Kiss News

Halloween came early this year. The Bell Centre was filled to the rafters Monday night, with a sellout crowd of 15,000 Kiss devotees on hand to celebrate the band's Kiss Alive/35 tour.

And these weren't fly-by-night fans, either. This was the diehard contingent. Kiss T-shirts everywhere, old and new; face paint galore (let's play count the Gene Simmons look-alikes). Many proud parents brought their kids, who were all too happy to get in on the action - a 10-year-old boy in the row in front of me eagerly asked to peek at my set list.

Cheers erupted when a giant KISS banner was unfurled shortly before showtime, as songs by the Who blasted over the PA. The lights dimmed, and the arena went wild.

"All right Montreal! You want the best? You got the best, the hottest band around: Kiss!"Halloween came early this year. The Bell Centre was filled to the rafters Monday night, with a sellout crowd of 15,000 Kiss devotees on hand to celebrate the band�s Kiss Alive/35 tour.

And these weren�t fly-by-night fans, either. This was the diehard contingent. Kiss T-shirts everywhere, old and new; face paint galore (let�s play count the Gene Simmons look-alikes). Many proud parents brought their kids, who were all too happy to get in on the action � a 10-year-old boy in the row in front of me eagerly asked to peek at my set list.

Cheers erupted when a giant KISS banner was unfurled shortly before showtime, as songs by the Who blasted over the PA. The lights dimmed, and the arena went wild.

�All right Montreal! You want the best? You got the best � the hottest band around: Kiss!�

They descended from the ceiling, of course. A platform came down carrying original members Simmons and Paul Stanley, plus guitarist Tommy Thayer. Drummer Eric Singer was already at his post, sitting on a raised platform of his own, above a massive KISS sign lit in Vegas-style lights.

All were in standard band attire, full makeup, outlandish outfits, knee-high boots with six-inch heels � you know the deal. The stage was open-concept, except for the wall of speakers as backdrop. And there was the music.

Guitars were wailing from �go.� First song Deuce brought pyrotechnics, power chords and synchronized head-bobbing from the three men up front.

This was rock �n� roll spectacle by the band that wrote the book. Big dumb hooks made for full-on fun. The crowd sang along to the second song, Strutter, with its classic rock groove.

�Whoooooa! Montr�al,� Stanley cooed. �How�s everyone feeling tonight? ... Tonight we�re celebrating Kiss Alive. We�ll be playing a lot of that vintage stuff.�

The hits came in a steady stream: Got to Choose, the power-chord-fuelled Hotter Than Hell (complete with smoke, sirens and Simmons blowing fire), the bluesy C�mon and Love Me, and Parasite (one of a handful with Simmons on vocals).

Almost every song in the main set was culled from the band�s first three albums � classic repertoire for true fans.

Stanley�s voice rang out strong and clear, and his showmanship was second to none. He bantered with the crowd throughout the night, promising a return visit in October when the band�s new album drops.

�Will you come to see us?� he asked. The crowd roared in response.

Thayer shot rockets out of his guitar in an extended solo; Singer also got his chance in the spotlight. The pace waned late in the set as the displays of prowess grew a tad too numerous.

But redemption came with the set-ending smash Rock and Roll All Nite, as confetti rained down on the crowd. Print deadline beckoned, but with Shout It Out Loud, Lick It Up, I Was Made for Lovin� You and Detroit Rock City on the set list for the encore, 15,000 Kiss fans were in for a bang-up finish.

By Dalson Chen

"All right, Caesars Windsor! You wanted the best, you got the best! The hottest band in the world: KISS!"

So began a night of big riffs, big explosions and total commitment when rock superheroes ruled the Colosseum stage on Saturday night.

I'll say that last bit again because it bears repeating: Total commitment.

Behind the KISS spectacle (and it is indeed a spectacle beyond spectacles) is a mentality to put on the best damn show possible.

