KISS – Alive: The Millenium Concert (Disc 4 of the Alive! Box Set) (2006)

KISS – Alive: The Millenium Concert (Disc 4 of the Alive! Box Set) (2006, Universal/Island) 

1. Psycho Circus
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Deuce
4. Heaven’s On Fire
5. Into The Void
6. Firehouse
7. Do You Love Me?
8. Let Me Go Rock’n Roll
9. I Love It Loud
10. Lick It Up
11. 100,000 Years
12. Love Gun
13. Black Diamond
14. Beth
15. Rock And Roll All Nite

Band Lineup:
Paul Stanley – Vocals, Guitars
Gene Simmons – Vocals, Bass
Ace Frehley – Vocals, Lead Guitar
Peter Criss – Vocals, Drums

Total Time – 76:28

KISSonline.com
KISSFAQ.com

Last Tuesday, I continued my obsession with the “Hottest Band In The Land” by picking up the new KISS – ALIVE! BOX SET. I spent a mere $20 to have yet another copy of ALIVE I, II, and III (remastered of course!) and to finally add the long-lost “real” Alive IV – The Millenium Concert.

Back in 2001, KISS was to release this album as ALIVE IV but, due to label politics and contracts, it was not to be. Even with the artwork being revealed and ‘Rock And Roll All Nite’ (from Alive IV) being added to the KISS BOX SET, the album was shelved. The band then moved labels from Universal/Island to Sanctuary Music and they released ALIVE IV – KISS SYMPHONY. And the rest is history…..

Basically, this album is the souvenir of the Farewell Tour that KISS mounted in 1999/2000 featuring the original lineup of Paul, Gene, Ace, and Peter. It’s a straight forward recording of the basic set they played throughout the U.S. Tour (I was there for four shows!). It sounds great, it reminds me of the shows. It’s nice to have official live versions of ‘Psycho Circus’ (sans orchestra), ‘Into The Void’, and a live document of the reunited original lineup. All in all a good live album.

So what’s missing?

Three songs that were prominent in the set! For some reason, ‘2000 Man’, ‘God Of Thunder’, and ‘Detroit Rock City’ are absent from the live proceedings. They were part of the Farewell Tour setlist, I have the bootlegs to prove it. So where are they? I bought the Best Buy exclusive release. That meant that my copy of of the box set had two bonus tracks on Disc 4: ‘2000 Man’ and ‘God Of Thunder’…..says so right on the packaging.

Turns out the Japanese release in December would have these two bonus tracks plus the elusive ‘Detroit Rock City’ but now that is in doubt. Why go through all that hassle? Just release the whole show!

Bottom Line: Gene and Paul get some of my money again and I get a four disc set of previous releases and one new release. I’ve listened to this disc non-stop and it’s an average period piece. If they released it when they should have, I’d be more attached to it. Time to check on the progress of the bonus tracks and/or the Japanese version. Or will the bonuses be available when the single-disc release comes out?

And the KISS machine’s wheels keep going…..