KISS - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 7th October @ Accor Stadium, Sydney NSW
KISS - Last Ever Australian Show
Accor Stadium, Sydney NSW
October 7, 2023
Supports: Weezer, Regurgitator and The Delta Riggs
“I think this will be about my 14th or 15th time seeing Kiss.” - Mick P. 45yo superfan.
It’s a bizarre feeling, knowing that you’re going to see a band for the last time, especially one as iconic as KISS. In this day and age, it’s easy to forget just how important this band have been to the fabric of rock 'n roll. For all the shit talk of them being ‘past it’ and just using the “final tour” thing as a selling point, the band itself have been the benchmark of live music for over 50 years. Everyone from Metallica down pays homage to these legends, and so they should. The landscape would be very different without them, and despite this being their third time doing a farewell show in this country, they’ve assured us, once and for all, that this is absolutely, their last ever show EVER in Australia.
It’s two hours before doors and there’s a few hundred people already lined up at one of the many gates at The Olympic Stadium in Homebush. The guys at the front of the line have been here since 6am and have travelled from as far as Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Penrith. The bars surrounding the stadium are chockers full of fans throwing a few beers under the bus. I don’t blame them really since the grog on offer inside the stadium is half the strength and twice the price.
After a cheeky beer, I head inside and take my seat at the far end of the arena from the stage to watch The Delta Riggs play to an almost empty stadium. There's maybe 500 people in front of them on the ground and if I'm honest, they’re all here to get primo position for the main act in 4 hours time. There are sound issues early. From where I’m sitting it sounds like a muffled crackling mess that once they clear it up it still sounds like they’re playing in a pub and I’m a block down the street getting a kebab. The screen is locked in on the drummer and he gives it his all, but despite the lads throwing everything at this performance, playing to an empty stadium can be a bit rubbish. Good effort though lads. You just opened for KISS.
I grab a drink and meet an old bloke who saw KISS as a teenager on their inaugural Aussie tour in 1980. He’s here with his son and grandson and recalls the audience being a bit more mental back then. When I point out he’s one of the few blokes that are here for their first and last gigs in Australia he says “and I’ll turn up to their next last show too.”
Regurgitator hit the stage dressed as nuns and I’m starting to get Big Day Out flashbacks. More punters have shown up but the place still looks relatively empty. These blokes are well versed in playing big arenas on the back of a few hundred festivals and these veterans of Aussie excellence put on their big boy stadium voices. The quality of the sound has improved somewhat and somehow, so did my seating position. In amongst a killer set consisting of classics like ‘Polyester Girl’, ‘Blubber Boy’ and ‘Kong Foo Sing’, the lads tell tales of the times KISS were in their lives and the importance of the icons to these Aussie legends. It makes for a very cool set that provides a bit of a nostalgic vibe while adding some much-needed energy to this low-key crowd. A few songs in, a bloke dressed in a big green wig, an orange princess dress and morning-after makeup joins the band onstage. He’s sporting a keyboard guitar and prances about like a meth-dependent Tinkerbell. They close out with ‘! (The Song Formerly Known As)’, and leave the stage grinning like they’ve just opened for their heroes.
The sun disappears behind the west end of the stadium and it starts to get real cold in this open-air arena. I went full boomer, checked the weather forecast and was smart enough to pack a jumper. A slew of the younger fans on the other hand, while looking amazing, are hardly dressed for the snow. I see one young bloke with Paul Stanley face paint, leather tights, big boots and no shirt and while he looks a million bucks, he also looks cold. With the temperature set to drop, I hope for his sake that more people pile into the pit and keep him warm.
