Kiss News

By Clark Jang for Metro News

Mark Wheatley couldn�t wait for KISS to come to Halifax.

He had to drive a province over � to Saint John, N.B. � to catch the face-painted quartet of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in concert the day before Thursday�s show at the Metro Centre.

�In a perfect world they�d be playing a couple of nights here,� said Wheatley, who�ll be dressing up in his KISS costume in anticipation of both shows, complete with black and white face paint.

The 44 year-old has been obsessed with the band since the tender age of seven. He�s seen them perform a dozen times, accrued more than $30,000 worth of KISS memorabilia and even embodies the persona of Catman for the Atlantic Canadian KISS tribute band, Dressed 2 Kill.By Clark Jang for Metro News

Mark Wheatley couldn�t wait for KISS to come to Halifax.

He had to drive a province over � to Saint John, N.B. � to catch the face-painted quartet of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in concert the day before Thursday�s show at the Metro Centre.

�In a perfect world they�d be playing a couple of nights here,� said Wheatley, who�ll be dressing up in his KISS costume in anticipation of both shows, complete with black and white face paint.

The 44 year-old has been obsessed with the band since the tender age of seven. He�s seen them perform a dozen times, accrued more than $30,000 worth of KISS memorabilia and even embodies the persona of Catman for the Atlantic Canadian KISS tribute band, Dressed 2 Kill.

�We get to participate and play in the music we grew up on and that was the soundtrack to our lives,� said Wheatley. �I don�t think there�s anything better than that.�

KISS is currently touring North America on their Monster Tour. The last time they played in the HRM was in 2009.

With the band coming to Halifax, Wheatley views the concert as an opportunity to gain inspiration from the source.

�They�re 40 years strong. They�re still the greatest show in the world, the hottest band on earth,� said Wheatley.

In anticipation of KISS� arrival in Atlantic Canada, Wheatley says Dressed 2 Kill has been approached with offers to play shows. But because of the unpredictability of any future concerts in the region, he says the band is reserving the time to watch their idols rather than emulate them.

�We opted to spend these shows with our families because we figured this is probably the last time they�re coming through here,� he said.

By STEPHEN COOKE Arts Reporter
Photo by Terry Wilson for KISSONLINE

Arts reporter Stephen Cooke was only nine when Destroyer came out. Now, he charts the changes and looks ahead to the next show.

In my days as a young private in the Kiss Army, my favourite commanding officer had to be Ace Frehley, the mysterious Space Ace guitarist of the greasepaint-covered rock act.

For one thing, there was this childhood obsession with astronauts. For another, his image was less likely to cause nightmares compared to demonic, blood-spitting bandmate Gene Simmons. (Cut me some slack, I was nine when Destroyer came out.)

Plus there were some great songs credited to the silver lame-clad rock alien, like Shock Me, Rocket Ride and, the only hit from those ill-fated 1978 Kiss solo albums, New York Groove.

Cut to 30 years after Frehley�s initial departure from the band and Kiss remains a worldwide phenomenon.

Taking its theme park approach to rock �n� roll around the globe and bringing its new high-tech Spider stage to the Halifax Metro Centre on Thursday night, Simmons and the band�s Starchild, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, remain the only constants since they first put on the makeup four decades ago.

There�s still a Spaceman in the band, though, with guitarist Tommy Thayer wearing the shiny moonboots since becoming a full-time member in 2002.

By STEPHEN COOKE Arts Reporter
Photo by Terry Wilson for KISSONLINE


Arts reporter Stephen Cooke was only nine when Destroyer came out. Now, he charts the changes and looks ahead to the next show.

In my days as a young private in the Kiss Army, my favourite commanding officer had to be Ace Frehley, the mysterious Space Ace guitarist of the greasepaint-covered rock act.

For one thing, there was this childhood obsession with astronauts. For another, his image was less likely to cause nightmares compared to demonic, blood-spitting bandmate Gene Simmons. (Cut me some slack, I was nine when Destroyer came out.)

Plus there were some great songs credited to the silver lame-clad rock alien, like Shock Me, Rocket Ride and, the only hit from those ill-fated 1978 Kiss solo albums, New York Groove.

Cut to 30 years after Frehley�s initial departure from the band and Kiss remains a worldwide phenomenon.

Taking its theme park approach to rock �n� roll around the globe and bringing its new high-tech Spider stage to the Halifax Metro Centre on Thursday night, Simmons and the band�s Starchild, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, remain the only constants since they first put on the makeup four decades ago.

There�s still a Spaceman in the band, though, with guitarist Tommy Thayer wearing the shiny moonboots since becoming a full-time member in 2002.

