Paul Stanley | PAUL STANLEY KISSES CHICAGO

For some artists, playing songs from their previously famous band on their own solo tours just doesn’t cut it (see Vince Neill of Motley Crue) but for Paul Stanley, it worked without a hitch. Playing for almost two hours, Stanley sang through “Lick It Up,” “Strutter,” “I Still Love You,” “Love Gun,” and others from his enormous repertoire, laughing and joking with the audience in between songs. He also threw in some rather obscure songs, like “Million To One,” and “Hide Your Heart,” both of which are rarely played. His three encores included “Lift,” “Detroit Rock City,” and “Goodbye,” a good mix of new solo, old solo, and Kiss. It was also a recording night, and the concert and fan antics will be made into a live DVD, complete with underdressed women holding roses in the front row, who were pre-chosen for the position. Perhaps real Paul Stanley fans would have made a better choice…

Never having toured for his first solo album, Paul Stanley really made up for it with this performance, and it was worth the nearly three-decade wait. He promised to return to Chicago for a future concert and we should only hope that he does. It’s amazing that, after so many years, this man seems not to have lost even a touch of his love for performing, and that’s to everyone’s benefit.