Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The Midwest had many chances to say goodbye to KISS, but with just three shows to go until the official “End Of The Road,” there was a genuine sense of finality that hung in the air throughout a sold out Allstate Arena.

It was more or less the same, sans a few tweaks to the running order, as what’s already come through Chicago, Tinley Park and Milwaukee, but the reaction by Rosemont and the surrounding region was second to none.

After all, KISS’ gargantuan bag of tricks never gets old, and if this is really the last chance to see singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, fellow vocalist/bassist Gene Simmons, drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer in their iconic costumes, surrounded by a constant stream of fire and explosions, it certainly warranted the scalpers’ prices and whatever distance the Army traveled.

For over two hours, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers delivered “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Deuce” and the majority of anthems spanning the last half century, coming across as rowdy and rebellious as ever.

Even so, KISS is a family affair at this point and parents could be spotted with children of varying ages, several of whom wore matching face paint and briskly-selling merchandise as they soaked in the metallic mood of “Heaven’s On Fire” and the sights of Simmons breathing fire before “I Love It Loud.”

In fact, every era was on display, including the later “Say Yeah,” the early “Cold Gin,” “Lick It Up” from the days without make-up and a rare chance to relive “Makin’ Love,” amongst tons to come.

Ironically, “Psycho Circus,” off the sole reunion record of the same name with fellow originals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, was performed at the very same venue on their initial farewell at the turn of the century, though no one seemed to mind the false alarm, especially considering the spectacle has grown exponentially since then thanks to an exponential increase of technology.

Still, the relative simplicity of Simmons spitting blood earned a similar pop as Stanley zip-lining to the the secondary stage for “Love Gun,” “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” and a bit of “Black Diamond” prior to his return flight for the glistening finish.

The Singer-led “Beth” made for the lone piano ballad, “Do You Love Me” cranked the guitars up again and “Rock And All All Nite” brought it all home as KISS brought such a stupendous bang, everybody will easily be able to “party every day” in their absence on the strength of the mind-blowing memory alone.

For additional information on KISS, visit KISSOnline.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Allstate Arena include Pentatonix (Nov. 29); 103.5 KISS FM Jingle Ball (Dec. 4); Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Dec. 28); Los Tigres Del Norte (Feb. 10); Sam Hunt (Feb. 24); Marca MP (Mar. 8); Angeles Azules (Mar. 23); Ive (Mar. 26); Kane Brown (Apr. 12); Banda MS (Apr. 26); Gloria Trevi (May 18); Luis Miguel (May 29-30); AJR (Jun. 29 and Jul. 3); Pepe Aguilar (Jul. 5-6); Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire (Jul. 12); Iron Maiden (Oct. 24) and Los Temerarios (Nov. 8-9). For additional details, visit Rosemont.com/Allstate/.

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