KISS Rocks Vegas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

KISS Rocks Vegas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 27, 2016

Kiss and Las Vegas would seem to go together like, well, sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, and Kiss Rocks Vegas provides ample evidence that this 2014 “pairing” was indeed a match made in—well, whatever domain Kiss fans prefer. Paul Stanley was quoted during the announcement phase of this relatively short-lived “residency” that the Vegas production was going to be “Kiss on steroids”, which might beg the question, “When is Kiss ever not on steroids?” This is a big, flashy and immaculately produced show that provides plenty of pyrotechnics, both musically and literally in terms of fireworks (not to mention actual fire, albeit controlled) exploding at any given moment, but it also shows that the band, none of whom are exactly in the spring chicken category, still can pack considerable wallop in live performances. Eagle Rock is releasing two editions of Kiss Rocks Vegas, the standard Blu-ray and CD offering reviewed here, as well as an Amazon exclusive which evidently also includes a DVD. The concert itself is a blast, but as so often tends to be the case these days, there's a peripatetic approach toward camera moves and especially editing that may annoy those who aren't afflicted with ADHD.

Kiss' set list includes:

Detroit Rock City
Creatures of the Night
Psycho Circus
Parasite
War Machine
Tears are Falling
Deuce
Lick It Up
I Love It Loud
Hell or Hallelujah
God of Thunder
Do You Love Me
Love Gun
Black Diamond
Shout It Out Loud
Rock and Roll All Nite

KISS Rocks Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kiss Rocks Vegas is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision, an imprint of Eagle Rock Entertainment, and Universal Music Group with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. While there are a few issues to confront in this presentation, as well as variable levels of sharpness, generally speaking this is a very nice looking transfer. Close-ups offer excellent detail levels, to the point you can actually make out little saliva bubbles on Gene Simmons' iconic tongue (in case you want to, of course). That said, a number of shots, especially those taken from the right side of the auditorium in the audience are pretty soft looking, with much less abundant levels of detail (see screenshot 5). The lit display in back of the band offers brief glimpses of posterizing and banding on occasion, but nothing that I would term at overly problematic levels.

KISS Rocks Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It's getting harder to remember as we move further and further into new technologies and codecs, but I think this might be the first Eagle Rock release I've reviewed that features a Dolby Atmos track, and it sounds fantastic. (For the record, there is a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core that your receiver will default to if it can't decode Atmos yet.) There are also LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes for those that want to sample those (audiophiles should be aware the disc has been authored to default to the LPCM 2.0 track, so make sure to check your receiver or display to make sure you've "chosen wisely".) The Atmos track has incredible dynamic range and, perhaps even better, spaciousness that helps to slightly diffuse but never dissipate the massed sound that Kiss tends to favor. Audience noises tend to float above the general maelstrom and commendably seldom overshadow the actual music. The track sounds abundantly clear and well articulated throughout the concert.

KISS Rocks Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Kiss Acoustic (1080i; 25:42) is a fun "unplugged" performance by the band.

Additionally, the Bonus CD includes all the tracks of the Blu-ray version.

KISS Rocks Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have to confess I'm not the biggest Kiss fan in the world, but that perhaps makes my favorable reaction to this concert even more remarkable. Yes, this "is" Vegas in a nutshell—overproduced, overamped and just over, but if taken on those terms, it's a heck of a lot of fun. Video has a few spotty issues, but audio is incredible on this release. Highly recommended.