Rating: 
Summary: ¿Everybody¿s got to rock ¿n¿ roll¿¿
Review: 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"?)
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome!!!
Review: I was in my favorite CD store today picking up "Dynasty" to replace my long lost copy when the clerk behind the counter said "You'll probably like this." It was this DVD and it wasn't even released yet. Needless to say, I bought it. This is a great DVD and must have for KISS fans. There are two DVDs. The first disc gives a behind the scenes look at how KISS and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra got together. It then goes into what's titled "Act Three" which is KISS and the Orchestra doing; Detroit Rock City, King of the Night Time World, Do You Love Me, Great Expectations, Shout It Out Loud, God of Thunder, Love Gun, I Was Made For Loving You, Black Diamond and Rock And Roll All Nite. Disc Two shows you how the concert really started; KISS without the Orchestra doing a normal KISS show. This is called Act One and the songs are Deuce, Strutter, Let Me Go Rock and Roll, Lick It Up, Calling Dr. Love and Psycho Circus.
Next is Act Two which is KISS unplugged with a scaled down version of the orchestra, The Melbourne Symphony Ensemble, doing Beth, Forever, Goin' Blind, Sure Know Something and Shandi. Act Three is the same footage that is on the first disc. Not really sure why they have Act Three on disc one and disc two. Perhaps they did not have enough footage of how KISS and the Orchestra got together to fill up disc one and decided they'd fill up the rest of the disc with Act Three. I guess KISS wanted to show you, on the second disc, how the show progressed from one act to another. The Bonus Features have a KISS interview on an Australian TV show along with a performance of "Sure Know Something" with the Ensemble along with some web links. KISS and the Orchestra sound great togther. Neither drowns out the other and the Orchestral arrangements add a nice touch to many KISS classics. All in all a GREAT DVD!!!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the greatest KISS concert ever!
Review: I'm not a true KISS fan however I have to admit I have followed their steps from the Lick It Up days to the Back in Make up era. It was really amazing how good the songs were re arranged and re-played in a Symphony. They look exactly as they looked back in the 70's based on some videos I have. The DTS sound , the concert and the extras make this a must have for any Rock'nRoll fan. I wasn't expecting much before I bought it, however I ended up with probably one of the best rock concerts in history. It's well worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: every kiss fan needs this dvd
Review: the cd is out now comes the dvd kiss symphony alive iv is a great concert gene simmons paul stanley peter criss and tommy thayer put on a great show i recommend this for every kiss fan
Rating:
Summary: Where did all these editing experts come from?
Review: I cant believe that there are this many editing experts in the world.There are complaints about the editing happening too fast and there is even one college graduate that left a review that actually took the time to record the total time of each sceen.Now if that doesn't get the Al Bundy loser of the year award nothing will.I have a great idea for all the people that have been crying " Oh..slow the video down!! I haven't taken my medication today and I can't keep up with what's going on! Winger wouldn't have done this kind of thing to us so why is Kiss doig it?" Get over it people.If you can't keep up then don't look at it! The only thing wrong with this dvd is that it didn't come with a warning saying THIS VIDEO CONTAINS FAST MOVING SCEENS.PEOPLE WITH BRAIN DAMAGE SHOULD NOT VIEW.Other than that its a great dvd.If you want something that captures the true feeling of a Kiss concert dont let a few morons leaving bad reviews keep you from buying this dvd.Buy it and then sit back and enjoy it and let all the others sit back and remember the 'Good Old Days'when they thought the Backstreet Boys ruled.
