Go Backstage with KISS
BY PETER CARBONARA / Newsweek.com
Robert Haberkorn is a 55-year-old contractor from New Jersey. He and his son, Joe, 32, like KISS. A lot. On a dreary Tuesday night in February they've come to see the band's Allentown, Pennsylvania, stop on its current "End of the Road Tour," advertised as their last ever. (A 2000 reunion of the original members of the band was also supposed to be their swansong, but never mind.)
"This is my 65th time tonight since 1977," Haberkorn says. "My first one was at Madison Square Garden in December '77 with the four original guys in makeup, and I took my son for his first one at the Garden in New York City, the same four guys with the makeup, and he's been coming to every show since then. He's at 29, I'm at 65."
Tickets in the 10,000-seat PPL Center went for prices starting at about $40. The Haberkorns and 15 other people, though, have paid extra for the "Ultimate KISS Army VIP Experience," which entitles them, among other things, to a pre-show bar and hors d'oeuvres; a chance to try on Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley's platform boots; a tour of the stage, including a chance to sit behind drummer Eric Singer's kit; a meet-and-greet with the band; and the opportunity to watch the thunderous two-hour, fireworks and flash-bomb extravaganza that is a KISS show from a private area immediately in front of the stage. Anyone down there will be so close that when the flame cannons fire, their faces will feel sunburned, and when the dry ice smoke billows over them they'll be momentarily fogbound. Simmons, Stanley and lead guitarist Tommy Thayer will shower them with guitar picks throughout the night. And to top it all off, after the show Gene Simmons will privately present Bob Haberkorn with the fake-blood spattered, battle-axe shaped bass guitar he played on stage.
"This is the biggie," Haberkorn says, "This is the holy grail. We've done VIPS, and we met for a bunch of times and also tonight I'm getting his bloody bass. A lot people have the basses, but the bloody ones are few and far between. I'm such a fan and this is getting close to the end. This is like my big souvenir."
What is the price tag for all of that? Haberkorn says, "I think the total bill was 22." Thousand, that is.
Is that a lot of money for him? Haberkorn laughs and says, "It's a lot of money for anybody. At this point, it's half a car. Or a third of a car."
The paid backstage meet-and-greet has been a staple of live music for some time now, but KISS was among the first to do it, and they've stuck with it through the years with their characteristic gusto for merchandising. They sell a variety of packages at prices starting at $750 and running well into the thousands. Front man Paul Stanley, 68, thinks of it like this: "If you buy a ticket on an airplane, you can either be in coach or first class, and if you're willing to pay the difference there are amenities that you get. You get to the same destination." He says he's long ceased to care about any criticism about it, particularly as the practice has become standard throughout the music business. "When we first started doing this, like many things we've done, it hadn't been done before," he says. "When you lead the charge, you are going to be the target."