Kiss fans will remember he did stellar work throughout their 2009 show on the Halifax Commons, tearing off the kind of meaty solos required for Detroit Rock City and Shout It Out Loud, with an extended showcase during She, where he even included a bit of Beethoven before sending his guitar strings screaming into the stratosphere.

Thayer�s tenure in Kiss came after a reunion tour of the original lineup. While there may have been mixed feelings about the decision to have him carry on as the Spaceman, he says there was never any talk about adopting a different persona.

�If it was 20 or 30 years ago, it might have happened, because that�s what happened when Peter Criss left, and Eric Carr came in and they came up with the Fox for him,� says Thayer.

�Then Ace Frehley left, and Vinnie Vincent came in, and he was an Egyptian warrior, with the ankh. Which, by the way, didn�t work, because a year-and-a-half later the makeup was gone.�

Thayer says he understood the concerns of longtime fans when he suited up. But he figures the Kiss trademark wins out in the end.

�So for the people who think it would make sense to come up with new makeup and character designs, if it didn�t work 10 years into the band, do you think it would be a good idea 40 years in? I don�t think so.�

Raised in the suburbs of Portland, Ore., the son of a retired brigadier-general and a classical violinist, the 52-year-old guitarist�s association with Kiss goes back to the mid-�80s, when his band Black �N Blue opened dates on its Asylum tour.

A few years later, Thayer was co-writing with the band for its 1989 album Hot in the Shade and worked as a tour manager, even helping to ease Frehley and Criss back into the band for the 1996 Alive Worldwide Tour.

So Thayer was a natural to take over when Frehley and the band parted ways a second time, even if some fans didn�t see it that way.

�Coming into the band 10 or 11 years ago, there was a certain contingency of people who were real critics,� he sighs. �I�m talking about people on the Internet, who�d say things like, �How come when you came into the band you didn�t show more personality?� and all this stuff.

�I had to explain to people that our priority at the time was for me to come in and grasp what made Kiss great and powerful in the first place, and be true to that, in terms of what I�m playing guitar-wise, in solos and with everyone else.

�That was an important thing, and with the evolution of the band over the last 10 years, releasing Sonic Boom and then Monster last year, it�s given me an opportunity to get more creative and spread my wings a bit, which has been great in terms of the new songs and how we play as a band.�

Over a decade into his tenure in Kiss, Thayer has earned his spot in the band that first thrilled him back in junior high, one that�s carved out a unique niche in rock-pop culture, with the distinctive logo and images plastered across pinball games, comic books, action figures and, of course, the �70s TV movie Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park.

�I never got too heavy into collecting all the memorabilia as much as some other people,� says Thayer.

�But it�s funny, a couple of years ago they came out with Kiss M&Ms, and I realized that not many people can say they�ve got their face on a package of M&Ms or a Slurpee cup at 7-11.

�How many people have been on a Pez dispenser? It was fun to give those out for Christmas last year, people go crazy for those, and what a cool, classic piece of American culture to be part of.

�It�s just so colourful, vibrant and fun. I�m really enjoying it.�

By Kieron Yates

KISS � Bell Centre � Montreal � Photo: Andrej Ivanov

Who: KISS
From: New York City
Where: Bell Center, Montreal, QC
When: Monday, July 29th 2013

TOTAL SCORE: 10/10

Style: Rock N� Roll

Crowd: The streets of Montreal were alive with fans of all ages. From the motley looking usual suspects that you�d expect to find at a rock show, to people that appeared to have just arrived from law offices and operating theaters, many with young children by their sides. Few bands gather a crowd as diverse as KISS does. Many of them had their faces painted courtesy of CHOM 97.7 FM�s tent, situated just in front of the ticket office on Avenue Des Canadiens de Montreal, while others lined up to pledge allegiance to the KISS army.

Memorable Song: I got a kick out of �Black Diamond� for the sheer amusement of seeing purple lights reflecting onto the crowd from a giant disco ball. It made me think of the Kiss-backed movie, �Detroit Rock City�, where they clearly mock disco music. At this point, Stanley informed the crowd that �This is usually the end of the show but what do you say we keep on going?�. As if anybody was going to refuse such an offer. Speaking of �Detroit Rock City�, it was the next song to be performed and was the beginning to a raucous end of their set. During the track, a video of what I believe was meant to be an old Dodge Challenger soaring around the now-abandoned streets of Detroit was displayed on the massive screen behind the band. The audience responded by jumping to their feet and clapping in unison, with hands held high above their heads.By Kieron Yates

KISS � Bell Centre � Montreal � Photo: Andrej Ivanov

Who: KISS
From: New York City
Where: Bell Center, Montreal, QC
When: Monday, July 29th 2013

TOTAL SCORE: 10/10

Style: Rock N� Roll

Crowd: The streets of Montreal were alive with fans of all ages. From the motley looking usual suspects that you�d expect to find at a rock show, to people that appeared to have just arrived from law offices and operating theaters, many with young children by their sides. Few bands gather a crowd as diverse as KISS does. Many of them had their faces painted courtesy of CHOM 97.7 FM�s tent, situated just in front of the ticket office on Avenue Des Canadiens de Montreal, while others lined up to pledge allegiance to the KISS army.