Rating:
Summary: Mott Symphony
Review: "You Wanted The Best? You Got The Best. The Hottest Band In The Land, KISS." This is the taped introduction to every KISS concert since the year dot. Who would be brave enough to dispute this claim? Their stage shows are folklore now, and after 30 years, 32 albums, and over 90 million record sales, the band is still going strong. The lineup has fluctuated dramatically over the years with only main stays Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley remaining constant. Some musicians leave and return, as does original drummer Peter Criss, for these shows, but already less than a year down the road he has been replaced by the returning Eric Singer. The make-up of each replacement musician stays the same so the crowd hardly ever notices. The idea is that once you are in the band, make sure you don't upset Gene or Paul or you will find yourself on the outside again. So, on this recording you have Tommy Thayer, playing the role of Silver Spaceman and Ace Frehley on lead guitar, never missing a note or smudging his make up. Alive Four Symphony is the first Full length concert available from the masters of Theatre Rock and what a concert it was, too. Over 40 thousand rabid KISS fans attended, and it is spread over two DVD's. The first documents the arrival of the band in Australia and their meeting up with the conductor and musical director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with its classically trained musicians. Although it starts out in distrust and coldness, but by the time of concert, band, Orchestra members, and choir are as one and have the time of their lives. On Disc two is the full concert broken up into three acts. The first act is the 4-piece rock band playing six of their classic songs stripped to the bone. Act two consists of five songs given the acoustic treatment with a 12-piece string section. Songs like 'Beth' and 'Forever', two ballads, gave KISS surprise ballad single hits, and have been screaming out for in the live context. Act three is where all the action really kicks off. The four members of the band look great despite the fact that all of them are in their sixth decade. They rock 'round the stage shaking their booties like never before; all in their adopted make up and specially made stage space suits. The Cat behind the drums only comes to the front to play up to the crowd during his solo singing spot in 'Beth'. The Spaceman on lead guitar takes every opportunity to blaze out as many notes per second solos as possible, and, being new to the band, obviously loves every second of it. The Beast on bass, forever sticking out the longest and most suggestive tongue in rock, spits blood and eats fire during his bass solo before flying bat-like sixty feet into the gantry above the stage, and then is flown down again to join his crewmen. Center stage is the Starman in his 8-inch stack heeled boots, flouncing and pouting at the audience, playing his guitar over each shoulder before bringing it crashing to the ground, and being flown round the audience on a flying trapeze. Add to this a 60-piece Orchestra and Conductor all in full KISS make up (each member of the Orchestra was allowed to choose which member of KISS' make up they wanted to wear) enjoying their new found freedom in being able to play rock music instead of the strict rigors of the classics. When they are then joined by a 40-piece Australian Children's Choir (naturally also in full make up), the audience (half of them are also in full KISS dress) go completely wild. Add to this KISS playing all their classic songs (ranging from selections from their first album to their latest studio effort); a great stage set; a hilarious Paul Stanley in-between song raps; some of the biggest and loudest pyrotechnics ever set off on a rock stage, and you have one of the greatest rock shows ever recorded on this DVD. Over the course of the two DVD's the playing time (including bonus features) clocks in at over three and a half hours. So with KISS, as usual, everything to excess. Drawn by Mott the Dog
Colored in by Ella Crew
Rating:
Summary: unbeatable
Review: This DVD introduced me to the band Kiss. i can honestly say that after seeing this DVD i was hooked on Kiss. Easily the best concert ever.
All the songs are solid - with the orchestra the songs i was made for loving you, god of thunder, black diamond, shandi, sure know something, beth and forever stand out and are fab. The first section, without the orchestra is also very very good. Ignore any other bad reviews on this. Just because Ace frehley is not in the line up does not make this a bad DVD. Tommy thayer plays very well and repleces Ace as the guiterist.
buy the DVD and see for yourself. It is excellent and displays kiss at there very best.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT SOUND BUT JAIL THE EDITOR
Review: When it comes to your favorite bands when you are a teenager I guess KISS was after my time by about 5 year. But because of my younger brother I was always exposed to KISS to a certain extant. SO, when this DVD came on the shelves I had to get it and see the concert. WOW, what a show. I own a lot of concert DVDs. I have a large and very expensive home Theater and most of my concerts at in DTS. This concert has great sound and it is just a super show. The only reason I did not give it 5 Starts is because of the editing of the show. Put simply, the editor and/or the editing team should be shot. They never spend any longer that 3 seconds on a frame. I don't think that there is anymore than one or two nice shots of the entire stage with band. TOO bad, cause everything else is great. BUTTTTTT, the editing is sooooo bad that it is painful to try watching it. I only listen to the show.
Rating:
Summary: One of their best performances EVER !!!!!!!
