Review: KISS - Off the Soundboard - Live in Donington 1996

KISS returns with another Off the Soundboard release. This third volume sees the band absolutely destroying Donington back in August of 1996 for the Alive Worldwide/Reunion Tour. By now, if you’ve followed this blog even a little bit, you’re aware of my love for KISS. I’ve seen them many times in concert over the years and the Reunion Tour was very special. It saw the band reenergized, playing classic songs that had been absent from their setlists for over a decade. Every song on this double CD/triple vinyl set is from the classic makeup era and dates prior to 1977. This show might as well have taken place during their Alive II tour back when they were at the top of their game. Make no mistake though, this Donington concert is a showcase of KISS in rare form during the short period of time when the magic was back among the original lineup.

Here is the official tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. Deuce

2. King of the Night Time World

3. Do You Love Me?

4. Calling Dr. Love

5. Cold Gin

6. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll

7. Shout It Out Loud

8. Watchin' You

9. Firehouse

10. Shock Me/Guitar Solo

Disc 2:

1. Strutter

2. God of Thunder

3. Love Gun

4. 100,000 Years

5. Black Diamond

6. Detroit Rock City

7. Rock and Roll All Nite

I won’t do a track by track rundown. If you’ve read this far, you know the songs and all I’ll say is that there isn’t a dud on this live set. It’s a superb setlist covering the key ‘70s albums from KISS to Love Gun. It’s awesome to get a full show from the Reunion Tour on vinyl and CD at last. The mix is clear, a little bass-heavy at times, but it feels quite balanced for the most part. Paul Stanley’s vocals are powerful throughout, Ace Frehley does wonders on guitar and we’re treated to one of his flashy solos on “Shock Me”, Gene Simmons does a great job on bass and sharing vocal duties, while Peter Criss sounds terrific on drums.

This is the best of the three Off the Soundboard albums this far, topping even the Tokyo 2001 set which I found to be phenomenal. Donington is a near-perfect show that features KISS at the height of their powers. Even if you’re just a casual KISS fan, this is a must-have album. If you’re new to the band and want to get only one album from KISS, I’d advise spending your hard-earned cash on this one. The song selection is amazing and KISS in their prime live is the best way to experience the hottest band in the world. It was just announced that the next volume in the series would be going back to 1977 for a show in Des Moines, Iowa. I couldn’t be more thrilled! The setlist is similar to this release but it’ll focus on the quartet when they were much younger, playing raw, fast and furious rock ‘n’ roll. It’s an exciting time to be a KISS fan!

KISS – Off the Soundboard Live in Donington at the KISS Shop