Kittie “I’ve Failed You Tour 2011”
Date: Thursday, August 25th 2011
Venue: The Lost Horizon, Syracuse, NY

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Kittie brought their growling vocals and rumbling rhythm section to the historic Lost Horizon venue in Syracuse, NY on what turned into an extremely hot night for the Canadian band. Opening up the show were local bands Kill the Maestro, Armed with Valor, and Capricorn Black followed by the tours direct support bands Diamond Plate and Dirge Within. Even though crowd numbers seemed to vary throughout the course of the night which was probably due to the extreme temperatures inside the club and or combined with the kick off of the NY State Fair happening just a few miles away Kittie put on a stellar show proving to the fans in attendance that they had in fact come to the right place.

I had some reservations about attending the show at The Lost Horizon solely on the fact that the club really isn’t the nicest or most fan friendly place to watch a show. However I was very surprised on arrival as the club seemed to have received a face lift both inside and out. The choice of opening bands was fitting and those who played most notably Armed with Valor and Dirge Within did a great job entertaining the crowd and fighting through the heat. Kittie played an extremely tight set which included songs of their newest album “I’ve Failed You” as well as fan favorites such as “Spit” and “Funeral for Yesterday”. The girls did not disappoint and even though you could tell they were suffering some from the heat they fought through and really brought it to the Syracuse crowd. A big thank you goes out to the band as well as Neil and Bill who were responsible for making this coverage possible.

Be sure to check out our interview with Mercedes Lander as well as the album review of “I’ve Failed You”

Set List:
1.) I’ve Failed you
2.) My Plague
3.) Looks So Pretty
4.) Oracle
5.) Spit
6.) Never Again
7.) Cut Throat
8.) Wiaw
9.) Sorrow
10.) Flower
11.) Pussy Sugar
12.) Empires (Part 2)
13.) Funeral For Yesterday
14.) What Have I Done?
15.) Forgive & Forget
16.) We Are The Lamb

Kiss “The Lost Cities Tour 2011”
Date: Thursday, July 28th 2011
Venue: Turning Stone Casino, Verona, NY

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Kiss wrapped up their 18 date Lost Cities tour at The Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY on July 28th. A surprisingly smaller venue than what Kiss has been a custom to after 35 years in the music business however the intimate venue didn’t stop Kiss from unleashing their bombastic stage show on the near capacity crowd. Fans were treated to a somewhat scaled down version of the “Hottest Show on Earth” but none the less Kiss still delivered!

This was my 10th Kiss show and despite Paul’s almost verbatim chats with the crowd and Tommy Thayers cheap and almost sickening Ace Frehley imitation I was still entertained. Kiss proved that no matter how big or small a venue they can still entertain a crowd. Gone were Gene and Paul’s flying rigs and the massive back line of speakers however it was nice to see the band play without that stuff bringing back an almost eighties stripped down Kiss feel to the night. I would have liked to have heard a little more variation in the set list as I am sure most diehard Kiss fans like myself would agree however the night proved to be very enjoyable and showcased just why Kiss is the hottest band in the land!

Set List:
1.) Modern Day Delilah
2.) Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll
3.) Firehouse
4.) Deuce
5.) Do You Love Me
6.) Calling Dr. Love
7.) Shock Me
8.) I Love It Loud
9.) Love Gun
10.) God of Thunder
11.) Black Diamond
12.) Detroit Rock City

Encore:
13.) Beth (Acoustic)
14.) Lick It Up
15.) Shout It Out Loud
16.) Rock and Roll All Nite