Friday, Oct. 24, 2003 | 8:25 a.m.
What's the better rock anthem: "Rock and Roll All Nite" or "Sweet Emotion?"
Judge for yourself this weekend, when Kiss and Aerosmith double up for two dates on their "Rocksimus Maximus" tour, tonight and Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Kiss most recently played Las Vegas in March, but that gig at the Palms' intimate Rain in the Desert nightclub was performed minus most of the band's usual visual effects. This time, the makeup-clad quartet are expected to have their trademark pyrotechnics available for both shows.
In 2000 Kiss tagged its impending dates as the start of a "Farewell" tour, but the band has performed consistently since. Tommy Thayer holds down the lead guitarist position these days, having stepped in this year when Ace Frehley left to pursue a solo career.
Aerosmith's classic lineup is still intact. The quintet reunited in the mid-1980s, kicking off the veteran Boston band's resurgence. Since then, Aerosmith has been a consistent radio presence with such hits as "Love in an Elevator," "Janie's Got a Gun" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."
Aerosmith's next album, which is expected to consist almost entirely of blues covers, is due out around February.
Who: Kiss & Aerosmith.
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Tickets: $60, $100, $200.
Call: 891-7777.
Opening act: To be announced.
Aerosmith personnel: Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums), Joe Perry (guitar), Steven Tyler (vocals), Brad Whitford (guitar).
Kiss personnel: Peter Criss (drums, vocals), Gene Simmons (bass, vocals), Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar), Tommy Thayer (guitar).
Latest Aerosmith release: "Just Push Play" (Columbia, 2001).
Album feedback: "The record doesn't come close to matching the twin comebacks of 'Permanent Vacation' and 'Pump,' but it's a sleek, classicist hard rock record that sounds good." (All Music Guide, 3 stars); "It is the least self-consciously commercial record Aerosmith have made since their Eighties return from Smacked-Out city." (Rolling Stone, 4 stars).
Latest Kiss release: "Kiss Symphony: Alive IV" (Polygram, 2003).
Album feedback: "Sadly absent is Frehley's cool demeanor, always a relief from Simmons and Stanley's pompous swagger. He's definitely missed ... and a 60-piece orchestra can't make up for it." (All Music Guide, 2 1/2 stars).
Essential Aerosmith releases: "Get Your Wings" (1974), "Toys in the Attic" (1975), "Rocks" (1976).
Essential Kiss releases: "Alive!" (1975), "Destroyer" (1976).
What to expect: About 75 minutes of Kiss, then, after a 30-minute break, a 75-minute Aerosmith set. In their abbreviated time frames, both bands concentrate on their hits, though both veer off a bit for a few lesser-known gems from time to time.
Recent Aerosmith set list: Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, Monday: "Mama Kin," "Love in an Elevator," "Toys in the Attic," "Let the Music Do the Talking," "Livin' on the Edge," "Jaded," "Train Kept a Rollin'," "What it Takes," "Stop Messin' Around," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Dream On," "Come Together," "Cryin'," "Walk This Way." (Encore:) "Sweet Emotion." (from fansite www.cnewton.force9.co.uk).
Recent Kiss set list: Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Marysville, Calif., Oct. 14: "Detroit Rock City," "Deuce," "Shout it Out Loud," "Let Me Go Rock 'n' Roll," "Lick it Up," "Firehouse," "I Love it Loud," "I Want You," "God of Thunder," "100,000 Years," "Black Diamond." (Encore:) "Beth," "Love Gun," "Rock and Roll All Nite." (from fansite www.cnewton.force9.co.uk).
Tour feedback: "While Kiss seems on the verge of its last 'Farewell,' the headliner proved again that when the world comes to an end, there will be Styrofoam, cockroaches and Aerosmith." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette); "Of the two bands, Aerosmith offered the better performance. While Kiss is pretty much doing the same show it has for years, Aerosmith has revamped its greatest-hits set to include a more streamlined stage presentation and a couple of new songs from its upcoming blues-oriented album." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).
Aerosmith's previous Las Vegas appearances: Nov. 25, 1977 (Aladdin); Jan. 16, 1983 (Convention Center); Jan. 30, 1986 (T&M); Feb. 2, 1988 (T&M); Sept. 8, 1990 (Hard Rock Cafe); Aug. 3, 1993 (T&M); Oct. 12, 1994 (T&M); Dec. 15, 1997 (MGM); May 3, 1999 (T&M); Aug. 18, 2001 (MGM); Jan. 11, 2002 (Joint); Nov. 9, 2002 (MGM).
Kiss' previous Las Vegas appearances: May 29, 1975 (Sahara); Jan. 28, 1984 (T&M); Feb. 7, 1985 (Aladdin); Feb. 7, 1986 (T&M); April 2, 1988 (T&M); June 24, 1995 (Sahara); Nov. 2, 1996 (MGM); Aug. 23, 1999 (MGM), Oct. 29, 1999 (MGM); March 17, 2000 (Mandalay Bay); Aug. 2, 2000 (Mandalay Bay); March 16, 2003 (Palms).
Says Tyler: "I didn't know what to think (when I first saw Kiss). it was kinda hard to see them through all the makeup, y'know? It was a comic-book thing. Then we toured with them. We must have played two or three shows before one of their road crew pulled a knife on ours. Then we said sayonara." (Rolling Stone, July).
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