KISS AND DEF LEPPARD @ THE LA FORUM 7/8/14 CONCERT REVIEW

I WANTED THE BEST AND I GOT THE BEST!

After 22 years of waiting I finally experienced my first KISS concert and I couldn't have been more excited. It was also my first time seeing a show at the LA Forum which was an incredible venue after being completely redone.

I have seen Def Leppard before and I was looking forward to seeing them again. They sounded amazing that night at the forum. All the background vocals were spot on and the band was very entertaining. I was told that Vivian Campbell had 30 hours of chemo before the show due to his battle with cancer, but he still got up there on stage and rocked the crowd for an hour. They played all the hits that the crowd wanted to hear and it was a great performance.

Click here for Def Leppard's Setlist

After Def Leppard played a fantastic set, we went to the Forum Club which was packed with guests and had free food for everyone. Plus KISS and Def Leppard cake!

Before we knew it we saw smoke coming through the cracks and knew that only meant one thing, KISS HAS HIT THE STAGE! 

Pyro, blood, flying, and a huge moving spider stage! Need I describe to you how the KISS performance went down? It was everything I wanted from KISS and more! Of course the band has gotten older and even though the make-up might hide their age it's tough singing those high notes from their early days. Gene has always sounded great, but I think his songs are easy to sing. Paul always sings incredibly high notes and he has always pulled it off, but recently his voice has been struggling. It is no reason to not give him any crap because he performed so incredibly well that I wasn't bothered by his vocals. He was soaring high and falling to his knees, giving everyone a bang for their buck. He flew across the crowd and onto a stage that was centered in the middle of the audience and played two songs under a rotating disco ball. I feel like their performance reflected a broadway act where they knew every move they were about to make and they didn't miss a step, and what do you expect from a band that has been doing it right for the past 40 years? Not very many bands can reach the success that KISS has achieved. I'm sure the big elephant in the room is the fact that Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer aren't the original members. I agree of course I would rather watch Ace Frehely and Peter Criss, but I agree with what Paul and Gene said that a band is like a marriage and you aren't going to be in a relationship with your ex. I wish they were more open to playing with the original members, but I am not in their shoes and don't know what the band went through. I am also currently reading Paul's new book and will find out all the dirt very soon. 

Click here for KISS' Setlist