Kiss shows passion; Aerosmith lacks fire

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Oct. 27, 2003 | 8:32 a.m.

A sluggish Aerosmith was outclassed musically by a band known more for its costumes, pyrotechnics and theatrics at the first of two weekend concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Say what you will about Kiss' over-the-top stage show, but the face-painted quartet delivered what their fans wanted: blood, fire and greatest hits.

Sufficiently warmed up, a crowd of 9,200 sat ready to worship one of rock's legendary live acts.

And then the curtain drew to reveal an Aerosmith that both looked and sounded as if it had spent two days on a Las Vegas bender. The band's energy waxed and wanned dramatically while its jams sagged amid a murky sound mix.

Maybe it's about time for that permanent vacation after all.

But first things first. Having seemingly drawn the short straw to go on ahead of Aerosmith, Kiss made the best of its early time slot.

The two bands also wisely brought along a third act -- Memphis, Tenn., blues-rockers the Porch Ghouls -- to give concert-goers a chance to file in, and to draw a clear distinction between the show's opener and its twin headliners.

In March a stripped-down Kiss proved it has more musical muscle than many credit it with during an intimate show at the Palms' Rain in the Desert nightclub.

This time, the four men -- Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Tommy Thayer -- were backed by their familiar array of pyrotechnics and sonic blasts.

Dressed in full regalia as the Star Child, Demon, Cat and Spaceman, Kiss began its set while descending from on high aboard two great platforms.

From there, the band's 75-minute performance followed the usual script, the leather-clad, winged Simmons spitting up fake blood and flicking his famous tongue out and the bare-chested Stanley shaking his rump confidently at his audience.

"Las Vegas has always been known for the big buffet. I see some things here tonight I want to eat," Stanley announced during one of several attempts to lighten the mood.

While his sex-centered humor fell flat, Stanley's voice was in fine form, his piercing cries easily filling the arena. Simmons' tough vocals also sounded strong, though his bass was often lost in a mix dominated by Thayer's noodling guitar solos.

With no new material to promote, Kiss' song list mirrored a best-of compilation: "Detroit Rock City," "Shout It Out Loud," "Lick It Up" and the obligatory "Rock and Roll All Nite" encore among the hit parade.

None were particularly memorable musically -- least so a version of ballad "Beth" featuring Criss' vocals backed only by recorded orchestration -- but the crowd seemed satisfied enough, probably assuming the best was yet to come.

After a 30-minute intermission, though, it took only three Aerosmith songs to realize that was not to be the case.

After falling flat on "Mama Kin" and "Love in an Elevator," the Boston quintet couldn't even make their most ferocious number, the punky "Toys in the Attic," stand up.

Steven Tyler's vocals lacked punch and Joe Perry's guitar heroics lacked any real power, as the band muddled through 75 minutes of sheer mediocrity.

By the set's midway point, even drummer Joey Kramer appeared to have lost interest, banging away half-heartedly for the final few tunes.

Tyler wore a T-shirt with the words "Damage Addict" across the front, but the singer never approached anything close to true rock 'n' roll mayhem.

Aerosmith's frontman said little. He drew a few laughs with the old sing-into-a-cell-phone trick, but the gag lacked spontaneity and is likely performed nightly on the tour.

Perhaps the most disappointing point in the night came during Aerosmith's two-song blues segment.

Drawn from the band's upcoming covers project, "Stop Messin' Around" and "Baby, Please Don't Go" were supposed to showcase a tight instrumental group returning to its roots. Instead, they paled next to anything played by the grittier Porch Ghouls three hours earlier.

Aerosmith finally pulled it together briefly for "Dream On" and "Sweet Emotion" before exiting the stage to undeserved waves of applause.

Confetti shot high into the air, the final ludicrous gesture from a band that can do so much better.