Letters

Hi Gene, I just wanted to take a minute and share a story with you. My brother, Brad grew up idolizing you and KISS. As a kid, he would dress up my two little sisters as well as himself and they would play KISS for hours. In the fall of 1982, Brad heard that KISS was coming to Sioux City, Iowa. We lived in the small town of Wynot, Nebraska and Sioux City is about an hour away. Well, Brad was 15 years old by now and just beside himself because he wanted to go to that concert in the worst way!! Our parents were divorced, both country music lovers and needless to say, a bit �anti-KISS.� Brad nearly made himself sick because he wanted to go more than he wanted to breathe! It was like reaching for a star�he wanted it so badly, but knew my Mom or Dad would never take him. I was 22 at the time and I told my Mom if she would pay for the tickets for Christmas, I would take him. (The concert was on December 30 and the ticket price was $12.50!) My Mom agreed. I wrapped the two tickets up in a picture frame and put �To Brad and Lori, from Santa Claus� on the package. I told my Mom to be ready with the camera when we opened the package. Oh my goodness! It was priceless! He actually had to leave the room�he got really emotional!! The day of the concert arrived and of course we had a huge snowstorm! Nothing was keeping us from the concert! We left early in the afternoon and drove through one lane traffic to get there. We stood outside the arena for 2 hours holding hands to keep warm! I have to say, it was worth every minute of scary driving and freezing half to death just to watch the face of my brother at that concert!! I don�t think he slept for 3 days after that! Now, nearly 30 years later, he still talks about it and I believe it the fondest childhood memory he holds. Then in about 2000 or 2001, with that memory still vivid in his mind, my brother took my 2 teenage kids to see KISS! They had a great time and now tonight, my son is going to Minneapolis, Minnesota to see KISS again!! I have to admit, I am a country music fan myself, but I just wanted to not only say congratulationsfor being able to keep your music alive all these years, but to say Thank You for providing so many good memories for the people I love most in the world!! Best of luck to all you do in your future endeavors!! Sincerely, Lori Coffman