Hot in the Shade Tour explained

The Hot in the Shade Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Kiss in support of their fifteenth studio album Hot in the Shade.

Background

Following the Crazy Nights World Tour, Stanley had embarked on a solo club tour in 1989 while the band had gone on hiatus.^[1] The tour was set to begin earlier in the year, but was postponed to allow the second single from the album, "Forever", to be promoted as the first single, "Hide Your Heart" did not make as much an impact.^[2] Prior to the beginning of the tour, the band spent two weeks in Lubbock, Texas to rehearse for the tour before setting out.^[3] Kiss headlined with their supporting acts Whitesnake in Toronto on June 15, 1990, playing alongside other opening acts Slaughter and Faster Pussycat.

On July 4, 1990, Stanley while on his way home after a performance in Springfield, ended up in a car accident and suffered minor neck and back injuries, which had forced the cancellation of the New Haven show on July 5, 1990 which was later rescheduled to October 27.^[4] He would later get injured again when he broke his ribs during a show in Johnstown which had resulted in a few shows getting canceled.^[5] This was the last tour to feature drummer Eric Carr, who later died of cancer on November 24, 1991.^{[6] [7]} Carr performed his final show with Kiss on November 9, 1990 in New York City.^[8]

In the tour program for the band's final tour, Simmons reflected on the tour:

Stage setup

The band used a 40-foot sunglasses-wearing sphynx^[9] from the album cover on their stage, naming it "Leon", which featured the ability to emit fireworks and lights from its mouth. At the beginning of every show, the mouth of the sphynx would open up to reveal the band in silhouette among the laser beams. When the band was performing "God of Thunder", the keyboardist Gary Corbett would sing the final verse through a synthesizer, to put it in sync with the mouth of the sphynx prop to make it look like it was singing. At the end of every performance, the sphynx would 'disappear', and through the use of cannon shots and sparks on stage and above the audience, the lighted band logo would roll up from the bottom of the stage during "I Want You".^[10]

The stage also included a ramp, which was draped in fog and fluid spewing tubing, as well as railed platforms on each side of the stage for Stanley and Kulick to throw guitar picks to the audience.^[5]

Reception

Lonna Baldwin, a reporter from the Spokesman-Review who had attended the performance in Spokane on September 8, 1990, opened her review with the acknowledgement of the number of heavy metal fans that had turned out for the concert that night. She praised the usage of the band's entrance from the sphinx prop at the back of the stage, noting on the roar from the audience. She noted on the mixture of both new and old songs that the band performed during the show, also stating that the members knew how to put on a show. She concluded her review, stating that each song was enthusiastically received by the audience as well as the "standing throng in front of the stage".^[11]

Kim Reeves from the Southeast Missourian who attended the Cape Girardeau performance in May 22, 1990, had given the performance a positive review. She opened her review, noting on the lasting impressions of the sphynx on the stage and the pyrotechnical effects, noting on the roar of the crowd of 5,200 in attendance when the band had entered the stage. She stated that the band had evolved into a more mature group with the passage of time, citing the excitement from the crowd and the amount of energy from the band members from Stanley getting the audience to participate and Simmons jumping around on stage – also talking about the absence of the makeup, and the appearances of the band wearing spandex, and athletic style shoes.^[10]

Peter Atkinson, a staff writer from the Record-Journal, also gave a positive review following the band's New Haven performance. He noted on the usage of both the colossal stage set and both classic and new songs the band had performed during the show. Acknowledging the crowd's reactions to the show, he stated that the audience were well-behaved and surprisingly 'orderly' despite the band's energy on stage, adding when the encore had started - the security guards would scurry to safety behind the stage front barriers. He concluded his review, citing that the show was "a grand performance by the elder statesmen of metal".^[5]

Setlist

This is an example setlist performed from a show, but may not represent the majority of shows during the tour.

1. "I Stole Your Love"
2. "Deuce"
3. "Heaven's on Fire"
4. "Crazy Crazy Nights"
5. "Black Diamond"
6. "Shout It Out Loud"
7. "Strutter"
8. "Calling Dr. Love"
9. "I Was Made for Lovin' You"
10. "Rise to It"
11. "Fits Like a Glove"
12. "Hide Your Heart"
13. "Lick It Up"
14. "God of Thunder"
15. "Forever"
16. "Cold Gin"
17. "Tears Are Falling"
18. "I Love It Loud"
19. "Love Gun"
20. "Detroit Rock City"

Encore

21. "I Want You"
22. "Rock and Roll All Nite"

• "Betrayed" was played twice on the tour, "Little Caesar" was played once on the tour and "Under the Gun" was played early on the tour, then was replaced by "I Was Made for Lovin' You".
• "C'mon and Love Me" and "Hell or High Water" were played at the beginning of the tour.

