The Freedom to Rock Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Kiss. The tour hit secondary markets and smaller cities in 2016. The tour started on July 4 in Tucson, Arizona, marking a return to the city for the first time since 2000. The tour was also the first full scale North American tour for the band since 2014.
In the tour program for the band's final tour, Stanley reflected on the tour:
History At the Rockford, Illinois show, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen joined the band onstage to play "Rock and Roll All Nite".
Reception Emerson Malone of the Daily Emerald described the Eugene, Oregon show as "Musically, the band still sounds incredible and the set came with numerous things to love: Thayer's inky, sludgy guitar in "Calling Dr. Love" and "Strutter," Singer's drum fills in "Cold Gin," and Singer taking the reins on vocals during the lighter-sparking ballad "Beth."
Lacey Paige, of Exclaim, praised the nostalgic aspect of a Kiss concert, as "For younger audiences, experiencing a live Kiss concert for the first time is like stepping into a time machine and going back to the late 1970s, when the New York-based glam-shock-rockers' career soared to the pinnacle of rock'n'roll prestige. A Kiss show perfectly encapsulates the zeitgeist of that era, giving older generations of fans a chance to relive and relish the essence of their youth."
Mike Baltierra, of Seattle Music Insider, did a positive review of the Kennewick, Washington concert: "Stanley had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. While Simmons lurked over the crowd, Thayer ripped out riff after riff, and Singer pounded on the drums".
Set list This is the set list from the first show of the tour, and may not represent the majority of the tour: "Detroit Rock City" "Deuce" "Shout It Out Loud" "Do You Love Me?" "I Love It Loud" "Flaming Youth" "God of Thunder" (Gene Solo, Spits Blood and Flies) "Psycho Circus" "Shock Me" (Tommy Guitar Solo) "Cold Gin" "Lick It Up" "War Machine" "Love Gun" "Black Diamond" Encore "Beth" "The Star-Spangled Banner" (John Stafford Smith cover) "Rock and Roll All Nite"
Notes "Flaming Youth" not played in Tucson "Strutter" only played in Boise, Eugene and Kennewick "100,000 Years" only played in Tucson, Boise, Eugene and Kennewick "I Was Made for Lovin' You" only played in Edmonton "O Canada" only played in Edmonton and Calgary "God of Thunder" not played in Tucson, Boise, Eugene and Kennewick "Creatures of the Night" was played in Grand Rapids but otherwise replaced by "Do You Love Me?"
Tour dates DateCityCountryVenueSupport ActJuly 4, 2016TucsonUnited StatesAVA AmphitheaterMagneticoJuly 7, 2016BoiseTaco Bell ArenaCaleb JohnsonJuly 9, 2016EugeneMatthew Knight ArenaJuly 10, 2016KennewickToyota CenterJuly 12, 2016EdmontonCanadaRexall PlaceJuly 13, 2016CalgaryStampede Roundup FestivalJuly 15, 2016SpokaneUnited StatesSpokane ArenaJuly 16, 2016BozemanBrick Breeden FieldhouseJuly 18, 2016Colorado SpringsBroadmoor World ArenaJuly 20, 2016IndependenceSilverstein Eye Centers ArenaJuly 22, 2016LincolnPinnacle Bank ArenaJuly 23, 2016SpringfieldJQH ArenaJuly 25, 2016WichitaIntrust Bank ArenaJuly 27, 2016Sioux CityTyson Events CenterJuly 29, 2016CheyenneCheyenne Frontier DaysJuly 30, 2016MinotNorth Dakota State FairAugust 1, 2016MankatoVerizon Wireless CenterAugust 3, 2016DuluthAmsoil ArenaAugust 5, 2016MolineiWireless CenterAugust 6, 2016La CrosseLa Crosse CenterAugust 8, 2016MilwaukeeBMO Harris Bradley CenterAugust 10, 2016Green BayResch CenterAugust 12, 2016Fort WayneAllen County War Memorial ColiseumThe Dead DaisiesAugust 13, 2016Grand RapidsVan Andel ArenaAugust 15, 2016SaginawDow Event CenterAugust 17, 2016SpringfieldIllinois State FairAugust 19, 2016Des MoinesIowa State FairAugust 20, 2016RockfordBMO Harris Bank CenterAugust 22, 2016DaytonNutter CenterAugust 24, 2016ToledoHuntington CenterAugust 26, 2016YoungstownCovelli CentreAugust 27, 2016ErieErie Insurance ArenaAugust 29, 2016RochesterBlue Cross ArenaAugust 30, 2016University ParkBryce Jordan CenterSeptember 1, 2016AllentownGreat Allentown FairSeptember 3, 2016WorcesterDCU CenterSeptember 4, 2016PortlandCross Insurance ArenaSeptember 7, 2016BridgeportWebster Bank ArenaSeptember 9, 2016RichmondRichmond ColiseumSeptember 10, 2016HuntingtonBig Sandy Superstore ArenaOctober 29, 2016UncasvilleMohegan Sun Arenarowspan="2" October 30, 2016CabazonMorongo Casino, Resort & Spa
Box office score data VenueCityTickets sold / available Gross revenue (USD)Taco Bell ArenaBoise5,631 / 7,274$261,604Matthew Knight ArenaEugene4,926 / 5,794$294,844Toyota CenterKennewick4,687 / 5,528$383,214Brick Breeden FieldhouseBozeman5,032 / 5,032$420,130Broadmoor World ArenaColorado Springs4,885 / 6,225$276,276Silverstein Eye Centers ArenaIndependence4,996 / 6,385$284,771Pinnacle Bank ArenaLincoln7,535 / 10,027$524,921JQH ArenaSpringfield6,870 / 8,017$505,754INTRUST Bank ArenaWichita7,841 / 10,153$495,153Tyson Events CenterSioux City4,511 / 5,984$281,261Verizon Wireless CenterMankato4,328 / 5,176$279,445AMSOIL ArenaDuluth5,157 / 5,883$406,092i wireless CenterMoline7,214 / 9,885$505,480La Crosse CenterLa Crosse5,061 / 7,000$247,782Allen County War Memorial ColiseumFort Wayne6,989 / 8,343$495,864Van Andel ArenaGrand Rapids7,259 / 9,222$482,773Dow Event CenterSaginaw4,287 / 5,484$284,780Resch CenterGreen Bay6,265 / 7,420$424,122BMO Harris Bank CenterRockford5,693 / 7,208$395,872Ervin J. Nutter CenterDayton6,194 / 8,000$453,729Huntington CenterToledo5,562 / 6,687$359,271Covelli CentreYoungstown5,289 / 5,598$472,700Bryce Jordan CenterUniversity Park4,530 / 6,005$301,423Erie Insurance ArenaErie5,431 / 7,054$279,264Blue Cross ArenaRochester5,677 / 7,172$268,616DCU CenterWorcester5,656 / 7,541$445,487Cross Insurance ArenaPortland4,888 / 6,436$334,071Webster Bank ArenaBridgeport5,261 / 6,916$366,856Richmond ColiseumRichmond6,407 / 8,368$385,873Big Sandy Superstore ArenaHuntington6,109 / 6,109$607,645Parque FundidoraMonterrey17,511 / 36,015$793,407TOTAL187,718 / 236,926 (80.1%)$12,424,982
Gross
The tour grossed $15.4 million, with 233,262 tickets sold in 40 shows.
Personnel
Kiss Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar Gene Simmons – vocals, bass Tommy Thayer – lead guitar, vocals Eric Singer – drums, vocals
Staff Francis Stueber - introduction voice
Guest appearances Rick Nielsen – guest guitarist (August 20, 2016)
References