Review: My father bought me this DVD when he went to Buenos Aires, Argentina along with "KISS: EXPOSED". This DVD rocks. It has some of their best songs they wrote, for example: "Deuce", "Strutter", "Detroit Rock City", "Love Gun", "I Was Made For Lovin' You", etc. This review will be exactly like the one I did about the C.D. because it's totally the same thing:Act 1.- KISS playing a couple of songs like everybody knows.
1.- "Deuce".- This song is one of KISS's best songs EVER and one of my favorite's. A great intro for a mind-blowing show.- 5/5.
2.- "Strutter".- Another song from KISS that was one of the best.- 5/5.
3.- "Let Me Go, Rock & Roll".- For me, this has got to be "the" complete version of this great rock 'n' roll song. This version is similar to the "Alive!" album. Majestic.- 5/5.
4.- "Lick it Up".- Another classic big hit from KISS, this time from the decade of the 80's. I love this one.- 5/5.
5.- "Calling Dr. Love".- HEY, what you know, even another classic hit from the 70's. God.- 5/5.
6.- "Psycho Circus".- This one is another KISS classic, at least for me, and a great way to end the first act.- 5/5.
Act 2.- KISS playing an acoustic segment of the show with the "Melbourne Symphony Ensemble" under the direction of Mr. David Campbell.
1.- "Beth".- A terrific classic single from Peter Criss from the 70's.- 5/5.
2.- "Forever".- Yet another classic single from KISS from the decade of the late 80's.
3.- "Goin' Blind".- This song is played better with an acoustic than with an electric.- 5/5.
4.- "Sure Know Something".- This is another song that is played better acoustic than electric.- 4/5.
5.- "Shandi".- I hate to admit this, but I don't really like this KISS song that much....it is too "stella", but a great outro for the second act.- 3/5
Act 3.- Now this is the best and the coolest act: KISS playing a mind-blowing show with the "Melbourne Symphony Orchestra". Just a Dire-Hit show.
1.- "Detroit Rock City".- To start off, KISS and the "Melbourne Symphony Orchestra" play one of the best KISS songs EVER. I gotta say this is a great version of the song.- 5/5.
2.- "King of The Night Time World".- The best song that follows "Detroit Rock City" is played right after it. This is the best version of the song! .- 5/5.
3.- "Do You Love Me?".- This is yet another KISS classic from the 70's. It sounds better with the Orchestra.- 5/5.
4.- "Shout It Out Loud".- This is yet ANOTHER KISS classic from the 70's. One of my favorite's from KISS.- 5/5.
5.- "God of Thunder".- In this song, Gene starts with a bass solo while spiting blood, following a breat "fly" on stage. Then the "CATMAN" starts hitting his drums following the ORCHESTRA. This is the best Versiono of "God of Thunder".- 5/5.
6.- "Love Gun".- Another KISS classic from the 70's and with a great version of the song.- 5/5.
7.- "Black Diamond".- A great KISS song, powerfull and on its best version EVER. The performance on this track is unbelivable.- 5/5.
8.- "Great Expectations".- This is the first time the play "Great Expectation" on stage without realesing on any other live C.D. before. One of the best with the "Australian Children's Choir".- 5/5.
9.- "I Was Made For Lovin' You".- Yet another KISS classic from the 70's and one of my favorite songs from KISS.- 5/5.
10.- "Rock and Roll All Nite".- This one is another KISS classic from the 70's and probably one of their top 5 songs they wrote. I love this song and it is a great version and outro.- 5/5.
See. There is no differences at all. Go buy this one and live full experience of the "KISS SYMPHONY" concert.
KISS RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Another double platinum performance from Kiss
Review: Well it seems that through all the moaning and crying about the editing and all the negative BS handed out about this dvd it just shows once again the greatness of Kiss. Thats right,the Kiss Symphony dvd has reached double platinum status which proves just how good this dvd is. Now you can either follow the bad reviews like blind mice or you can go with the facts that show that this is a very good dvd worthy of more than the 5 stars provided to vote with. I also want to give a little advice to the reviewer that complained about the dvd not having enough bass and wanted to carry his copy back because of this..... Get a decent surround sound system and quit playing your dvd's on your playstation 2.
| 