Memorable Song: I got a kick out of �Black Diamond� for the sheer amusement of seeing purple lights reflecting onto the crowd from a giant disco ball. It made me think of the Kiss-backed movie, �Detroit Rock City�, where they clearly mock disco music. At this point, Stanley informed the crowd that �This is usually the end of the show but what do you say we keep on going?�. As if anybody was going to refuse such an offer. Speaking of �Detroit Rock City�, it was the next song to be performed and was the beginning to a raucous end of their set. During the track, a video of what I believe was meant to be an old Dodge Challenger soaring around the now-abandoned streets of Detroit was displayed on the massive screen behind the band. The audience responded by jumping to their feet and clapping in unison, with hands held high above their heads.

Memorable Moment: Paul Stanley began to proclaim his love for the city of Montreal � which he probably does for every city the band plays in � and promised to join the audience if they chanted his name. They did so on three occasions and then, as the drums began to beat out the introduction to �Love Gun�, Stanley soared out over the audience on a zip-line towards a small stage in the middle of the floor. He remained there for the entire song, on a small revolving circular platform.

Comments: �You wanted the best, you got the best!� bellowed the announcer as Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer � the legendary KISS � took to the stage of the Bell Center this past Monday night. They wasted no time, diving straight in with �Psycho Circus�, the debut track from 1998�s album of the same name. The song is lyrically perfect for getting a concert underway, with a chorus that goes �You�re in the psycho circus and I say welcome to the show!� I counted eight individual bursts of pyrotechnics in the opening song alone, and that was just the beginning of a night full of fire balls and pop charges. Next up was a classic track, �Shout It Out Loud� which already had the audience fist pumping and singing along. I scanned the arena and saw very few seats uninhabited � not including the two sections that were closed off at the rear, directly facing the stage. Above the stage, a huge metal spider loomed, and began to move its eight arms about as it was slowly lowered towards the band.

Next up was �Let Me Go, Rock N� Roll� and the first glance at Gene Simmons monster tongue, waging wildly to the wind. Things slowed down a tad for the next few songs; �I Love It loud�, �Hell Or Hellelujah� off the bands newest effort, �Monster�. The spider then descended again for �War Machine�, which ended with Gene Simmons walking out on stage with a flaming sword that he used to breathe fire with. These guys sure love their pyro! That was followed up with �Heaven�s On Fire�, �Calling Dr. Love� , �Say Yeah� and �Shock Me/Outta This World� before venturing into a guitar solo by Tommy Thayer and later joined by drummer Eric Singer. At this point, the drums began to smoke and rise from the floor on some sort of scissor lift. Simultaneously, the small area where Thayer was stood reviled itself to be on a crane and the duo were hoisted skywards as they rocked out. Thayer�s solo included the first few bars of Canada�s nation anthem, to roaring applause. To conclude the solo portion of the show, Singer pulled out a bazooka and fired off another pyro charge.

Gene Simmons appeared on stage after a very brief moment of total darkness, basking in green incandescent light, wielding his famous Axe-shaped bass guitar in hand. He played his own solo, while spitting blood and again whipping out that massive tongue of his. He then levitated up onto the spider and began to play �God Of Thunder� from high above. He returned to the stage for a rendition of �Lick It Up�.

The final two tracks of the night were �I Was made For Lovin� You� followed by �Rock N� Roll All Nite� (poor bastards can�t spell, it seems) which included a shower of glittering confetti before a barrage of fireworks befell the audience, as Gene and Thayer rose once more on their little platforms whilst Stanley smashed his guitar to pieces on the stage below � indicating that there wouldn�t be an encore tonight, ladies and germs!

There�s something to be said for bands that are able to survive forty years together and still fill arenas. Even though mastermind Gene Simmons has exploited every possible avenue to generate revenue from his bands namesake, I still have a massive amount of respect for them. Sure, they probably cheapened their image with all the comic books, action figures, novels, movies, cartoons�wedding chapels, cruises and wine (!!) but the fact remains that these boys changed the face of rock n� roll for good and for that, I tilt my hat.