It's expensive, uninhibited, loud and entertaining. No irony involved. No shoe-gazing cynicism. They come to rock your butt, so your butt will be rocked.By Dalson Chen

"All right, Caesars Windsor! You wanted the best, you got the best! The hottest band in the world: KISS!"

So began a night of big riffs, big explosions and total commitment when rock superheroes ruled the Colosseum stage on Saturday night.

I�ll say that last bit again because it bears repeating: Total commitment.

Behind the KISS spectacle (and it is indeed a spectacle beyond spectacles) is a mentality to put on the best damn show possible.

It�s expensive, uninhibited, loud and entertaining. No irony involved. No shoe-gazing cynicism. They come to rock your butt, so your butt will be rocked.

From the opening riffs of Deuce to the blazing finale of Detroit Rock City, there was never a moment in the two-hour extravaganza that any KISS member was not �on.�

This is a band that understands they don't just play music; They perform.

Frontman Paul Stanley was a revelation, moving with the energy and athleticism of a man half his age (unbelievably, he turned 57 this year).

He shimmied. He gyrated. He jumped and landed with feline grace while shod in platform boots. He pouted and wiggled. He slapped his own butt like he was presenting a prize.

No less of a spotlight was cast on the other members. Bassist Gene Simmons wagged his legendary tongue, breathed fire, belched blood and levitated onto scaffolding.

Lead guitarist Tommy Thayer (who replaced Ace Frehley as �Spaceman� in 2002) capped an extended virtuoso solo with the opening notes to Beethoven�s 5th Symphony � then launched fireworks from his instrument�s headstock.

Drummer Eric Singer (Peter Criss�s replacement as �Catman� since 2004) urged the crowd to clap along to his own sprawling drum solo, in which his massive kit rose on a platform 30 feet above the stage.

The set list had something for KISS fans of every stripe: Hard-riffing vintage tracks from the era of KISS Alive filled the first portion of the show, while the encore portion (which lasted nearly as long) was packed full of well-known shout-along hits: Rock and Roll All Nite, Lick It Up, I Love It Loud, and I Was Made For Lovin� You.

At one point in the encore, there was a scripted moment where the band brought a camera man on stage to direct his lens into the audience.

The screens that previously showed KISS in performance now showed their adoring public.

Paul Stanley grinned in amazement, then asked the crowd to go crazy so that he and his bandmates could pose for a photograph in front of them. A souvenir of Windsor.

�We�re coming back in October,� Stanley promised.

The message was simple: You are a part of this. You make KISS great. KISS loves you.

By TARA HAGAN

Thousands of screaming fans 'loved-it-loud' last night when legendary rockers KISS took to the stage at Sarnia Bayfest.

"How you doin' people?" yelled Paul Stanley to a screaming crowd, with cameras high in the air, at 10 p.m. sharp. "Did you come tonight to get some rock and roll?

"Well you came to the right place."

Outrageous pyrotechnics exploded on the massive stage as frontman Gene Simmons belted out the opening hit, "Deuce," amid a thundering roar from the 21,00 strong crowd, dominated by their famous fan following known affectionately as the KISS Army.By TARA HAGAN

Thousands of screaming fans �loved-it-loud� last night when legendary rockers KISS took to the stage at Sarnia Bayfest.

�How you doin� people?� yelled Paul Stanley to a screaming crowd, with cameras high in the air, at 10 p.m. sharp. �Did you come tonight to get some rock and roll?

�Well you came to the right place.�

Outrageous pyrotechnics exploded on the massive stage as frontman Gene Simmons belted out the opening hit, �Deuce,� amid a thundering roar from the 21,00 strong crowd, dominated by their famous fan following known affectionately as the KISS Army.

Stanley followed up with �Strutter,� before embarking on a number of classic hits.

This probably was the most prep we�ve ever done for a show,� said organizer Michele Stokley, citing a fleet of eight trucks, four buses, 900 pounds of dry ice and enough pyro to fire-bomb a city.

