Paul Stanley: KISS Plans to Shock Great White Sharks
By Angie Martoccio / RollingStone.com
Kiss have done many outrageous things in their nearly 50-year career, from mixing their blood into the ink of comic books to selling airbrushed Kiss Kaskets as part of their beloved merchandise line. On November 18th, the hard rock icons will take their fire-breathing intensity overseas to the southern coast of Australia, where they’ll perform their first-ever concert for great white sharks.
“Airbnb approached us with this idea that sounded, quite frankly, a little weird, but we’re used to being approached with things that are a little weird,” Paul Stanley tells Rolling Stone. “I’ve played for a lot of land sharks. Now I finally get a chance to play for the ocean varieties.”
The concert marks the launch of Airbnb Animal Experiences, where tourists can interact with animals in their own environment while following World Animal Protection guidelines. At 6:30 am in Port Lincoln, Australia, eight guests will board a boat hosted by Matt Waller and shark expert Dr. Blake Chapman. They’ll descend underwater in a glass viewing hull, where they can observe the animals in their natural habitat.
Meanwhile, above on deck, Kiss will perform a scorching set that will be projected down into the water (Stanley guesses the sharks will enjoy “Lick It Up” and “I Want You”). Research indicates that great whites are attracted to low frequencies and pulsed sounds, even rock music. “It’s not like going to the zoo,” Stanley says. “You’re actually experiencing them in their home. If people don’t cooperate, they’ll be treated like chum and thrown to the sharks.”
Stanley hasn’t had many interactions with sharks before, but seeing Jaws in 1975 certainly kept him out of the water. “I’m much more apt to be in a pool than the ocean, but this time I’ve got nothing to be afraid of,” he says. “When the sharks see what I’m wearing, they’ll be afraid of me.” The lead singer says great whites and Kiss have one thing in common: “They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. Once they have a goal in mind, they reach it.”
