07/07/2013
KISS' CANADIAN TOUR CONTINUES THIS WEEK
Kiss News
07/07/2013
JONAH ROCKS!
07/07/2013
GENE AND HIS BIRTHDAY GIRL
07/07/2013
KISS ARMY VANCOUVER, YOU LOOK GREAT!
07/07/2013
FAN'S AWESOME KISS LIVE PHOTO
07/07/2013
VICTORIA TEENAGER 'EARNED HIS WINGS'
Victoria teenager �earned his wings� after KISS sent message of prayers
By Amy Smart / Times Colonist
At 17, Justin Plunkett was too young to have a bucket list.
But with brain cancer and a negative prognosis, the Victoria teen began listing his wishes: Visit Las Vegas, get a driver�s licence, meet rock band Kiss.
A coma prevented Justin from meeting band members when they played in town Friday night.
But his friends believe a tweet from frontman Gene Simmons, reading �Our prayers are with you,� made all the difference to the avid music fan.
Justin died Saturday morning, surrounded by loved ones.
The teen was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve, 2010. After 30 sessions of radiation treatment and nine months of chemotherapy, doctors announced that he was cancer-free.
But on Oct. 29, 2012, an MRI showed the cancer had returned and spread. Justin was airlifted to B.C. Children�s Hospital in Vancouver. The prognosis was not good, and he began thinking about how he would like to spend his time.Victoria teenager �earned his wings� after KISS sent message of prayers
By Amy Smart / Times Colonist
At 17, Justin Plunkett was too young to have a bucket list.
But with brain cancer and a negative prognosis, the Victoria teen began listing his wishes: Visit Las Vegas, get a driver�s licence, meet rock band Kiss.
A coma prevented Justin from meeting band members when they played in town Friday night.
But his friends believe a tweet from frontman Gene Simmons, reading �Our prayers are with you,� made all the difference to the avid music fan.
Justin died Saturday morning, surrounded by loved ones.
The teen was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve, 2010. After 30 sessions of radiation treatment and nine months of chemotherapy, doctors announced that he was cancer-free.
But on Oct. 29, 2012, an MRI showed the cancer had returned and spread. Justin was airlifted to B.C. Children�s Hospital in Vancouver. The prognosis was not good, and he began thinking about how he would like to spend his time.
The community rallied around Justin and his family � mother Colleen Plunkett, stepfather Joe Peterson, twin sister Jocelynn and seven-year-old sister Olivia � organizing bottle drives and other fundraisers.
The tough days were extremely tough.
�It�s been over 21Ú2 years of straight struggle, day to day, every single day,� Peterson said. �Sometimes he would go for weeks of throwing up multiple times a day.�
But on the good days, Justin managed to shear a sheep, get tattoos, zipline, catch a shark, hold a boa constrictor, jet ski and drive an ATV. He flew to Cancun, where he swam with dolphins, surfed on a wave machine and sang karaoke with Lucas � his best friend since birth � in front of a live crowd.
�He was just on another level, he had a heart of a lion,� Peterson said. �For him to go through what he went through and still wake up every morning with a smile on his face � like, �What�s next, OK, I�m going to take on the world� � it was incredible.�
Aunt Kelly Plunkett said although Justin was sleeping for more than 20 hours a day at the end of June, he insisted on undertaking the annual family trip to Parksville.
�He didn�t have a lot of energy at all, but he sat and sang songs by the fire and roasted marshmallows,� she said. �Justin loved life � every time somebody told him that he couldn�t do something, he proved them wrong.�
Peterson believes Justin drew much of his strength from his girlfriend, Sam, and his mother, who spent the past month sleeping next to her child.
Justin had a severe seizure June 30. He was transported to Victoria General Hospital and slipped into a coma.
�This morning at 4:40 a.m., Justin earned his wings,� Colleen posted Saturday. �It was very peaceful and he was surrounded by love. Justin will be forever young. Love you my lil man.�
By Amy Smart / Times Colonist
At 17, Justin Plunkett was too young to have a bucket list.
But with brain cancer and a negative prognosis, the Victoria teen began listing his wishes: Visit Las Vegas, get a driver�s licence, meet rock band Kiss.
A coma prevented Justin from meeting band members when they played in town Friday night.