�I�m going on probably an hour and a half�s worth of sleep, but when we see the show, its all going to be worth it,� she said hours before the headliners took the stage.

Jan Moran was on cloud nine.

�I just met Gene Simmons,� said the winner of The Observer�s Superfan contest, who earlier managed to swindle her way backstage to get up close and personal with the famous frontman � debunking rumours he wouldn�t make the trip to Sarnia.

�He twirled me around and said, �Come here, sweetie,� and we took a picture,� she added. �He said I looked pretty hot.�

Moran and her galpals arrived at the much-anticipated KISS concert in signature rock-glam makeup and costume. The foursome snagged VIP tickets after submitted a contest video they�d dedicated to the band.

But they weren�t the only ones dressed up.

Devout fans donned the band�s infamous face paint � mimicking Simmons, the �demon� and Stanley, the �starchild� � clad in KISS costume and ready to rock and roll all night.

Ron Dunlop and his sons, aged eight, six and three, were clad in full KISS regalia and makeup while waiting in line for much of the afternoon. The family made the trip from Chalk River, Ont. for the young trio�s first KISS concert.

�It�s all the extra things they do to just make the show better than others,� said William, the eldest son.

�I�ve been a fan since I was 14,� said Dunlop. �They treat their fans with so much respect, and they�ll do anything to please them.

�They always put on a great show.�

The group � Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer �� is on a series of Canadian stops that include Orillia, Windsor, Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal and Halifax.

By Jessica Ireland Special to the Observer

On Friday, KISS discovered that Sarnia was its own "rock city."

"We're proud to be here tonight," said frontman, Paul Stanley to the energetic crowd. "Sarnia could teach big cities what rock 'n' roll is all about!"

Audience anticipation began to build as a black cloth with KISS splashed on it was draped to hide the stage in preparation for the explosive show.
KISS WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' SARNIA

By Jessica Ireland Special to the Observer

On Friday, KISS discovered that Sarnia was its own �rock city.�

�We�re proud to be here tonight,� said frontman, Paul Stanley to the energetic crowd. �Sarnia could teach big cities what rock �n� roll is all about!�

Audience anticipation began to build as a black cloth with KISS splashed on it was draped to hide the stage in preparation for the explosive show.

As soon as a glimmer of sparkle off drummer Eric Singer�s outfit was seen behind the curtain - the crowd went wild.

Eventually the rest of the band members, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Paul Stanley made their way onstage - clad in their iconic painted faces, platform boots and cosmic costumes. The rock legends had arrived in their signature style.

Opening with �Deuce� and �Strutter� from their 1975 KISS Alive! album - the foursome powered through songs more well-known to long-time fans but still received a rousing reception from the entire audience.

Between songs, the band took time to show their love for Canada.

�We consider Canada not our neighbours but our second home,� Stanley said to cheering fans.

�This is family tonight!� he yelled before launching into �She.� The song ended in a heart-pounding guitar solo by Tommy Thayer.

Throughout the two-hour concert, KISS kept the energy up as the audience experienced their exhilarating rock amidst fireworks, searing pyrotechnics and Simmons� infamous tongue.

KISS ended their set with the classic rock and roll anthem �Rock and Roll All Nite� as the audience erupted into cheers and were showered by white paper confetti.

But they didn�t keep the crowd waiting long after saying good-bye, coming out for a six-song encore of crowd favourites including �Lick It Up,� �I Was Made For Loving You,� and �I Love It Loud,� with Simmons, fake blood running down his mouth, being lifted onto a platform to play above the stage lights.

Charismatic singer, Stanley, got up close and personal with audience members, flying over the crowd on a zipline and performing on a mini-stage set-up in the middle of fans� outstretched arms.

As the encore came to a close,the band played �Detroit Rock City.� In a finale of more fireworks and thank you�s to �the most loyal, most awesome fans in the world,� KISS left audience members a little harder of hearing and even more ready to rock.