Tour dates

Date! width="125"

City	Country	Venue	Opening Act(s)
March 11, 1990		United States	West Beach Pocket Park	Downtown Bruno
April 14, 1990				Saraya The Good Rats Joe Lynn Turner The Red & The Black
April 25, 1990				Shake City
May 4, 1990				Slaughter Faster Pussycat
May 5, 1990			Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheatre
May 6, 1990			Frank Erwin Center
May 8, 1990			Expo Square Pavilion
May 9, 1990			Britt Brown Arena
May 10, 1990			Omaha Civic Auditorium
May 11, 1990			Sioux Falls Arena
May 12, 1990			Sandstone Amphitheatre
May 15, 1990			Wendler Arena
May 17, 1990			Hulman Center
May 18, 1990			The Palace of Auburn Hills
May 19, 1990			Toledo Sports Arena
May 20, 1990			Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
May 22, 1990			Show Me Center
May 23, 1990			Five Seasons Center
May 25, 1990			Met Center
May 26, 1990			Red River Valley Speedway
May 27, 1990			Duluth Arena
May 28, 1990			Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena
May 30, 1990			Peoria Civic Center
May 31, 1990			Mesker Amphitheatre
June 1, 1990			Kiel Auditorium
June 2, 1990			Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium
June 3, 1990			New World Music Theatre
June 6, 1990				Slaughter Little Caesar
June 7, 1990			Hara Arena
June 8, 1990			Deer Creek Music Center
June 9, 1990			Richfield Coliseum
June 12, 1990			Cincinnati Gardens
June 13, 1990			L. C. Walker Arena
June 15, 1990		Canada		Whitesnake Slaughter Faster Pussycat
June 16, 1990		United States		Slaughter Little Caesar
June 17, 1990			Orange County Fair Speedway
June 20, 1990			Providence Civic Center
June 22, 1990			Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena
June 23, 1990			Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheater
June 26, 1990			The Spectrum
June 27, 1990			Great Allentown Fair
June 28, 1990			Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
June 29, 1990			Great Woods Performing Arts Center
June 30, 1990			Brendan Byrne Arena
July 3, 1990			Springfield Civic Center
July 6, 1990			Seashore Performing Arts Center
July 7, 1990			Knickerbocker Arena
July 8, 1990			City Island
July 10, 1990				Slaughter Danger Danger
July 11, 1990			Roanoke Civic Center
July 12, 1990			Richmond Coliseum
July 13, 1990			Norfolk Scope
July 18, 1990			Freedom Hall Civic Center
July 19, 1990			Knoxville Civic Coliseum
July 20, 1990			Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
July 21, 1990			Starwood Amphitheatre
July 24, 1990			Carolina Coliseum
July 25, 1990			Charlotte Coliseum
July 26, 1990			Greenville Memorial Auditorium
July 27, 1990			Greensboro Coliseum
July 28, 1990			Cumberland County Memorial Arena
August 1, 1990			Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
August 2, 1990			Orlando Arena
August 3, 1990			Miami Arena
August 4, 1990			USF Sun Dome
August 7, 1990			Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
August 8, 1990			Mid-South Coliseum
August 16, 1990				Slaughter Winger
August 17, 1990			Mississippi Coliseum
August 18, 1990			Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
August 19, 1990			Mississippi Coast Coliseum
August 21, 1990			The Summit
August 22, 1990			Freeman Coliseum
August 24, 1990			Barton Coliseum
August 25, 1990			Myriad Convention Center
August 26, 1990			Bicentennial Center
August 28, 1990			Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
August 29, 1990			MetraPark Arena
August 31, 1990			Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 1, 1990			Salt Palace
September 3, 1990			BSU Pavilion
September 6, 1990		Canada	Pacific Coliseum
September 7, 1990		United States	Seattle Center Coliseum
September 8, 1990			Spokane Coliseum
September 9, 1990			Portland Memorial Coliseum
September 12, 1990			Cal Expo Amphitheatre
September 13, 1990			Concord Pavilion
September 14, 1990			Long Beach Arena
September 15, 1990			San Diego Sports Arena
September 16, 1990			Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
September 19, 1990				Winger Vixen
September 20, 1990			Ector County Coliseum
September 21, 1990			Tarrant County Convention Center
September 22, 1990			Amarillo Civic Center
September 24, 1990			Hammons Student Center
September 25, 1990			Hearnes Center
September 26, 1990			Pershing Auditorium
September 28, 1990			SIU Arena
September 29, 1990				Slaughter Winger
September 30, 1990			Five Flags Center
October 2, 1990			Bismarck Civic Center
October 4, 1990			Lakeview Arena
October 5, 1990			Mayo Civic Center
October 6, 1990			Landon Arena
October 7, 1990			Sioux City Municipal Auditorium
October 10, 1990			Cambria County War Memorial Arena
October 12, 1990		Canada	Copps Coliseum
October 13, 1990			London Gardens
October 14, 1990	Auburn Hills	United States	The Palace of Auburn Hills
October 15, 1990			Wings Stadium
October 16, 1990			Erie Civic Center
October 18, 1990		Canada	Ottawa Civic Centre
October 19, 1990			Montreal Forum
October 25, 1990		United States	Cumberland County Civic Center
October 26, 1990			Centrum in Worcester
October 27, 1990			New Haven Coliseum
October 30, 1990			Wheeling Civic Center
November 1, 1990			Charleston Civic Center
November 2, 1990			Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center
November 3, 1990			Albany Civic Center
November 6, 1990			Columbus Municipal Auditorium
November 7, 1990			Asheville Civic Center
November 8, 1990			Hersheypark Arena
November 9, 1990			Madison Square Garden

