Rock 'til you drop. Or at least until you can't do it anymore.

For B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Daltrey and so many other active icons of rock and blues circuits, those are words to live by. And 35 years after influential NYC quartet Kiss came on the scene with its self-titled debut and immediate follow-up Hotter Than Hell, they too are back touring the world and releasing new music.

Released last month exclusively to Walmart as a three-disc set, Sonic Boom is Kiss's 19th studio album and first since its 1998 album Psycho Circus. Disc one has 11 new tracks, disc two has 15 re-recorded Kiss Klassics, and disc three is a six-song excerpt from a Kiss show this past spring.

Age is of no concern to this band - half of whose members are pushing 60 years of age. Nor does it show on record or in concert for these make-up-wearing mega rock stars. Founding member and rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Stanley still has his dynamic vocal range and knack for writing instant hard rockin' classics, like album opener "Modern Day Delilah."

Here's KISS on the cover of the Spanish magazine Nocturna!

Note, too, that the magazine states that it is "only for adolescents and adults!"

OK, we get it: We're Nashville and KISS loves us. Paul Stanley reminded us of that Wednesday night at the Sommet Center, where we de-virginized ourselves of the KISS concert experience. It was exactly what we expected: a totally awesome, face-melting onslaught of gargantuan camp, fire, galloping riffs and fist-pumping shout-alongs. We came to see all those things, and we got what we wanted: the best.

As we milled about, it seemed like one out of every four or five people had KISS makeup on. Followers of the cult mixed and mingled with your garden-variety heavy metal parking lot crowd, creating a festive rock 'n' roll all night atmosphere. These people all lost their minds when the lights went down and-with a startling blast of pyro-the curtain dropped, revealing the band in all their iconic glory, as they went head first through a one-two punch of "Deuce" into "Strutter"-two of our favorite KISS gems. The show spared no cliché, and we mean that in a good way. We didn't come to the KISS show to use our right brains, we came to let go of our inhibitions and be entertained-and entertained we were.

Let's go down the list. Pyro in the chorus and big finish of nearly every song? Check. The platform shoes and black spandex? Check. Gene Simmons spitting fire? Check. Gene Simmons coughing up blood? Check. Spotlight guitar, drum and bass solos where all other members leave the stage? Check. A spinning drum riser? Check. Bottle-blondes in the audience flashing the band? Check. In other words, all the classic KISS moments with which they defined the arena-rock experience.

Founding members Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (lead guitar) are not in the current incarnation of KISS, but their trademark Catman and Spaceman makeup designs are now donned by their replacements. For many in the KISS Army this is a deal-breaker, but the arena appeared damn near close to sold-out.

Just as the stage production left little to be desired, so did the '70s-centric setlist, which featured nearly all of the band's most recognizable hits, from "Hotter Than Hell" to "Calling Dr. Love," "Black Diamond" to "Lick It Up" and the inevitable "Rock and Roll All Nite." We'll admit that by the time the band had brought about their "Detroit Rock City" finale, we were a bit fatigued from hearing 25-or-so songs - but after a straight two hours of headbanging, we praised almighty rock 'n' roll as the lights came up to reveal an arena smokier than a Southern California wildfire.

Relive the Music! See last weekend's best Voodoo Experience festival performances featuring KISS. Watch it tonight at 10pm/9c only on Fuse TV. The Best of Voodoo Experience" will air on November 6th at 10:00pm (9:00 Central) on the Fuse network. Fuse is found on DirectTV channel 339 and Dish Network channel 158, or check your local cable listings.

Legendary rockers KISS show their support for wounded warriors and reflect on their 35-year-career with CNN's Naamua Delaney.

KISS rocked the 11th Voodoo Experience

By Keith Spera

Saint most likely to rock and roll all night and party every day: Tight end Jeremy Shockey. And not just because he was down front for KISS, pumping his fist skyward during "Shock Me."

Just so we're all clear on this: A review with the lines "truly great anthem," "in fine voice," and "looked fabulous" is not a negative review. I'm talkin' to you, KISS fans, especially those who reacted badly to the review I posted on Nola.com over the weekend.

When I wrote "I would have been disappointed if KISS hadn't..." and then enumerated how they in fact did all those things I expected... that's a compliment. Are some KISS songs better than others? It would defy logic to argue otherwise -- even if only debating degrees of greatness.

