Kiss dazzled old and new fans Wednesday night at The Bryce Jordan Center with their awesome stage theatrics and fist-pumping sounds.

As part of their Farewell tour, Kiss pulled out all the old tricks to delight the 5,500 Kiss Army in attendance.

A giant banner hid the stage as the crowd waited to erupt, then as the curtain dropped the Kiss experience began.

The stage was just as lively as in their old video footage, with two giant blinking Kiss signs, a screen displaying a closer look at their antics and Kiss Army banners hanging from the rafters.

Gene Simmons and the others descended from the roof to the stage on platforms; Simmons fully equipped with his war paint and armor that had made him one of the most unforgettable figures in rock history. His gigantic shoulder pads had four-inch spikes branching out of them as they accessorized well with his thunderous dragon-headed platform boots. When he spread his arms, the leather cape made it look as if he just rose up from hell. When the tongue appeared though, it was clear Kiss was back and hadn't lost a step.

"The show was great non-stop action, but that gear Simmons had on is probably going to give me nightmares," said Brian Royds (senior-accounting).

Vocalist Paul Stanley evoked the fans with his blazing guitar riffs, glass-shattering high notes, a sparkling outfit and of course his worm-like hip swings. He played the crowd between every song, making them howl like animals as part of what he referred to as their matting call.

Ace Frehley entranced fans with a guitar solo during "2000 Man" that lasted five minutes and commenced with his guitar spewing out smoke and then ascending into the air. After this display Ace said jokingly, "It shouldn't have done that, the damn guitar was only three years old." A stagehand quickly handed Ace another guitar, just in time for him to take aim at a balloon above the stage. With one flick of the strings a fireball shot out and exploded the target scattered piles of confetti onto the stage.

The other Kiss members came back out after the solo, with Simmons grasping a medieval sword lit on fire. He held the sword above the crowd then spit fluid onto it, turning him into a human flamethrower. Then he slammed the weapon into a block of wood on stage and began to perform "Shout It Out Loud."

In the next song, "Lick It Up," Simmons broke out his patented ax-shaped bass while blood gushed from his mouth. After this display, Simmons slowly began to rise off the stage, with the help of strategically place cords. His bloodstained tongue reached for the crowd as he stood on top of the 40-foot platform and began to play "God of Thunder."

Stanley had his turn to fly around the center when a steel stand connected to a cord lifted him off the stage above the crowd and to the back where he performed one of the group's final songs. The show ended with Stanley smashing a guitar in the center of the stage and throwing its remains to the audience.

Much of the crowd members were former Kiss Army crew trying to find out the band could still rock. "I loved it, I'm 36 now and I can never forget back in eighth grade when everyone in class would chant Kiss songs and pound on our desk," said Tom Irwin of Altoona.

Though many fans were early '80s rockers, there were also a new bread of Kiss fans. "It was totally awesome. I'm a huge Kiss fan . . . My parents met at a Kiss concert, so I guess it's in my blood," said Erica Krishak, 15, of Port Matilda.

Skid Row opened for Kiss with a few of their hits, but paled in comparison to the on-stage energy Kiss displayed.

The band introduced new lead singer John Solinger, who sounded a lot like Sabastian Bach, but hardly convinced the crowd they were the same Skid Row of the 80's.

Skid Row played such hits as "18 and Life," "Youth Gone Wild," and "I Remember You," but the real question was: Who remembered them?

With their tight leather pants and cowboy hats it looked like they arrived about two decades late.