Well…the end of era is over. I have not missed a KISS show in Indianapolis, IN for the last 26 years. As of right now, I will not be attending the show on 8/22/14 at Kilpsch Music Center. Why you might ask. Is it because of a family event? Nope. Is it because of the whole Rock N Roll Hall of Fame situation? Nope. Or (as my wife put it) has hell froze over? Nope. It breaks down to 2 very simple reasons. The price of a ticket and “Co-Headlining” status with Def Leppard.
#1 Ticket Prices
Now when I go to a KISS concert, I think you have a lot more fun the closer you sit to the stage. I have been to back house and to the front row. I enjoy watching the show when sitting in the back, but I just don’t enjoy it as much. When sitting down close, I feel like I am part of the show. So to go to the show this year, and get a good seat I would have to take place in the presale. That would cost me $50 to join the “Fan Club”. Sorry. I’s not a “Fan Club” this year, it the KISS Concert Club. At least they sort of tell you the truth now. Anyway, so if I spend the $50, then I get to buy a ticket. To sit in the lower pavilion, with all the extra charges added in it was going to cost me $191.00. $191.00!! You have got to be kidding me! You want me to spend that much money for a “greatest hits” tour? No thank you! So before going to the show, I would be $241.00 in the hole. So I thought maybe I was just getting my panties in a bunch, so I decided to look at my old ticket prices and adjust the price of the ticket with an Inflation Calculator that you can find here:
| Year | Ticket Cost | Price of Ticket Today |
| 1987 | $15.50 | $32.24 |
| 1992 | $18.50 | $31.16 |
| 1995 | $100.00 | $155.05 |
| 1996 | $40.00 | $60.24 |
| 1998 | $50.00 | $72.48 |
| 2000 | $79.00 | $108.40 |
| 2000 | $65.00 | $89.19 |
| 2000 | $45.00 | $61.75 |
| 2000 | $75.00 | $109.92 |
| 2003 | $127.50 | $163.74 |
| 2004 | $75.00 | $93.82 |
| 2010 | $70.00 | $75.85 |
| 2013 | $156.00 | $158.23 |
So if you look at the adjusted price, 3 of them stick out to me. 2013’s “The Tour” with Motley Crue , 2003’s tour with Aerosmith, and 1995’s Unplugged tour. Both the tour with Motley and Aerosmith are still outragoues, but I under stand why. You are getting 2 bands for the price of one. Big deal. Again, you just get a greatest hits package from both bands. The tour with Motley is the only that I actually looked forward to seeing both bands. Now as far as the Unplugged tour, I would still pay the 2014 price to see that one! At least at the end of that show I got to meet the band!
#2 Co-Headlining Tour
So, here we go with another Co-Headlining tour. I call these nothing but a “greatest hits tour”. The first one was 2003 with Aerosmith and then again in 2012 with Motley Crue. There are a couple of things that stand out to me on these tours. In 2003 KISS was not the headliner. They had no new album to tour with, so this was (IMO) just a chance to get back out on the road and make good money on a double bill with Aerosmith. Now in 2012 they had a new album to tour with, Monster. So below are the setlists from 2003 and 2012 from Indianapolis according to KISSFAQ.com. So, if KISS had a new album in 2012, you can take out the one new song they played Hell Or Hallelujah. So, now if you compare the 2 setlists, you get 8 songs that were played in both 2003 and 2012.
2003Detroit Rock City
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2012Detroit Rock City
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2010Modern Day Delilah
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2003Detroit Rock City
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2012Detroit Rock City
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Only 6 songs are the same on all 3 setlist. When bands do these tours, they are not doing for the fan who has been with them for years. They are doing it for the casual fan. The one who goes, “Oh yeah, I know that song”. It’s just an easy way to make some money. Does KISS have to worry about selling out the entire place. Nope. The pressure is off them. You know there crowd will be about half and half of fans.
Rock N Roll Hell 