What if's were what was running through my mind last night. 1996 seemed to be calling me because I pondered for quite awhile what would have happened if Kiss had reformed with Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer after the 1996 reunion tour which was what was originally said to be planned. That's how I remember it. Ace and Peter joined the MTV Unplugged session and all us Kiss fans's hearts went aflutter. A wave of Kiss nostalgia was cresting as Gen X hit their twenties and, gasp, some of us would turn 30 in 1996. I would see them twice on this tour and it was the culmination for me of a lifelong love of the band. I was too young to see them with makeup back in the 70's and early 80's so I had to make do with the Japan concert broadcast on HBO and the Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park movie.
I would see Kiss again on the Psycho Circus Tour and it wasn't all that great. Even then, I think I was wondering why they hadn't taken the makeup off and reunited with Eric and Bruce. I had really liked the Revenge album and was hoping for a followup to it, but it wasn't to be. I think it could have been great. But there was a follow up I hear you say. Now, I understand why that couldn't have happened (I guess Carnival of Souls was the followup to Revenge, but I wanted more) and I also understand why Eric later donned Peter Criss's makeup and Tommy Thayer became fake Ace. The evil Doc McGhee had become the manager of Kiss and making money had become the overriding concern. Sure, Gene and Paul have always been after the dollar too, but they still had the desire to make good music. That ended with McGhee. I guess we do have him to thank for the reunion, but we also have him responsible for the zombie Kiss of the last 20+ years.
My other 1996 flashback what if is the Van Halen quasi-reunion. First, the original Kiss gets back together which was incredible. Next, we hear rumblings that David Lee Roth is back with Van Halen. Oh man was that fantastic. I was glued to the television during the MTV Video Music Awards 1996 show and everything seemed right with the world. Dave was clowning up just being Dave so I didn't think much of his behavior. Then came the post appearance interview with the Van Halen brothers and all hope was lost. A reunited Van Halen wouldn't happen on stage ever again. They got close years later with Eddie, Alex, and Dave finally putting aside their differences, but bass guitar would be handled by Eddie's son Wolfgang. While I am one of the very few that feel like Michael Anthony was the most dispensable of the original band, a Van Halen reunion without him just isn't the same. A tour of the original band in 1996 would have been an earth shattering event.
Rock and roll is full of such what if speculation. What if so many greats like Hendrix hadn't died young? I often ponder an AC/DC still led by Bon Scott for example. What if the Beatles never broke up. What if John Lennon had never moved to New York City. One can go on and on in this kind of thinking. I don't know if it's a productive use of time, but idle speculation is perhaps a nostalgic form of daydreaming.
No comments:
Post a Comment