Letters

My first KISS concert was during the Hot In The Shade tour, and then I was able to see them again on the Revenge tour. The great thing about KISS is they are willing to come and play the smaller towns that other bands bypass. That is one reason why KISS fans are so devoted to them. I grew up with the non-make up version of KISS. Like many KISS fans I often dreamed about what it would be like to see KISS in makeup. Fast forward to 1996 and watching KISS on MTV unplugged I knew dreams were about to become reality. Then it happened - the Reunion Tour at the time I was a poor college student so traveling to see KISS was kind of out of the question. But low and behold, KISS announced a Lost Cities tour and KISS was coming to Sioux Falls, SD. I decided to ask a girl that lived on my dorm floor that had a big KISS Dynasty poster in her room to go to the concert with me - I knew she couldn�t say no. Little did I know that night she would be my future wife. We saw KISS again on the Psycho Circus tour, traveling to Cedar Rapids, IA wondering if this would be my last chance to see KISS. Fast forward a few years and our 2 year old son soon started watching all of my KISSology DVDs while playing his toy guitar. His favorite TV show was �Gene Simmons Family Jewels�. For his 3rd birthday he wanted a KISS birthday and we were happy to oblige. What 3 year old doesn�t want a KISS birthday? We were lucky enough to hire �Gene� for the party - my son Drake was speechless. For his birthday he received a Gene costume to wear for Halloween. He was hit wherever he went that night posing for pictures with everyone. We are now preparing to make the six hour trip to Cadott, WI as a family to see KISS. I never imagined some 23 years ago I would be taking my own son to see KISS. We hope to enroll Drake in the Brennan Rock-n-Roll academy in Sioux Falls when he is old enough to attend - something Gene, Tommy and Eric, as well as many other musicians have helped with a large part in fundraising. Thank-you KISS for making dreams come true for their many fans!