KISS Bids Farewell to Chicago with Allstate Arena Show

Legendary rock band KISS is finally calling it quits (again) after 50 years of music, makeup, and pyrotechnics. The fourth-to-last show of their "The End of the Road World Tour" tour took place at the Allstate Arena just outside of Chicago on Monday night.

Fans of all ages poured into Allstate Arena with some even donning the iconic black diamonds, armor, and face paint that band members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer all wear.

The opener for the show was a band called Amber Wild. They are fairly new to the scene, having formed in January 2023. Their sound included roaring guitars, intense drums, and raw vocals. Amber Wild was pretty loud and brought the energy. The band was fronted by none other than Evan Stanley, KISS Lead singer Paul Stanley's son.

KISS finally took the stage and put on their usual theatric open to “Detroit Rock City” with all the fireworks and flames they are so famous for. As the show progressed, the always-engaging Stanley talked about the band's history with Chicago — Monday marked their 28th show in the Windy City — and name-dropped the Aragon Ballroom and The Wiener's Circle.

The band played classics such as “Deuce,” “Calling Dr. Love,” and "God of Thunder," mixing in solos for each member between songs. Of course, all of this was set to a barrage of fireworks, flames, flashes, lasers, explosions, and one Paul Stanley guitar smash. A cool aspect of the theatrics was 71-year-old Stanley taking a cable swing over the crowd to Stage B at the other end of the arena.

KISS closed their show with an encore of "Beth," "Do You Love Me," and "Rock and Roll All Nite," during which Simmons and Stanley swung around the crowd on crane arms. The band bid farewell to the Chicago crowd by thanking them for their support and mentioning how they would never forget their fans.

It was an extremely entertaining show that was quintessentially KISS. The band sounded crisp compared to some critics' assessments of past tours. It was a fitting way to send one of rock and roll's most storied bands out with a bang!

The final KISS shows will be on Dec. 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, back where it all started.

KISS End of the Road World Tour Setlist: Nov. 27, 2023 at Allstate Arena, Chicago

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Deuce
4. War Machine
5. Heaven's on Fire
6. I Love It Loud
7. Say Yeah
8. Cold Gin
9. Guitar Solo
10. Lick It Up
11. Calling Dr. Love
12. Makin' Love
13. Psycho Circus
14. Drum Solo
15. 100,000 Years
16. Bass Solo
17. God of Thunder
18. Love Gun
19. I Was Made for Lovin' You
20. Black Diamond

ENCORE

21. Beth
22. Do You Love Me
23. Rock and Roll All Nite

Highlights