• Kiss was the supporting act for Whitesnake at this show.
• During this show, the enormous stage set overloaded the arena's power supply, causing a transformer to explode outside the building, cutting electricity inside the arena and abruptly ending the show.
• At this show, Stanley ran into the guardrail on stage and cracked his ribs, causing some shows to be canceled.^[5]
• Eric Carr's last show.^[8]

Cancelled dates

Date	City	Country	Venue	Reason
July 5, 1990	New Haven	United States	New Haven Coliseum	Injuries suffered to Paul Stanley
July 14, 1990	Charleston		Charleston Civic Center
July 15, 1990	Lexington		Rupp Arena
October 21, 1990	Sydney	Canada	Centre 200
October 22, 1990	Halifax		Halifax Metro Centre
October 23, 1990	Moncton		Moncton Coliseum
October 28, 1990	Baltimore	United States	Baltimore Arena
October 31, 1990	Lexington		Rupp Arena

Personnel

• Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Gene Simmons – vocals, bass
• Eric Carr – drums, vocals
• Bruce Kulick – lead guitar, backing vocals

Additional musician

• Gary Corbett – keyboards

References

Sources

• Book: Gooch . Curt . Suhs . Jeff . Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History . Billboard Books . 2002 . New York . 0-8230-8322-5.
• Book: Weiss . Brett . Encyclopedia of Kiss: Music, Personnel, Events and Related Subjects . 2016 . McFarland & Company, Inc. . Jefferson, North Carolina . 9781476625409 .

Notes and References

1. News: Stanley keeps busy with two bands . January 7, 2022 . The Lewiston Journal . March 11, 1989 . Lewiston-Auburn, Maine . 8D . en.
2. Web site: Wilkening . Matthew . How Kiss Reclaimed Their Legacy on the 'Hot in the Shade' Tour . Ultimate Classic Rock . January 2, 2022 . en . May 12, 2020.
3. News: Kisiel . Ralph . Kiss: Raucous rockers are survivors of the ages . January 7, 2022 . Toledo Blade . May 13, 1990 . Toledo, Ohio . D1–D2 . en.
4. News: Kiss singer suffers injuries in car crash . January 1, 2022 . The Deseret News . August 2, 1990 . Pelham, New York . C-6 . en.
5. News: Atkinson . Peter . Kiss highlights the old in New Haven . January 7, 2022 . Record-Journal . October 29, 1990 . Meriden, Connecticut . 7 . en.
6. Web site: 23 Years Ago: Kiss Drummer Eric Carr Dies . Ultimate Classic Rock . Matthew . Wilkening . November 24, 2014 . December 28, 2021.
7. Web site: Eric Carr, 41, Is Dead; Rock Band's Drummer . November 26, 1991 . . January 7, 2022.
8. Web site: Giles . Jeff . 30 Years Ago: Eric Carr Plays His Last Kiss Show . Ultimate Classic Rock . January 2, 2022 . en . November 9, 2015.
9. News: Stewart . Isaiah . Veteran band Kiss - sans makeup - bringing own style of rock to S.L. . January 7, 2022 . The Deseret News . August 29, 1990 . 4C . en.
10. News: Reeves . Kim . KISS 'rocks' Show Me Center crowd of 5,200 with songs of new and old . January 7, 2022 . The Southeast Missourian . May 23, 1990 . Cape Girardeau, Missouri . 2A . en.
11. News: Kiss concert lights up Coliseum . January 1, 2022 . The Spokesman-Review . September 9, 1990 . Spokane, Washington . B5 . en.