The events leading up to KISS were disastrous. Initially, I was totally stoked on going; I couldnt believe how many AWESOME headliners the promoters had bagged (like, there were so many that some were going to play in non-headliner timeslots) and I was excited that my coattails had grown long enough to bring a friend VIP-style. Well, things ended up unraveling much differently. Friday night was indecently fun and instead of spending Saturday watching bhangra videos and eating fruit I spent the entire day supervising painters as they de-ghettoized my apartment. (I also made Valentine cards that was fun). By the evening I had a perfectly off-white apartment, a dozen Valentine cards and little motivation. I wanted to crawl into bed but a sense of responsibility (to my friend who was excited to go) and obligation (to the promoters who had graciously given me two VIP's) made me get off my ass and get ready.



My friend, though, is not as devoted nor as appreciative as I: He called me at 01:00 and told me he was going to bail. Ugh. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to find a replacement date and going to the Plaza solo did not seem enticing at all. I decided to weigh the pros and cons and figured that the best place to do it would be my bed. I hoped that I would doze off before admitting to myself that I wanted to call the whole thing off. Somehow, though, my conscious kicked in before sleep did and off to the Plaza I went.



Well, let me tell you how much I love my conscious. I had a super good time.



According to the schedule I was arriving just in time to hear the tail end of Vicious Vics set. Actually, his flight got cancelled so I got to the Plaza of Nations just as Rabbit in the Moon started their back-to-back. The set was dope. Confucius and Bunny bounced from one genre to another, fusing together a really enjoyable and danceable set.



Their show was much different than I had expected. I had seen Rabbit in the Moon in the summer of 1997 and their performance had been brilliant. Monk (who is no longer with RITM) and Confucius were in charge of the music and Bunny was the entertainer. I recall the music being great but the concepts they brought to life were unbelievable. My most vivid memory is a bird flying out of Bunnys hands and across the venue. This time round it was a DJ set, plain and simple.



Later that evening I interviewed Rabbit in the Moon. I dont know if the interview will get posted on this website but if it does you will get a good laugh: I totally got burned. Lets just say Confucius did not like my questions.



Between RITMs set and the interview I had a chance to listen to Vicious Vic play. I enjoyed the way he mixed but, boy, did his choice of music ever suck that night. Perhaps you recall my Christopher Lawrence review where I go off about real hard trance and how we never hear it anymore because it has been usurped by this new type of 'hard trance' which in reality barely has any relation to it (and totally sucks). Well, Vicious Vic's set was all about this new type of trance.



Vicious Vic was still playing when my interview with RITM was done and fatigue was really starting to set in so I figured it would be in my best interest to jet. In retrospect I wish I had stayed longer because I had barely enjoyed any of the talent that I had so eagerly anticipated. Unfortunately I had already missed Jon the Dentist because he had filled Vicious Vics original timeslot but Victor Dinaire was supposedly up next.



Because of my lack of energy I really didn't take advantage of the great party that I had at my disposal and for that I am lame. For the most part there was great music, the crowd seemed enthusiastic and genuine (i.e. they were there for the music), and the effort put in by the organizers seemed to have been driven by a desire to put on a good party and not profit. Even the security guards were pleasant. All in all, I'd give KISS an A.



To see photos of Rabbit in the Moons live shows (from the heyday) you can check out

http://www.hallucination.com