Kiss: Largo '79

 

Today, I pulled out my "Kissology, Vol. 2" box set, getting ready to head to Australia for the "Unmasked" tour, when I noticed the bonus "Largo 1979" show. Now this was good news, as this has been my favorite live Kiss show for years.

Recorded in Largo, Maryland on July 7th, 1979, this is one hell of a fun show. This was Kiss at their best, and also right before the beginning of the end. This was the tour that things fell apart, and Peter Criss was ready to exit stage left. Not only were the band touring in support of their newest studio platter, "Dynasty", but they also had four solo albums to fit into the setlist. Songs that, for the most part, wouldn't be played by the make-up foursome ever again.

First of all, this is not the entire show. Thankfully, it's close (although it's a pretty big bummer that "2000 Man" wasn't included. What a great Ace led song!), as only a few songs are missing. Second is the sound. If you aren't a fan of less than perfect audio recordings, then maybe this show isn't for you. It's a hell of a lot better than a lot of the shows I've listened to, but it is far from perfect. But for me, that doesn't detract from the fun of this show.

Right off the bat, the set is missing the first song, "King of the Night Time World", so we kick right into "Radioactive" from Gene's solo album (one of the only tunes I like from his album). It would have been cool to have the creepy ass intro to the track, but that would have killed the momentum of the live show. It's a decent rendition, that segues right into "Move On" from Paul's album. Not my favorite song on the album, but probably the best choice for a Kiss show.

Following the two solo tracks, we're treated to a couple Kiss staples ("Calling Dr. Love", and "Firehouse"), before heading back into solo territory, with the biggest single from the four albums, and Ace Frehley's rendition of "New York Groove". It's clear that the band is having some fun with this one, as Ace calls out some famous places in New York. Again, the next couple tracks are Kiss tunes; the brand new "I Was Made For Lovin' You", and the title track to 1977's "Love Gun" album, before moving on to a song from Peter's solo album.

Now, I must say that I couldn't really imagine a song from Peter's solo album fitting well into a Kiss live set, but the band did a pretty good version of "Tossin' And Turnin'". I love Peter's album, but it's not really rock. The album is more of an R&B album. Still, I love that they included it in the live show. It shows that at one point they could all work well together. Sadly, this song was played at less than half of the shows on the tour.

After that, it's Kiss hit after hit. Gene delivers the goods with "God of Thunder", then it's time to "Shout It Loud". After that is one hell of a performance of "Black Diamond" from the debut album. In fact, it's the only song from that first album in this set (where in the hell are "Strutter" and "Deuce"?!). "Detroit Rock City" should have led into "Beth", but that tune is cut from the DVD. The set ends with "Rock And Roll All Nite", and while it's far from the best live version of this Kiss Klassic, it's a pretty good performance. Although, and I may be nuts, but it seems the tempo is off musically, and Gene doesn't quite notice this vocally. Again, maybe I'm nuts there. Who knows? He definitely screws up the verses, but that's rock 'n roll!

Overall, I love playing this show. It shows the band just before the final implosion of the original band, but you can't tell that from this performance. They are firing on all cylinders, and give quite a fiery performance through an hours worth of material. Maybe some day we'll get an official release of the entire show, but if that day never comes, this DVD is well worth the money you'll have to shell out to own this bit of Kisstory.