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Finally got around to watching the KISS 2020 Goodbye concert in Dubai..
I fired up the ol' VLC Player and see it's 3:15 long - wow, should be quite a show!
Turns out it wasn't all concert and after a while I started taking notes. Didn't keep
track of times until a little while in but it doesn't matter I suppose. Here's what I
got:
Begins with Concert Promo video - not bad
"Arrival" segment - US to Dubai airports
"commercials"
11:00 - "Production" segment w/engineers, pyro, "smart" COVID wristbands (which
were actually pretty cool as far as contact tracing goes)
23:30 - commercials
26:00 - "Taking Care of Business" - (stage build, pods, pyro)
38:30 - KISS clip montage of classic TV appearances, commercials, parades, etc.
Many had (EliteWorks@e-bay) "watermark" on them
45:00 - Doc interview
53:30 - interview with 3 fans (they pay VIP to be included in this 5 minute segment?)
58:00 - show begins with Detroit Rock City
58:53 - after the line "I feel uptight on a Saturday Night", Paul says something (looks
like "How you doin'?") - you see it but you can't hear it.
2:46 - encores begin, but first...
3:00 - A rep from Guinness World Records comes out and says that the show was trying
for 3 World Records. The first 2 are still being verified but the final one (some pyro thing)
was reached and (SURPRISE!) he had a certificate to present to the band. And Eric had
finished Beth - seeing him next to Gene in his monster heels was kinda amusing.
Maybe a subliminal depiction of status in the band?...
3:03 - R&R All Night and fireworks display
3:12 - God Gave R&R to You plays over the credits (I like their version of this song)
Other observations not noted above:
- Too lazy to go back and listen but I swear there is a guitar lick in Heaven's On Fire
that borrows from Joan Jett's I Hate Myself For Loving You. And "borrows" might be
being generous... Anyone want to confirm?
- Some lyrics were changed (for this show or do they do that now in a PC world?). No
"virgin soul" in God of Thunder - instead we got "mortal coil" or something. And I
think there was at least one other I neglected to note - maybe in "Cold Gin" (but it wasn't
the booze reference)
- Paul's between song stage banter really needs an audience to "work". I'm a longtime
fan and acknowledge it's on the cheesy side but it was kinda cringe-worthy when even a
minor "Lemme hear you out there!" is met with a barely audible "yeah".
- Beth. With all the jump cuts (or whatever you wanna call 'em) throughout the show,
this one only featured cameras showing him behind the piano. On drums he had an
overhead camera (which woulda been cooler if they would have left it there for more than
4 seconds) but here, nope. And I'm guessing the orchestral drums/percussion was a tape.
- Maybe you guys can tell if the vocals/music was live but except for the 58:53 note
I mentioned above, eh, who knows...
- Do You Love Me included in the encores. I always liked this tune and was happy to
see it included. Considering their catalog I woulda expected it sooner with some other "big"
song in it's place
- After watching, I was left with the feeling that this was a "dress rehearsal" for an actual
show. I've seen them in 1978, '79, '84, '88, '90, and '96 and this show seemed to lack the
"spontaneity" or live feel of any of those. Or is that how "polished" they have become? Are
they now a "production" and not a "concert"? I realize that it's tough for any act to fill the
seats (especially a "classic rock" act) but this one was tough to watch at times. On the other
hand, at a non-COVID show they might blow my doors off, right?...
Wrap up:
My guess is KISS will always have someone who wants to see them live. Their fanbase has
been exposing their kids to KISS music for years and some of it has probably stuck in their
heads. Not quite cult-like but it's on the verge. We talk here of the future of VH and what's
gonna happen (my guess - we never see another Van Halen band perform on stage) but I'm
really more interested in the future of KISS. I can absolutely see Gene charting the future
of the band with other members (hell, they're half way there!) - his kid, Paul's kid. I think
he's looking at the big picture (he always has) and I must admit I would curious to see KISS
v2.6 or whatever we're at. Maybe not live at a venue but just to see how it plays out.
That's all.
