Susquehanna Center, Camden, Friday, 6:32 PM by Scott Colan
RELATED: Original Kiss members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have always, and quite unashamedly, positioned themselves as entertainers rather than musicians, and Kiss as a brand as much as a band. So to them, sticking to the makeup, spandex, and platform boots they put back on in the mid-1990s and the pyrotechnics they’ve been peddling since the ’70s isn’t a lack of progress – it’s giving the people what they want. It’s good business sense. And considering the pitiful summer concert business of 2010, maybe it really is good business sense – even though a $10 lawn ticket special only produced a house that was slightly more than half-filled. Stanley made note of this early in the show when he exclaimed, “You may not be the biggest crowd, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the loudest.” MORE
RELATED: The quartet of thirtysomething women chatted happily as they wandered through the lobby of the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, talking about the acts they’d see at this year’s Lilith women’s music festival. But on entering the “shed” a look of horror came over one gal’s face. She gazed upon the sea of empty seats and despaired, “Hey, where is everybody?” Where, indeed? For some concertgoers – and even more so, some concert promoters – summer 2010 is proving a season of discontent and disappointment. […] To keep all its concert facilities buzzing, Live Nation makes exclusive deals with artists – maybe too many and not always wisely, it now appears – agreeing to huge guarantees. The promoting company promised a reported $400,000 a night for this year’s “American Idols” production and $700,000 a night to Tom Petty. MORE