View Larger Image

Kiss - Symphony: The DVD Actor: Kiss Number of Items: 2 Format: Color Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 180 minutes Studio: Bmg Distribution (VI Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2003-09-09 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 88 Average rating: 3.5 "KISS: Symphony - An Evening Of Unforgettable Majesty!!!" I just saw this presented in the theaters on the big screen. Since I am the KISS fan for many a year, I am slightly jaded to anything they release. However, this was AMAZING. KISS music works quite well with the instruments of a symphony orchestra, any fan of the band will be pleased with this. The package and booklet are beautiful. This is a GRADE A release. It is a 2 DVD set, and features the whole concert, KISS themselves, with ensemble, and then Symphony. In my opinion, the performance and deliverance of this piece worked better than the Metallica release of similar nature. Nothing against them, they played over the orchestra and KISS played with them. "KISS Symphony DVD" WOW! I read somewhere to wait for the DVD instead of jump on the CD set. Got the DVD on the day of release. Alot of anxiety and anticipation waiting to get off work and finally see this historical event unfold on my screen. Very emotional seeing the Australian Childrens Choir perform 'Great Expectations' with the band something they have never done live like this. Finding out they only had 3 days practicing with the Melbourne Symphony to get this whole insane thing in order is a milestone in its self! I always wondered how this was all going to gel together,a Symphony and the 'Hottest Band In The World' but it comes together better than you might expect. I did not have a chance to be there in person nor see the Pay Per View.This is almost as great as being there,it is that good.A great production. The performances are outrageous the sound and picture are phenomenal and the rest is just KISSTORY! Do yourself a favor and get this! One of the best video pieces from KISS you can get very well done.Play it LOUD! This will defintely go down in the books as one of the most outrageous ideas ever to be concieved and carried out that worked in Rock History or better yet KISSTORY! "The Greatest Kiss DVD yet" This DVD was one of the best dvds i have ever seen. This is a must have for any KISS fan. It's well wroth the money. Tommy Thayer rocks on the guitar. KISS ROCKS "not bad for the casual fan" first of all, the track listing is incorrect. How about a little attention to details guys. Afterall, we're shelling out $20+ for the dvd to which many of us already own the cd. A little too much with the switching of camera angles, it made me dizzy. There weren't all the usual KISS antics most noticably Ace's flaming guitars. As a KISS fan, however, overall I enjoyed it. It sounds great on a home theater system. "?Everybody?s got to rock ?n? roll??" KISS has never been about the search for musical perfection, so the idea of presenting their edgy live show with a full compliment of classically trained musicians seemed like a train-wreck waiting to happen. But then KISS has always been about defying the critics and challenging themselves... and their fans. "KISS Symphony" (a.k.a. Alive IV) captures the band in Melbourne, Australia (February 2003) during a performance that could perfectly punctuate their career with their best live show of all time. About the DVD itself: The 2-disc "Symphony" set comes in a stunning silvery case with a touch of nice beveling on the KISS logo, crest and the trickle of red blood that runs down the left side. There is an included booklet, with live photos and credits, but nothing extra that wasn't presented in the original CD. DISC 1 is backstage + "Act 3" of the show (the full-on show of KISS + the entire orchestra). DISC 2 is the entire show - all 3 Acts - plus and extra interview clip with the band and one songs from the show that wasn't included on the CD: "Sure Know Something". 'You've got to have a party' : About the Preshow DISC 1 opens with a good 40 minutes of backstage moments (a staple of every KISS video release) and Paul (always the showman) hams it up for the camera at every opportunity. We see Paul and Gene crafting the songs digitally with conductor David Campbell on his home equipment, strategically plotting every strain, splash and rumble to try and compliment the original material. David has obviously done his homework. We see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in their studio environment, with only a day's preparation to learn the classic KISS songs before the band arrives. Peter is his usual nervous self on camera, any why not: where KISS would usually take months to rehearse a live show, here they've got a short 3 days to get it right. 'Turn it up louder' : About the show: What this show lacked in typical KISS bombast it more than made up for in sheer cool factor. Between ALIVE 1, 2, 3, and 1996's "You Wanted The Best" (and the oodles of bootlegs) we've heard plenty of straightforward KISS live shows. With typical KISS resilience they had three days to pull it off, and they don't disappoint. Only "MTV Unplugged" challenges this (in my mind) as the best recordings of KISS ever. The first Act in "Symphony" - a classic KISS warm-up show without the orchestra - is really unnecessary, except that it serves to highlight how KISS have aged in the 10 years since their last live album (Alive III, 1993): they really haven't. Close your eyes and any of the tracks from Act 1 could be from Alive III. My only complaint with this DVD collection is the varying sound quality of the backstage material (a mix of shaky-cam shots and more "staged" presentations). And note that the songs "Black Diamond" and "I Was Made For Loving You" (Act 3) are improperly ordered (switched) on the back of the DVD. Great Expectations : I won't spoil the show for you but I will make a few comments: A comparison to Metallica's own classical detour, "S&M" is in order. I think an important distinction can be made between KISS and Metallica's re-symphonized sets. Whereas many of the Metallica songs were given a different presentation, the KISS Symphony still sounds exactly like our favorite band (who just happen to be backed up by a 40-piece orchestra). The songs are slowed down just a little, but the sound is full, dramatic and a real treat for the fans. A Paul himself explains: "I've always said a crappy rock band with a big show is still a crappy rock band. It ultimately comes down to the four members delivering the goods." Alas, if only they had strayed a little more from "Destroyer" (this most `classic' of KISS classic albums has 7 out of 9 tracks represented) and added songs from "Elder" or even more uncharted territory (can you imagine a symphonized "Tears Are Falling" or "And On The 8th Day"?)