But his friends believe a tweet from frontman Gene Simmons, reading �Our prayers are with you,� made all the difference to the avid music fan.
Justin died Saturday morning, surrounded by loved ones.
The teen was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve, 2010. After 30 sessions of radiation treatment and nine months of chemotherapy, doctors announced that he was cancer-free.
But on Oct. 29, 2012, an MRI showed the cancer had returned and spread. Justin was airlifted to B.C. Children�s Hospital in Vancouver. The prognosis was not good, and he began thinking about how he would like to spend his time.Victoria teenager �earned his wings� after KISS sent message of prayers
By Amy Smart / Times Colonist
At 17, Justin Plunkett was too young to have a bucket list.
But with brain cancer and a negative prognosis, the Victoria teen began listing his wishes: Visit Las Vegas, get a driver�s licence, meet rock band Kiss.
A coma prevented Justin from meeting band members when they played in town Friday night.
But his friends believe a tweet from frontman Gene Simmons, reading �Our prayers are with you,� made all the difference to the avid music fan.
Justin died Saturday morning, surrounded by loved ones.
The teen was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve, 2010. After 30 sessions of radiation treatment and nine months of chemotherapy, doctors announced that he was cancer-free.
But on Oct. 29, 2012, an MRI showed the cancer had returned and spread. Justin was airlifted to B.C. Children�s Hospital in Vancouver. The prognosis was not good, and he began thinking about how he would like to spend his time.
The community rallied around Justin and his family � mother Colleen Plunkett, stepfather Joe Peterson, twin sister Jocelynn and seven-year-old sister Olivia � organizing bottle drives and other fundraisers.
The tough days were extremely tough.
�It�s been over 21Ú2 years of straight struggle, day to day, every single day,� Peterson said. �Sometimes he would go for weeks of throwing up multiple times a day.�
But on the good days, Justin managed to shear a sheep, get tattoos, zipline, catch a shark, hold a boa constrictor, jet ski and drive an ATV. He flew to Cancun, where he swam with dolphins, surfed on a wave machine and sang karaoke with Lucas � his best friend since birth � in front of a live crowd.
�He was just on another level, he had a heart of a lion,� Peterson said. �For him to go through what he went through and still wake up every morning with a smile on his face � like, �What�s next, OK, I�m going to take on the world� � it was incredible.�
Aunt Kelly Plunkett said although Justin was sleeping for more than 20 hours a day at the end of June, he insisted on undertaking the annual family trip to Parksville.
�He didn�t have a lot of energy at all, but he sat and sang songs by the fire and roasted marshmallows,� she said. �Justin loved life � every time somebody told him that he couldn�t do something, he proved them wrong.�
Peterson believes Justin drew much of his strength from his girlfriend, Sam, and his mother, who spent the past month sleeping next to her child.
Justin had a severe seizure June 30. He was transported to Victoria General Hospital and slipped into a coma.
�This morning at 4:40 a.m., Justin earned his wings,� Colleen posted Saturday. �It was very peaceful and he was surrounded by love. Justin will be forever young. Love you my lil man.�
07/07/2013
KISS AT ROGERS ARENA VANCOUVER
07/07/2013
KISS ROCKING VANCOUVER
07/06/2013
KISS AND THE VICTORIA KISS ARMY
07/06/2013
KISS PUTS ON FULL-SCALE SPECTACLE FOR FANS!
When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
MIKE DEVLIN / TIMES COLONIST
When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
That�s how long it took rock legends Kiss to make it to Victoria for a concert. And fans seemed overjoyed at their arrival.
A soldout crowd of 6,597 had what appeared to be a hell of a good time. The band? Well, they had some rough spots. But in the end, Friday night�s event at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre had everything that is worth waiting decades for, multiplied by a factor of 666.
Pyro, LED lights, giant video screens, and an eight-legged spider stage � reportedly the biggest of Kiss�s career � topped out the visual portion of the concert. Add to that a collection of hits � not to mention flying band members � and there�s no stopping a juggernaut like this when it gets on a roll.
It even had fire, blood, concussion bombs, confetti cannons, and a smashed guitar for good measure.
Fans came to the table prepared. Plenty in the audience were dressed in full Kiss garb, the remainder standing for the entire set. They did their half, and Kiss did theirs.When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
MIKE DEVLIN / TIMES COLONIST
When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
That�s how long it took rock legends Kiss to make it to Victoria for a concert. And fans seemed overjoyed at their arrival.