Weezer kick off and Accor might be a quarter full. Where Regurgitator and The Delta Rigs were positioned at the front of the stage with no bells or whistles, Weezer are more of a full stage experience. They launch into ‘My Name is Jonas’ and while the lads aren’t exactly a high-octane mob, they get a decent enough response from this fairly flat Sydney crowd. Frontman Rivers Cuomo thanks Sydney and KISS, saying that to open for them is a “dream come true”. The band launches into a cover of ‘Strutter’ which I thought was a strange thing to do considering who they’re opening for, but it got the loudest pop so far. The energy starts to build with ‘Undone - The Sweater Song’ but they follow it up with the acoustic ‘Only in Dreams’ and it all dies again. They play out the rest of a killer set with ‘Island In the Sun’, ‘Say It Ain’t So’, ‘Hash Pipe’ (where Rivers uses a very metal-looking Jackson Rhoads guitar) and ‘Buddy Holly’, and while a bunch of keen punters sing and dance along, most of this crowd may as well be asleep. They thank us anyway and do an "Aussie Aussie Aussie" chant before the stage gets stripped and the huge KISS banner covers the stage
A mass exodus of the outside bars must have just occurred because the ample empty seats in the stadium begin to fill. There’s face paint emerging from every door and the people watching is killer. There’s an 8-year-old with his Dad, both decked out as Gene Simmons. There’s a lady in full Catwoman spandex and Paul Stanley makeup. There’s people who dressed for the weather, and people that dressed for the show. I’m sorry kids, but you can’t do both. For the first time tonight, there’s a buzz in the stadium. People are starting to get excited and the place is filling out nicely as a pre-show playlist consisting of the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Alice Cooper get this multi-generational crowd moving. The lights dim as ‘Rock and Roll’ by Led Zeppelin blasts throughout the stadium and people get to their feet as footage of Paul, Gene, Tommy and Eric emerging from their change room hits the giant screens sandwiching the stage. Then a voice booms from the stage…
“ALRIGHT SYDNEY!!! YOU WANTED THE BEST. YOU GOT THE BEST. THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD. KIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!”
The curtains drop to reveal the band hoisted high on descending platforms as they belt out ‘Detroit Rock City’ while engulfed by the flashing lights and pyro exploding all around them. The people are up and excited for the first time all night (and it might just be me, but whenever I hear them sing “GET DOWN”, I hear it in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice.) Gene steps to the mic as they launch into 'Shout It Out Loud' and the crowd is actually dancing.
They rip through ‘Deuce’ and the leather-clad legends to my right lose their minds for a bit when Gene, Paul and Tommy rock out side by side in unison. ‘War Machine’ and ‘Heaven’s on Fire’ follow before Gene Simmons breathes fire during ‘I Love It Loud’. The crowd in the stands might be waning but the four legends on stage are showing no signs of slowing down. Paul leads the pace and the between-song banter is mint. If I had a shot every time Paul Stanley says “HEY SYDNEY” I’d be wrecked by now. There’s a lot of love in the room as he says “Y’know, no shit, we think of Australia as our second home. WE LOVE YOU SYDNEY!!! This is our 16th time here. First time we came here was 1980. You people have always been awesome. You’re not getting tired are ya? Because we are just getting started.”
This being my first KISS show, I never thought I’d hear my favourite song of theirs ‘Cold Gin’ and to follow it up with a Tommy Thayer guitar solo is the cherry on top. More rock-solid classics follow with ‘Lick It Up’, ‘Calling Doctor Love’ and ‘Making Love’. There must be a ‘Marry Me Gene’ sign in the crowd because Gene points to his wedding finger then waves his finger back to the person with a resounding NO! Eric Singer rips out a brilliant drum solo made all the more impressive by the fact that he makes it look dead easy. ‘God Of Thunder’ destroys my hearing then Paul gets on that flying fox and takes off to the stage sitting in the middle of the arena for ‘Love Gun’, before flying back for fake closer ‘Black Diamond’.
The piano sounds for the encore and there’s a huge singalong as Eric Singer performs ‘Beth’ before they rev things up with ‘Shandi’, ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ and all-time anthem ‘Rock and Roll All Nite”. Fireworks explode along with my eardrums and the place empties out to ‘God Gave Rock N’ Roll to You II”.
KISS were great, they really were. Is this the best show they’ve ever played? I bloody doubt it. But we were hardly the best crowd either. Yeah, it was cold and getting to and from Accor is a chore, and for most of us, our best days are well behind us, but would it kill you Sydney to stand up and dance along to the songs you love being played by these four icons for the very last time? At one point I looked back to see audience members sitting there like they were watching a cover band on a Thursday night at the RSL after the meat tray raffles. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it’s rock 'n bloody roll and I’m so glad I went. Paul said it best when he said “That’s what makes us live. It’s not perfect. It’s passionate”.
Thanks for everything KISS. I hate to see you go, but I loved watching you leave...
Gig Review by Duane James @duanejames666
Mick G's final thoughts: Having been a fan of KISS since 1980 - and the band being responsible for my love of hard rock and heavy metal - the opportunity to cover their last ever show in Australia was one I wanted badly. It was an honour to be able to shoot in a extremely populated photo pit, with many of my colleagues, security and VIP ticket holders sharing that same experience. It wasn’t easy, but the thought of being one of only 20 to have the chance made me eternally grateful. I hope you all enjoy my photos from the night, it was one I’ll not forget.
Photo Gallery by Mick Goddard. Insta: @mickg_photography
Please credit Wall of Sound and Mick Goddard if you repost.
The Delta Riggs
Regurgitator
Weezer
KISS
