I’m watching Three Sides of the Coin‘s episode #49: Did KISS Dig Deep Enough with the KISS Kruise Setlist? As always, the discussion is very engaging and prompts me to chime in with a few thoughts of my own.

Musical Chops

I agree with Mitch Lafon that Paul Stanley sounded great and that Eric Singer played and sang great, too.

Rock and Roll All Nite

Michael Brandvold, Mitch Lafon, and Tommy Sommers argue against Rock and Roll All Nite being played on the KISS Kruise. Michael says he would prefer to hear more rarities. I disagree – at least with respect to that song. It’s a classic and it’s their staple song. It’s their calling card. It’s as iconic as their make-up. When they started playing that song at the end of their set on KISS Kruise III, I just loved it. Why? Not because it was a fresh. Not because it was a revelation. No. Because it was a celebration.

I have no problem with KISS ending their concert with it. They took us on a journey through the rest of the show. They played some rare gems. Almost Human, Mainline, and The Oath were unbelievable. What an experience! And they were having a blast up there. It was more intimate than their arena concerts. Paul, in particular, seemed to be relishing every moment.

’80s Repertoire

I was a teenager in the ’80s so that era of KISS meant something to me, too, so it would be nice to hear some more material from that period. I agree with Michael Brandvold about many of the keys being too high for Paul’s voice today. Paul in the ’80s was singing ridiculously high. I also agree that Gene is probably not a great proponent of playing music from then.

I would love to hear songs from Creatures like Saint and Sinner or Danger, among others.

Cruise and Alcohol

Mitch isn’t such a fan of the cruise experience partly because of the drinking. I’m not a drinker. I just don’t drink at all. I still had an amazing time. There was plenty to do and to experience even if you didn’t want to drink or hang around drinkers.

Interaction

We did get our photos with KISS and, while it was over in a blink of an eye, it was a phenomenal moment. Tommy Sommers expresses his desire that the members of KISS should walk around the ship a little and interact. I fully understand why KISS is NOT doing that. They are working much of the time on the ship – and if they would walk around the ship, they wouldn’t have a moment to themselves. That being said, I would urge them find a way to make this work. Maybe each guy could do a walk around part of the ship or to a dining hall. Yes, they would have security – but something would be better than nothing.

Great episode, guys!