Report: KISS Thrills Crowd At Cobo Arena - "For Us, This Is The Holy Land. This Is Where It All Started"
September 26, 2009, 14 years ago
Free Press writer Ben Schmitt has filed the following report on KISS' highly anticipated September 25th show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI:
There was an explosion or two, followed by flashing red sirens.
And we're not talking about a Detroit freeway. We're talking about Kiss' return to Cobo Arena on Friday night.
Kiss renewed its love affair with Detroit Rock City by kicking off its North American tour with the first of two shows at the venue where most of its history-making "Alive!" album was recorded in 1975.
The face-painting, tongue-wagging, fire-spewing hard-rockers were led by founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who gave a loving welcome to the crowd along with late-era additions Tommy Thayer on lead guitar and Eric Singer on drums.
As the skies darkened, fans crammed inside Cobo, screaming, high-fiving and spilling beer. They tried to guess the first song.
The lights went out at 8:50 p.m. Large video screens showed the band walking down the hall and on to the stage.
They opened with 'Deuce' and went right into 'Strutter.'
"Cobo Hall!" Stanley said during a breather, paying homage to the venue that's slated to be shuttered some time next year. "Man, let me tell you something. For us, this is the holy land. This is where it all started."Go to this location for the complete report. A photo gallery from the show is available here.
As previously reported, ABC 12 News spoke with KISS mainmen Gene Simmins and Paul Stanley just prior to the band's highly anticipated performance at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI. Check out video below:
(Photo by Kimberly P. Mitchell / Detroit Free Press)