By Johannes Gernert
Translated from German for KISSonline

Mr. Simmons, your tongue is the most well-known tongue in the world.

The most well-known tongue of the world! Even I met my tongue recently. I was in Mexico for the MTV Latin Awards. Do you know what the award looked like? Like my tongue. At the entrance to the awards stood a giant tongue too, about four feet high. People were taking their pictures with it. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen.

Your makeup is as famous as your tongue. Do you make yourself up or does someone do it for you?

Never! We do it. It takes two hours to do properly. I could probably do it in one, but then the danger exists that it may run. In the beginning when we played in clubs, we could not afford a makeup artist so we'd do it ourselves. Now, I couldn't trust the makeup task to someone else.

By Wesley Hodges
Photo by Dino Perrucci

It is a truly surreal experience to watch KISS in concert for the first time. I'd always viewed them as one of those iconic, canonized bands that only existed in the movies (and on reality TV) until this show.

Perhaps the most appropriate band to ever close Halloween night, the Detroit rock heroes didn't disappoint in New Orleans, with their stage production highlighted by the word "KISS" blazing behind them in big white lights and a generous pyrotechnics display. The band looked great in their classic face paint and leather.

The fist pumping ensued as KISS played the hits and played into just about every possible rock cliche with their stage banter. But, I would expect, and hope for, nothing less from my first KISS concert.

Norwegian singer Maria Mena sings her cover of KISS's "I Was Made for Lovin' You" on Dutch television.

Kiss merchandise for hearth, home, and the hereafter

Kiss sweeps into the United Center on Friday on a cloud of hairspray and stage smoke, proving to fans that even in middle-age, its members still know how to rock--and sell some merch. The make-up masked quartet have had its faces and band logo painted, plastered, screen-printed, engraved, and stenciled onto any number of products over the years, but what's out there for the band's more practical fans? (Not everyone's gonna be ready to drop $250 on a "KISS Creatures box set" tableaux.) The A.V. Club sifted through T-shirts, lithographs, and Gene Simmons busts to find seven unexpectedly practical items with Kiss branding.

Kiss pencils
Sure, you could get an ordinary yellow No. 2 pencil with a pink eraser, but why would you ever do that when you could erase while staring at Ace Frehley (he might not be in the band anymore, but his legacy lives on in pencil form)? While not exciting, a Kiss pencil is certainly much more practical than a Kiss pen--because even Kiss know that mistakes happen.

KISS IS EVERYWHERE... Check out Gene in the ESPN screen shot from the IOWA vs INDIANA COLLEGE Football Game!!

Thanks,
Jim Gardner

Check out this news clip of a Texas schoolteacher whose "alter ego" comes out at night after he leaves the classroom...

By Jenny Peters
Photo: Bolen/WireImage

In style were KISS, who closed out Day Two of Voodoo in full regalia, from their signature makeup and amazing black-leather get-ups to fireworks, exploding sets, and giant cannons filled with paper confetti. As Gene Simmons proudly shrieked, "If you are looking for a rock band to preach about the environment and global awareness, we are not that band! Those problems will be here tomorrow, so we're here to party tonight!"

Check out this great fan-filmed video clip of Gene spitting blood at the Philadelphia show last month. During this show Gene spit blood "old school style..." after flying above the stage!

In celebration of the arrival of the band's first studio album in eleven years, KISS has pushed up the release of their book "Kiss Army Worldwide: The Ultimate Fanzine Phenomenon" to coincide with the group's North American tour.

For the first time in KISS history, KISS fans everywhere will get an inside look and visual history told through concert photos and unique fanzines chronicling the iconic band from their beginnings in the 1970s until today. "Kiss Army Worldwide: The Ultimate Fanzine Phenomenon" includes never-before-released photos, rare fanzine covers, unique and engaging content, and other shared memorabilia from both the fans and the band. This is the ultimate must-have for every KISS fan!

The book features commentary by legendary front men Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who provide invaluable insight on topics such as the rock and roll DIY aspect of fanzines, how these fanzines greatly contributed to the band's evolution into one of the most epic and legendary bands in music history, as well as the band's appreciation of their adoring fans. In addition, it showcases interviews with members of the KISS Army from all over the world.

With KISS fans giddy with anticipation for the band's first album in over a decade and their North American tour this fall, this book will become an essential item for millions of KISS fans everywhere. Finally, here is THE ultimate book for KISS fanatics!