Kiss prepared for their Kiss 2020 Goodbye concert in Dubai with a soundcheck last night, and a small number of the 3,000 fans who’ll be in attendance were allowed to watch.

During the New Year’s Eve show, which will be livestreamed on a pay-per-view basis, the band hope to set a new world record for the amount of pyrotechnics used.

Fan-shot clips of the show opening and “Detroit Rock City,” a flamethrowers test, “Psycho Circus” and “Lick It Up” can be seen below.

None of the band wore stage gear, except for Tommy Thayer, who appeared to be dressed in his performance boots. There wasn’t much in the way of crowd interaction, although Gene Simmons – who had a protective mask at his chin – waved his arms to the audience during “Detroit Rock City,” and Paul Stanley invited the attendees to “put your hands up,” noting, “I can see you!” during “Psycho Circus.” The festival-sized stage at the Atlantis luxury hotel on Dubai’s artificial Palm Jumeirah island featured large screens, octagonal displays above the band and laser effects, with flamethrowers stationed on towers around the Royal Beach location.

Explaining the decision to stage the show in Dubai, event producer Dan Catullo told the Khaleej Times: “The United Arab Emirates is among the world leaders in mitigating the spread of COVID and continues to effectively manage the pandemic.” He added: “2020 has silenced the music industry and momentum has been at an all-time low. Landmarks Dubai’s live New Year’s Eve concert special is intended to help the whole world begin to look ahead. In true Kiss fashion, it will be larger than life. It’ll be a unique global streaming travel and music series.”

Catullo noted that total costs for the production would come close to $10 million – including $1 million on pyro and $750,000 on coronavirus precautions – and continued: “Logistically, this was the largest undertaking I’ve ever done… almost five months of planning, hundreds of working crew, coordination with the Dubai Government, major coordination with the band… this show will go down in the record books. We’re also filming a documentary on how we are pulling this show off. We’re doing the biggest production in Kiss history.”

PPV access is available for purchase, with prices from $39.99 to $999.99.

 

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