KISS adds 2nd Cobo Hall show! (August 21)

By overwhelming demand, a 2nd KISS Show has been added at COBO Arena. The new show date is Saturday, September 26.

Tickets are now on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets or at Ticketmaster.com.

Full "Modern Day Delilah" track!! (August 19)

It rocks!!

"We couldn't have made this album without Tommy & Eric" -Paul Stanley

KISS' PAUL STANLEY: 'We Couldn't Have Made This Album Without ERIC And TOMMY' - Aug. 18, 2009
KISS' first new studio album in over a decade, called "Sonic Boom", will be released on October 6 exclusively at Wal-Mart properties. The collection, which costs only $12, will also feature the band's re-recordings of their greatest hits which was previously available as a Japanese import, and a 2009 concert featuring current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cover for "Sonic Boom" is by veteran artist Michael Doret, who created the cover for the band's 1976 album "Rock And Roll Over".

"We tried to do a KISS album, and it was an ill-fated attempt because there was no real band," guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley tells RollingStone.com. "For a band to make a great album, it has to share a common purpose, and we didn't have it."

He continued, "Things happen when they're ready. We couldn't have made this album without Eric and Tommy. I've known Eric now for 20 years. He's been in and out of the band, and the best times are when he's in."

Bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has raised expectation on the album — which was produced by Paul Stanley — by saying in online postings, calling "Sonic Boom" "the best new record we've done since 'Destroyer'. It is 'Rock And Roll Over' meets 'Love Gun'... If you're a fan of our stuff from about 1977, you'll feel right at home."

"The great thing about these tunes is that we can reproduce them live. Just four guys," Simmons tells RollingStone.com. "We don't have to prove anything to anybody. All the nay-sayers who didn't understand it, we walk on their graves in our 8-inch platform heels. If you want to say rebirth or born again, you're goddamn right. There's a sense of pride here. When you get up onstage with these guys, you look over and you go, 'Wow, I'm in KISS.'"

Read more from RollingStone.com.

"Modern Day Delilah" sample (August 17)

KISS "SONIC BOOM" (August 17)

SONIC BOOM CD Track Listing:

1. MODERN DAY DELILAH
2. RUSSIAN ROULETTE
3. NEVER ENOUGH
4. YES I KNOW (NOBODY'S PERFECT)
5. STAND
6. HOT AND COLD
7. ALL FOR THE GLORY
8. DANGER US
9. I'M AN ANIMAL
10. WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES
11. SAY YEAH

Produced by PAUL STANLEY
Co-produced by Greg Collins

The US & Canadian release of SONIC BOOM is a three-disc set that also features KISS KLASSICS, a 15-track completely re-recorded greatest hits CD, as well as a live DVD shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the band's 2009 South American tour. The discs are packaged in a DigiPak along with a 20-page booklet.

SONIC BOOM will be available exclusively at Walmart, Walmart.com and Sam's Club retail locations beginning October 6.


KISS KLASSICS CD Track Listing:

1. DEUCE 2. DETROIT ROCK CITY 3. SHOUT IT OUT LOUD 4. HOTTER THAN HELL 5. CALLING DR. LOVE 6. LOVE GUN 7. I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU 8. HEAVEN'S ON FIRE 9. LICK IT UP 10. I LOVE IT LOUD 11. FOREVER 12. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN 13. DO YOU LOVE ME 14. BLACK DIAMOND 15. ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE

KISS Bonus Live DVD Track Listing:

1. DEUCE 2. HOTTER THAN HELL 3. C'MON AND LOVE ME 4. WATCHIN' YOU 5. 100,000 YEARS 6. ROCK & ROLL ALL NITE

KISS Cobo Hall TV Commericial (August 17)

KISS to rock Cobo Hall one last time (August 17)

One last time, before the walls come down, Cobo Arena will hear a SONIC BOOM...

KISS returns with their brand new stage to where it all started, playing the album that started it all...KISS Alive!

KISS will perform a special KISS ALIVE 35 show at Detroit Rock City's legendary concert venue, Cobo Arena, on September 25! This historic structure, which is slated for closure, has hosted KISS concerts on numerous occasions, not the least of which was the series of shows that were recorded to become the KISS ALIVE! album. Tracks made famous on KISS ALIVE! - including "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Deuce," "Black Diamond," and "Hotter Than Hell" - are well represented on the greatest hits disc included with SONIC BOOM.

The Detroit show, which will live another 35 years in KISStory, goes on sale to the public at 5 pm EDT on August 21 at TICKETMASTER.

A KISS ARMY Members-Only ticket presale will take place Wednesday from 10AM - 10PM EDT.

KISS ARMY Members will have access to MEMBERS-Only tickets..these are among the best available seats in Cobo Arena.

Meet & Greet upgrade packages will also be available.

Walmart embraced with a KISS (August 17)

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY (AP)

Kiss to release new album at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club

The veteran heavy metal group, Kiss, is joining a growing list of classic acts putting out new music through the world's largest retailer.

"Sonic Boom" is due to be released only at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores on Oct. 6. The three-disc package will include a CD of the band's first new music in 11 years, re-recorded versions of famous Kiss hits and a live DVD.

Paul Stanley - one of the quartet's two original members, along with Gene Simmons - said the band chose to release the album at Wal-Mart because the store allowed them to make it memorable.

"They offered us an opportunity to do something that's very much in line with what we used to do with our classic albums, and that's to give people more than just an album of music," Stanley said in an interview last week. "We've always believed in trying to make an album a special event."