A soldout crowd of 6,597 had what appeared to be a hell of a good time. The band? Well, they had some rough spots. But in the end, Friday night�s event at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre had everything that is worth waiting decades for, multiplied by a factor of 666.
Pyro, LED lights, giant video screens, and an eight-legged spider stage � reportedly the biggest of Kiss�s career � topped out the visual portion of the concert. Add to that a collection of hits � not to mention flying band members � and there�s no stopping a juggernaut like this when it gets on a roll.
It even had fire, blood, concussion bombs, confetti cannons, and a smashed guitar for good measure.
Fans came to the table prepared. Plenty in the audience were dressed in full Kiss garb, the remainder standing for the entire set. They did their half, and Kiss did theirs.
The group made up for four decades of lost time with a spectacle of lights cameras, and action right out of the gate. I could have used less second-rate tricks that ate up time and a few more hits like Strutter, Calling Dr. Love, and Plaster Caster. But that�s being unnecessary critical.
The setlist of 17 songs, on paper, is a short set. But it was full of life.
The band opened with Psycho Circus, which worked out the opening-night kinks. Kiss hit its stride quickly thereafter.
Shout it Out Loud, a standout from 1976�s Destroyer, saw the band pull out all the stops, with singer guitarist Paul Stanley dropping to knees in dramatic fashion, bassist Gene Simmons wag his serpentine-like tongue, drummer Eric Singer work magic on his snare drum, and guitarist Tommy Thayer pull off the song�s instantly recognizable solo.
It only got bigger and more over the over-top from there. Visually, what Kiss offered is unmatched in Victoria history.
�This is the first night of our tour through Canada,� Paul Stanley said, the first of many between-song chats. �And when it�s all over, I hope you�ll remember that Victoria is No. 1!�
Simmons and Stanley were equal partners in this game. The bassist handled I Love it Loud, War Machine (during which he spit fire), and God of Thunder (which saw him spit blood), while the guitarist commandeered Heaven�s On Fire, Lick it Up, and I Was Made For Lovin� You. The two co-founders split singing duties on Shout it Out Loud, among others.
Most fans wouldn�t have it any other way. Well, to be fair, given that Thayer handled former guitarist Ace Frehley�s Shock Me, some would have been happy to hear Singer tackle former drummer Peter Criss� hit, Beth.
Kiss has long been known for its stage antics, the entirety of which were pulled out during the first date on the North American leg of the Monster tour. Good for them, and good for us. Better 40 years late than never.
Florida rockers Shinedown opened the night with a 45-minute set of radio-friendly hard rock.
The band�s first few songs were to a half-full house, an unfortunate set of circumstances dictated by the hefty entry line-ups that stretched outside when they took the stage at 7:45 p.m.
Shinedown recovered quickly. They plenty of room to move, which helped matters � not every opening act gets nearly full use of the stage and lights � and the sound quality was extra-solid.
Though some might consider it a backhanded compliment � which it isn�t � the set had plenty of Nickelback in its veins. Save Me, its big, melodic-rock hit, proved that in spades.
Frontman Brent Smith belted it out for the duration, with tonnes of tech behind him. The band looked, sounded, and played great, its version of Lynyrd Skynyrds Simple Man proving to be the highlight.
Setlist:
1. Psycho Circus
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll
4. I Love It Loud
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. War Machine
7. Heaven's on Fire
8. Deuce
9. Say Yeah
10. Shock Me/Outta This World
11. God of Thunder
12. Lick It Up
13. Love Gun
14. Rock and Roll All Nite
Encore:
15. Detroit Rock City
16. I Was Made for Lovin' You
17. Black Diamond
MIKE DEVLIN / TIMES COLONIST
When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
That�s how long it took rock legends Kiss to make it to Victoria for a concert. And fans seemed overjoyed at their arrival.
A soldout crowd of 6,597 had what appeared to be a hell of a good time. The band? Well, they had some rough spots. But in the end, Friday night�s event at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre had everything that is worth waiting decades for, multiplied by a factor of 666.
