KISS Bids Farewell To Fans At AT&T Center

Not wanting to miss out on one more chance to witness one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Limelight Imaging took a little road trip south to San Antonio to capture images during the End of the Road World Tour for the iconic band KISS. The sound of thunder greeted the concert attendees as they pulled into the parking lot of the AT&T Center in San Antonio on September 8, 2019. Mother Nature knew just what the fans needed to warm them up for the explosions of fire and music they were about to experience.

KISS

Paul Stanley 

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley 

Gene Simmons

KISS was formed in 1973 by Paul Stanley - vocals, rhythm guitar; Gene Simmons - vocals, bass; Peter Criss - drums, vocals; and Ace Frehley - lead guitar, vocals. The band chose to distinguish themselves from other bands by taking on comic-book like personas and performing in make-up and costumes: Paul Stanley as the Starchild, Gene Simmons as the Demon, Ace Frehley as the Spaceman or Space Ace, and Peter Criss as the Catman. The lead guitarist and drummer roles for the group has changed hands several times over the years. The current members include Tommy Thayer on lead guitar and vocals, and Eric Singer on drums. Both Thayer and Singer have kept the personas of their predecessors, Spaceman and Catman.

KISS

Paul Stanley 

Gene Simmons

Tommy Thayer

Eric Singer

Fans of all ages donning Kiss t-shirts and the traditional black and white make-up of their favorite musicians filed into the arena, prepared to rock and roll all night. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band did not disappoint as they played fan favorite after fan favorite from their complete catalog covering their 45 year career.  With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, KISS has definitely garnered millions of devoted fans, so that is who this tour is dedicated to. The tour started on January 31, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada and continues with dates across the US through September 14, 2019. After that KISS heads to Australia, New Zealand, and Japan with multiple stops in each country before returning to the US for stops in Los Angeles and Oakland in March 2020.

Sold out crowd of fans at AT&T Center for Kiss farewell tour

Gene Simmons

Tommy Thayer

The millions of fans who have followed KISS for any time during their lengthy career have come to expect certain events to occur at their live performances and this show certainly kept with their expectations.

The show started with the booming voice of Francis Steuber declaring a familiar adage, "You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world, KISS!" And with that, the arena erupted into a true rock and roll show, not soon to be forgotten. The band, decked out in their platform boots, make-up and costumes, descended from the rafters, each on their personal pod, while performing Detroit City Rock. These stages were used several times during the next hour and a half to transport members during their performances. KISS has always been known for their elaborate pyrotechnics and theatrical shows. They did not fall short for this last tour. Flames lite up the arena and fire balls shot across the stage. Tommy Thayer had sparks shoot from his guitar.  On one song Gene Simmons was breathing fire (War Machine) and another he was spewing blood while suspended high above the stage (God of Thunder). It was everything fans were expecting and maybe even more.

KISS

KISS

Paul Stanley 

KISS

Paul Stanley acted as master of ceremonies for the evening, skillfully providing between song banter to engage the crowd. While acknowledging the sold-out San Antonio crowd, Paul said "Is this the San Antonio Zoo? Let's turn it into the San Antonio Circus." The group then proceeded to play their hit Psycho Circus.

Paul Stanley 

Gene Simmons

Paul Stanley 

Setlist:
Detroit City Rock
Shout It Out Loud
Deuce
Say Yeah
I Love It Loud
Heaven's On Fire
War Machine (Gene Simmons breaths fire)
Lick It Up
Calling Dr. Love
100,000 Years (with Eric Singer drum solo)
Cold Gin (with Tommy Thayer guitar solo)
God of Thunder (with Gene Simmons bass solo and Gene spiting blood)
Psycho Circus
Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll
Love Gun
I Was Made For Loving You
Black Diamond

Encore:
Beth (with Eric Singer on piano)
Crazy Crazy Nights
Rock and Roll All Nite

Gene Simmons

Tommy Thayer

Eric Singer

The KISS Army might not be happy that their favorite band is retiring from touring after 45 years, but they were definitely thrilled by the powerful show KISS brought to the stage in San Antonio on this night. If you were fortunate enough to be there, this will surely be the show you will never forget.