Wednesday, July 15, 2009

KISS Army Ottawa

KISS at Bluesfest

Tonight was the night that Bluesfest brought the ultimate glam rock band to town and more than 30,000 fans swore allegiance to the KISS Army. Yes, those infamous painted (and patented) faces and monster armored outfits rocked the stage from on high. The backdrop was a non-stop barrage of classic rock and a cacophony of explosions from fireworks and 40 ft flames shooting from both the stage and Gene Simmons' mouth. Oh, and don't forget the blood, the confetti cannons, the raised platforms, and even a zip-line to carry Paul Stanley over a topless crowd of screaming girls. How awesome is that?!

KISS Army Ottawa
KISS (Eric Singer) KISS at Bluesfest (Gene Simmons)
KISS at Bluesfest KISS fireworks

Earlier in the evening I had a chance to check out The Duhks from Winnipeg and LeE HARVey OsMOND with frontman Tom Wilson. Both excellent shows. We even caught a bit of Good2Go which felt a little like a reincarnation of Blondie only with bigger boots.

The Duhks The Duhks
LeE HARVey OsMOND LeE HARVey OsMOND
Good2Go Good2Go


After the last chord of KISS' Detroit Rock City and the last bang of fireworks it was a mad dash to escape the Bluesfest grounds. Gates and half fences had been seemingly set up while the fans had been focused on the show and were now being used to herd everybody out of the area in an orderly fashion. Wrong. People just started climbing everything in a half panicked attempt to get themselves clear of the massive crowd that was only a gunshot from turning into a stampede. Luckily my years of fence hopping and avoiding crowds paid off in spades.

KISS Army pauses to let an OCTranspo bus go by Bluesfest crowd after KISS
By this time I was ahead of the crowd and felt safe enough to turn and snap a pic as the police tried desperately to control the situation. They weren't proving overly successful but in the end I don't believe anybody lost an eye.

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