Still The Greatest Show On Earth: KISS at Mt. Laurel Poconos Performing Arts Center,PA Let's set the record straight. I've been an unabashed KISS fan since I was about 4 or 5 years old. Total truth. First album I ever owned was KISS ALIVE II. It's still one of my favorites, and gets regular airplay in my car (much to the chagrin of my ever patient girlfriend). So when the opportunity came up to go see my longtime heroes do what they do best at what was to be their only are apprearance for the rest of the year, you bet your sweet apple-bottom ass I was gonna be there. First of all, the Mt. Laurel Poconos Performing Arts Center is a really nice, albeit small place, for shows. The only problem is that it's literally out in the middle of NOWHERE. If I didn't have my guide Joe along for the excursion, there would have been a good chance I would've ended up in scene from some low rent version of Wrong Turn or Deliverance. Hats off to Joe, for saving my ass from certain rectal doom. The opening band, Bad City, lived up to half their name. KISS hit the stage with all of the rock and roll thunder, flash, and fury of a band determined to give you, the decerning fan, your hard earned money's worth. I happened to notice within the first two songs or so, that Paul Stanley's voice was hoarse and frayed a bit. So a lot of the backing vocals he would normally do were picked up by Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, who held things down without missing a beat. Even if Paul was sick, he didn't let that affect the band's performance one bit. These guys are the utmost professionals, never once going through the motions, and always delivering a show to be remembered, wether the place is half-full of sold out. Oh, and speaking of Eric and Tommy, they each performed "Beth" and "Shock Me" respectively. Blaspheme, you say? I say nay. "Beth" performed acoustically, and not to a backing track, was beautiful, and "Shock Me" hits close to every KISS fan's heart. Just because Ace isn't in the band anymore doesn't mean that material should be left to wither and die. Trust me, Ace Frehley was my favorite KISS member, and at first I was a little apprehensive about Tommy taking his place, but my guide Joe put it in perspective some time ago by saying "Look...Tommy is pretty much what Ace Frehley would be if Ace didn't stop learning the guitar...". Joe was totally right. From that point on I accepted him. Eric Singer, for his part, is one of the best rock drummers going, with a versatile voice to match. So he wins, as well. It's like seeing the New York Dolls with Steve Conte on guitar. Sure, he's not Johnny Thunders, but that guy had the spirit and playing required to fill those shoes and advance them that I'm totally cool with the new New York Dolls (even though Conte is currently gone...). Paul's rough voice aside, the band hit all the high marks one would expect from a KISS concert. The hits were there, a smattering of stuff you wouldn't necessarily expect (the "Lick It Up" and "Creatures Of The Night" albums were represented). It made the sojourn out into the sticks so well worth it. If you wanted the best... -Jay Mazeffect www.kissonline.com