so, it was an unforgettable evening.

Bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, guitarists Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer, and drummer Eric Singer, rocked the stage at around 8:45 and wasted no time giving fans what they wanted by opening with “Detroit Rock City,” and “Shout It Out Loud.” The energy inside the arena was in overdrive mode from the get-go as songs continued with “Deuce,” “Say Yeah,” and “I Love It Loud.”

No KISS show is complete without theatrics, pyrotechnics and “The Demon,” breathing fire, as Simmons did during “War Machine.” The KISS Army were shouting along to “Lick It Up” as the song included a tease of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” This brought the room back to 1976 as these glam icons pulled out “Calling Dr.Love” followed by a dazzling drum solo in “100,000 Years.”

Tommy Thayer assumed the spotlight with his own fiery solo on “Cold Gin,” and Gene once again displayed his thirst for blood during his solo for “God Of Thunder.” The band fast-forwarded to 1998 for “Psycho Circus” before Paul took to the air and commanded a mini-stage in the middle of the floor for “Love Gun” and a disco-inspired version of “I Was Made For Lovin’ You.”

After a brief encore break, fans illuminated the sky with their phone screens (sorry, no lighters allowed inside the venue). Eric Singer took to the piano for a short but sweet version of “Beth.” The night was not over yet as KISS reminded the fans tonight was one of those “Crazy Crazy Nights.” This led to an amazing fireworks and flames display, which put an exclamation point on the night with the band’s iconic hit “Rock And Roll All Nite.”

KISS are currently scheduled to tour for the rest of the year and you can check out all dates here.

Words by guest writer Francesco Marano