It’s 1978 and I have just seen the greatest movie ever, KISS Meets the Phantom Of The Park. Looking back, it might not be the cinematic masterpiece that my 10 year old self thought it was, but it did change my life. I grew up in a household where music was played frequently, but usually it was more Beatles or the soundtrack to Grease. Not this heavier Rock and Roll and certainly not the fire breathing, blood spitting, makeup wearing rock band that was (and is ) KISS. That movie and my induction to KISS opened up vast new musical genres for me to explore and I believe led to my love of live musical performances.
Fast forward 43 years and I finally got to photograph the one and only KISS during their End Of The Road Tour. This might have been both the easiest concert shoot I have ever done, and one of the more difficult at the same time. The light was fantastic, the performance was stellar, the musicians played to the audience and the photographers. The photography only lasted a few short minutes (2 songs to be exact) and with so much going on at the same time, it was very difficult to decide what to photograph at any given second. So this shoot (and the resulting gallery) is one where I got a little selfish and focused on the two original members. Even then there might be a slight preference towards Gene Simmons as “The Demon” (Gene’s persona on stage). He has always been my favorite.
It was really great to see how many families were at the show with small kids. I hope that some of them came away from the experience with a true love of live music. I’m not going to go into a song by song write-up as you can see the setlist below. I will tell you that this was one of the best KISS shows I have seen, and I have seen a few over the years. The rock and roll spectacle that is a KISS show was in full force, with plenty of pyrotechnics from the opening Detroit Rock City to the fan favorite anthem Rock and Roll All Nite encore closer. I’m pretty sure they will be cleaning confetti from the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre for weeks to comes. Paraphrasing KISS, “I wanted the best, I got the best”.
Band:
Paul Stanley – Guitar / Vocals
Gene Simmons – Bass / Vocals
Eric Singer – Drums
Tommy Thayer – Guitar
SetList:
Encore
Alan Hess is a photographer based in San Diego, where he lives with his wife and two rescued boxers.
Alan is currently the house photographer for a large concert and event venue in Southern California where he photographs everything from major musical acts to ice hockey. When he isn’t out taking photographs, he spends his time writing books and is an accomplished photography educator and trainer.
Alan’s images have been published in a variety of places including news papers, magazines, websites, promotional materials, album artwork, and press releases. His clients include The Associated Press, Fox Television, FX Network, USA Network, Hasbro, Framus Guitars, Gibson, The Dead, Picture Group, Photoshop User Magazine, Steel Pulse, Ziggy Marley, and many more.
He is the author of sixteen photography and technology books covering everything from night and low light photography to multiple shot techniques. His books are sold around the world and have been translated in other languages including: Chinese, French, Polish, Japanese, Thai, and Italian.