Pyro, LED lights, giant video screens, and an eight-legged spider stage � reportedly the biggest of Kiss�s career � topped out the visual portion of the concert. Add to that a collection of hits � not to mention flying band members � and there�s no stopping a juggernaut like this when it gets on a roll.
It even had fire, blood, concussion bombs, confetti cannons, and a smashed guitar for good measure.
Fans came to the table prepared. Plenty in the audience were dressed in full Kiss garb, the remainder standing for the entire set. They did their half, and Kiss did theirs.When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
MIKE DEVLIN / TIMES COLONIST
When you want the best, waiting 40 years to see it doesn�t seem like such a big deal.
That�s how long it took rock legends Kiss to make it to Victoria for a concert. And fans seemed overjoyed at their arrival.
A soldout crowd of 6,597 had what appeared to be a hell of a good time. The band? Well, they had some rough spots. But in the end, Friday night�s event at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre had everything that is worth waiting decades for, multiplied by a factor of 666.
Pyro, LED lights, giant video screens, and an eight-legged spider stage � reportedly the biggest of Kiss�s career � topped out the visual portion of the concert. Add to that a collection of hits � not to mention flying band members � and there�s no stopping a juggernaut like this when it gets on a roll.
It even had fire, blood, concussion bombs, confetti cannons, and a smashed guitar for good measure.
Fans came to the table prepared. Plenty in the audience were dressed in full Kiss garb, the remainder standing for the entire set. They did their half, and Kiss did theirs.
The group made up for four decades of lost time with a spectacle of lights cameras, and action right out of the gate. I could have used less second-rate tricks that ate up time and a few more hits like Strutter, Calling Dr. Love, and Plaster Caster. But that�s being unnecessary critical.
The setlist of 17 songs, on paper, is a short set. But it was full of life.
The band opened with Psycho Circus, which worked out the opening-night kinks. Kiss hit its stride quickly thereafter.
Shout it Out Loud, a standout from 1976�s Destroyer, saw the band pull out all the stops, with singer guitarist Paul Stanley dropping to knees in dramatic fashion, bassist Gene Simmons wag his serpentine-like tongue, drummer Eric Singer work magic on his snare drum, and guitarist Tommy Thayer pull off the song�s instantly recognizable solo.
It only got bigger and more over the over-top from there. Visually, what Kiss offered is unmatched in Victoria history.
�This is the first night of our tour through Canada,� Paul Stanley said, the first of many between-song chats. �And when it�s all over, I hope you�ll remember that Victoria is No. 1!�
Simmons and Stanley were equal partners in this game. The bassist handled I Love it Loud, War Machine (during which he spit fire), and God of Thunder (which saw him spit blood), while the guitarist commandeered Heaven�s On Fire, Lick it Up, and I Was Made For Lovin� You. The two co-founders split singing duties on Shout it Out Loud, among others.
Most fans wouldn�t have it any other way. Well, to be fair, given that Thayer handled former guitarist Ace Frehley�s Shock Me, some would have been happy to hear Singer tackle former drummer Peter Criss� hit, Beth.
Kiss has long been known for its stage antics, the entirety of which were pulled out during the first date on the North American leg of the Monster tour. Good for them, and good for us. Better 40 years late than never.
Florida rockers Shinedown opened the night with a 45-minute set of radio-friendly hard rock.
The band�s first few songs were to a half-full house, an unfortunate set of circumstances dictated by the hefty entry line-ups that stretched outside when they took the stage at 7:45 p.m.
Shinedown recovered quickly. They plenty of room to move, which helped matters � not every opening act gets nearly full use of the stage and lights � and the sound quality was extra-solid.
Though some might consider it a backhanded compliment � which it isn�t � the set had plenty of Nickelback in its veins. Save Me, its big, melodic-rock hit, proved that in spades.
Frontman Brent Smith belted it out for the duration, with tonnes of tech behind him. The band looked, sounded, and played great, its version of Lynyrd Skynyrds Simple Man proving to be the highlight.
Setlist:
1. Psycho Circus
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll
4. I Love It Loud
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. War Machine
7. Heaven's on Fire
8. Deuce
9. Say Yeah
10. Shock Me/Outta This World
11. God of Thunder
12. Lick It Up
13. Love Gun
14. Rock and Roll All Nite
Encore:
15. Detroit Rock City
16. I Was Made for Lovin' You
17. Black Diamond
