Kiss - Kissology, Vol. 3: 1992-2000 (Ltd. Edition 5 disc set)
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Movie Reviews of Kiss - Kissology, Vol. 3: 1992-2000 (Ltd. Edition 5 disc set)
Movie Review: Kissology 3 Just As Good As It Is Frustrating!
Summary: 4 Stars
Before reviewing the set, please understand that I have been a KISS fan since the 70's. I see them live whenever I can, enjoyed the different lineup changes (although, it's getting to be like Spinal Tap!), met the members of the band here and there, and have a full collection of KISS stuff dating way back to the 70's up to now! To a KISS fan, or just a music fan, there's nothing in the world like being about three rows from the stage when the lights dim and you hear those infamous words, "Alright, (insert your city's name here), You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest band in the world, KISS!" Because after that, your brain is bombarded with eye AND ear candy for about the next 2 hours!
I always thought the whole reason for recording a band live on video was so that you can capture and convey they raw energy a band has to offer. Although the 3rd installment has some incredible footage of KISS, they do promise on the label that they have 5 full shows to view. Quite simply this is not true. Every makeup show in the set is edited except for the Psycho Circus show! The most disappointing edits come in the "Final Kiss" show. This should have been unedited, as the uncut show is nothing short of KISS at their best! The lighting and the footage was beautifully shot. This version is okay, but it's unexusable when they cut out Paul's intro to Heaven's On Fire! How about cutting "Detroit Rock City" from the Reunion show in Detroit? Beth was also cut from all the makeup shows except for the Psycho Circus show!
Don't get me wrong, the set is good. Damn good! But, you feel cheated after watching it because you know there's more of it that could easily have been included in the set.
If you have the means, do yourself a favor, give into the KISS money machine, and get all three bonus discs. They make up for any shortcomings to the bad edits, although they have been edited too.
A real treat is the Weenie Roast show when KISS appeared just before the official kickoff in Detroit. If anything could go wrong with the show, it did. They pyro for Love Gun went off prematurely (no pun intended) during the beginning of the song (not really captured on this version, checkout the audienc shot bootlegs), Gene's microphone falls while he's trying to sing into it causing him to "swing kick" it Bruce Lee style. Also just before Black Diamond part of the lighting up above the right part of the stage catches fire. Paul keeps looking at it during his Black Diamond intro. Ace's guitar actually goes out during Cold Gin (I think). Just funny stuff to watch!
Bottom line: Definately pick this up! It's got some incredible footage and great music as well making this a great dvd! If it weren't for the edits, it could have been a PERFECT dvd!!!
Movie Review: Why The Tiger Stadium Show Is So Poorly Done...
Summary: 4 Stars
People are suggesting here that this may not actually be the Tiger Staidum show, because there are precious few crowd shots (indeed, the only ones you see are at the very beginning and during Peter Criss' drum solo), nothing but tight shots of band members, and complete screen blackouts in between songs when Paul Stanley addresses the crowd.
It IS the Tiger Stadium show, but unfortunately what you are watching is the footage that was shot and then projected on the video screens behind the band during the concert. So you're watching something that was meant for the people who were actually there at the time, and not for a home viewing audience. There are no wide shots of the stage or shots of the pyro going off, because the people there could already SEE those things in as much clarity as they needed to.
The reason the screen goes black when Paul is talking is because the cameras were off. There was nothing being projected onto the screens during these moments. Only the audio was recorded. This is also why "Beth" is missing from the setlist. Peter Criss performed this song under a lone spotlight at center stage with no video being shown behind him. Rather than give you 3 minutes of a black screen with "Beth" playing, they wisely opted to drop it from the DVD.
Which is precisely what they should've done with the entire SHOW. I can't believe this is the best they could give us from arguably the most important tour in KISS' career, their '96-'97 Reunion Tour. It's a very poor show to watch. You get no sense of the scope of the stage, you see very little pyro going off, and it's a step above bootleg quality at best because of it. I would've rather seen an actual professionally-shot and edited show from later in the tour, there was no reason to have the opening show just for the sake of having the opening show, if this is as good as they could get it.
Having said that, the rest of the set is stellar, particularly the full, uncut version of "Unplugged". Wait'll you see them do the country version of "God of Thunder", it's hilarious.
Movie Review: Great set, just one or two complaints
Summary: 4 Stars
Maybe I was unlucky and got a defective disc, but on the 92 Revenge show, the vocals are almost impossible to hear. When they talk between songs there is no problem, but it's like the music volume is 8 and vocals 1. very disappointing cause they were really on that night. Has anyone else noticed this? My other frustration is documentary and bonus features. They are very generous with the amount of concert footage, but I'd like to see more interviews and documentaries.
Otherwise, an excellent set and that 1973 concert is a big treat. It was cool to see the Bruce and Eric line-ups, and of course the highlights are the original four reuniting. Great band, great dvd, definitely worth the funds.
Movie Review: Is this REALLY the Tiger Stadium show???
Summary: 3 Stars
Volume III has me scratching my head. On one hand, it's the best in the Kissology series based on the Revenge show and the full Unplugged show. I also appreciate the addition of the Coventry show on disc 4.
However, what's the deal with the Tiger Stadium show??? I was there back in '96 and have waited for YEARS to see this on DVD. Now that I have it, I'm completely disappointed for a whole host of reasons:
1. The blackouts between songs are just weird.
2. The camera angles are horrible. Only close-ups of each member, never a wide shot where you can see the whole band at once (or the elaborate stage set-up)
3. Speaking of close-ups, isn't it strange that there's only an occasional shot that shows the crowd? Considering that there were 40,000+ people there that night at a sold-out stadium, not to mention the helicopters flying overhead with the spotlights during the intro...wouldn't you show some of that??? I mean, the cameras are so close-up on each individual member that you can't even tell if there's really a crowd there.
So that gets me wondering...is this really the Tiger Stadium show? Or is it a rehearsal the night before? I don't have a bootleg copy (though you can be sure I'll hunt one down now), so I can't compare it to anything, but there must be a reason for the blackouts between songs and the fact that there's almost no sign of the crowd. Look at ANY of the other concert footage on any of the other discs and you see TONS of wide shots of the stage that include the entire band (and the audience). And yet for this historical first reunion show this is what we get?
Think about this...is there even a single shot where you can see Peter and the rest of the guys at the same time??? I mean, is there even a single shot of Paul & Peter, or Gene & Peter? Does this strike anyone else as kinda odd?
Here's my conspiracy theory: the footage we're watching is (at least in part) a full-dress rehearsal. The talking between songs is live from the night of the show, so they black this part out--otherwise it would be hard to transition between the "rehearsal" footage & the live between-songs stuff.
Still, in spite of this major disappointment, Volume III is not only worth the $$$, it's the best of the series.
Movie Review: Bad disc 2
Summary: 3 Stars
In the Reunion Tour Show on disc 2, I just want to know if someone else get the same problem. Between each songs, the screen comes black and I only hear the voice of Paul Stanley introducing the songs. When the songs starts, the image is back. In the end of each songs, the black screen with only Paul's voice is there.