[edit - I watched this on the Bay. 7.5G]
I fired up the ol' VLC Player and see it's 3:15 long - wow, should be quite a show!
Turns out it wasn't all concert and after a while I started taking notes. Didn't keep
track of times until a little while in but it doesn't matter I suppose. Here's what I
got:
Begins with Concert Promo video - not bad
"Arrival" segment - US to Dubai airports
"commercials"
11:00 - "Production" segment w/engineers, pyro, "smart" COVID wristbands (which
were actually pretty cool as far as contact tracing goes)
23:30 - commercials
26:00 - "Taking Care of Business" - (stage build, pods, pyro)
38:30 - KISS clip montage of classic TV appearances, commercials, parades, etc.
Many had (EliteWorks@e-bay) "watermark" on them
45:00 - Doc interview
53:30 - interview with 3 fans (they pay VIP to be included in this 5 minute segment?)
58:00 - show begins with Detroit Rock City
58:53 - after the line "I feel uptight on a Saturday Night", Paul says something (looks
like "How you doin'?") - you see it but you can't hear it.
2:46 - encores begin, but first...
3:00 - A rep from Guinness World Records comes out and says that the show was trying
for 3 World Records. The first 2 are still being verified but the final one (some pyro thing)
was reached and (SURPRISE!) he had a certificate to present to the band. And Eric had
finished Beth - seeing him next to Gene in his monster heels was kinda amusing.
Maybe a subliminal depiction of status in the band?...
3:03 - R&R All Night and fireworks display
3:12 - God Gave R&R to You plays over the credits (I like their version of this song)
Other observations not noted above:
- Too lazy to go back and listen but I swear there is a guitar lick in Heaven's On Fire
that borrows from Joan Jett's I Hate Myself For Loving You. And "borrows" might be
being generous... Anyone want to confirm?
- Some lyrics were changed (for this show or do they do that now in a PC world?). No
"virgin soul" in God of Thunder - instead we got "mortal coil" or something. And I
think there was at least one other I neglected to note - maybe in "Cold Gin" (but it wasn't
the booze reference)
- Paul's between song stage banter really needs an audience to "work". I'm a longtime
fan and acknowledge it's on the cheesy side but it was kinda cringe-worthy when even a
minor "Lemme hear you out there!" is met with a barely audible "yeah".
- Beth. With all the jump cuts (or whatever you wanna call 'em) throughout the show,
this one only featured cameras showing him behind the piano. On drums he had an
overhead camera (which woulda been cooler if they would have left it there for more than
4 seconds) but here, nope. And I'm guessing the orchestral drums/percussion was a tape.
- Maybe you guys can tell if the vocals/music was live but except for the 58:53 note
I mentioned above, eh, who knows...
- Do You Love Me included in the encores. I always liked this tune and was happy to
see it included. Considering their catalog I woulda expected it sooner with some other "big"
song in it's place
- After watching, I was left with the feeling that this was a "dress rehearsal" for an actual
show. I've seen them in 1978, '79, '84, '88, '90, and '96 and this show seemed to lack the
"spontaneity" or live feel of any of those. Or is that how "polished" they have become? Are
they now a "production" and not a "concert"? I realize that it's tough for any act to fill the
seats (especially a "classic rock" act) but this one was tough to watch at times. On the other
hand, at a non-COVID show they might blow my doors off, right?...
Wrap up:
My guess is KISS will always have someone who wants to see them live. Their fanbase has
been exposing their kids to KISS music for years and some of it has probably stuck in their
heads. Not quite cult-like but it's on the verge. We talk here of the future of VH and what's
gonna happen (my guess - we never see another Van Halen band perform on stage) but I'm
really more interested in the future of KISS. I can absolutely see Gene charting the future
of the band with other members (hell, they're half way there!) - his kid, Paul's kid. I think
he's looking at the big picture (he always has) and I must admit I would curious to see KISS
v2.6 or whatever we're at. Maybe not live at a venue but just to see how it plays out.
That's all.
[edit - I watched this on the Bay. 7.5G]
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