Large store chains have become a favorite venue for classic acts to reintroduce themselves with new material. Wal-Mart has sold millions with releases by the Eagles, AC/DC and other key acts. It also has a Foreigner three-disc package due out in September. Target released a three-disc set from Prince earlier this year. Best Buy had the exclusive release of Guns 'N Roses first album in years.

Wal-Mart executives said Kiss, like other music acts they've worked with, has a special appeal to their customers.

"We see Kiss as an iconic band ... that resonates with the Wal-Mart customer not just with their music but in a lot of different areas," said Tom Welch, Wal-Mart's music buyer.

"Sonic Boom," which also features Kiss members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, was produced entirely by Stanley. The guitarist said he made that a condition before he would agree to do the album.

"The recent past, or the last decade or two, has not produced the kind of albums that I would have hoped, and that's due to a lot of factors - lack of input or lack of focus by all the band members," he said. "(There's been a) lack of a lineup where people were working toward the goal of making a great Kiss album as opposed to trying to showcase themselves."

But he called the new album "bar none our best album in 30 years, if not our best album period."

"Everybody worked their tails off to contribute 100 percent of their effort and their ability to make this the great Kiss that not only do the fans deserve, but we deserve," Stanley said.

The band is giving a special concert in Detroit on Sept. 25 to celebrate the album.

When asked if Kiss was doing anything differently to appeal to a new audience, Stanley said: "We've never geared ourselves towards anybody. When we're at our best is when we gear ourselves toward us.

"Classic Kiss isn't about an album this year or 10 albums ago. It's about a state of mind ... We are about entertainment with a capital 'E,' and we don't apologize for it." ?>

Classic Rock Magazine confirms the title "Sonic Boom" (August 14)

Classic Rock can confirm that the new Kiss album will be called Sonic Boom – and we’ve got the full tracklisting. Not only that, but we’ve heard six of the album’s 11 songs!

Classic Rock’s Geoff Barton was invited to an exclusive preview of the new Kiss album this afternoon, in the convivial company of Doc McGhee, the band’s manager.

“Kiss promised to deliver a back-to-their-roots album and that’s exactly what we’ve got,” Barton reports. “Recorded in the old-fashioned, analog way, it sounds spectacularly good – no ProTools nonsense in evidence here.

“The interesting thing is, it’s not simply a homage the band’s first few albums. There are even nods to records such as [1982’s] Creatures Of The Night, which had Vinnie Vincent, Bob Kulick and others guesting on guitar. Kiss seem to have cleverly combined the best of all their eras into a single winning package.”

McGhee confirmed that Sonic Boom will be available exclusively through Wal-Mart stores in the US, as part of a package including a disc of re-recorded Kiss classics (already available in Japan) and a live DVD. The album is due for release on October 6.

“I actually wanted to make Sonic Boom available as a download for a dollar, but I was overruled,” McGhee chuckled.

“I still think it’s a great idea. Millions of people would’ve downloaded it, I guarantee. At just a dollar a throw, it would’ve been the bargain of the century.”

McGhee is delighted that Kiss decided to play to their strengths on Sonic Boom. “It’s exactly want people want: the classic Kiss sound played by the band looking like they’ve always done. Kiss are like James Bond or Mickey Mouse. They’re an amazing brand and they’ll likely go on forever.

“When I took over management of Kiss in the mid-1990s, that was my major plan: to get the band back to basics.

“I mean,” McGhee laughed, “when Kiss had a squirrel in their line-up – what was the hell was that all about?”

The full tracklisting of Sonic Boom is:

1. Modern Day Delilah
2. Russian Roulette
3. Never Enough
4. Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)
5. Stand
6. Hot & Cold
7. All The Glory
8. Danger Us
9. I’m An Animal
10. When Lightning Strikes
11. Say Yah

Here’s our quickfire reaction to the six songs we heard:

Modern Day Delilah
Based around a lumbering, War Machine-style rhythm, Paul Stanley’s vocals sound top-notch and timeless, almost like they’ve been sampled from Kiss Alive! Meanwhile, Tommy Thayer’s guitar work is straight out of the Ace Frehley riff book. At a concise 3:35 in length, this is a perfect slam-bang beginning to the new album.

Russian Roulette
Gene Simmons takes the vocals on this one; it’s an archetypal lumbering, grumbling, pummelling offering, made all the better by the addition of a signature ‘ah-ah-ah-ah’ chant-line. The lyrics are simplistic but effective: ‘This is Russian Roulette… one pull of the trigger is all you’re gonna get… you feel the hunger and it’s much too much… go on take a bite.’ To a fan of classic Kiss, that’s sheer poetry.

Never Enough
You’re know you’re on to a winner immediately as this one begins with a time-honoured Stanley shout of… wait for it… ‘Woah yeah!’ This is a much jauntier offering than the preceding two tracks, recalling the more commercial, 1980s side of Kiss. The song has a real reach-for-the-sky spirit, full of uplifting phrases such as ‘rules just for breaking’, ‘life for the taking’ and (you guessed it) ‘love ’til I’m shaking’.

Yes I Know (Nobody’s Perfect)
Another three minutes of perfection. A light-hearted, hyper-commercial tune with Simmons at the mic-stand again, offering a gruff ‘YEAH’ (capital letters, natch) followed by the inevitable invitation: ‘C’mon baby, take off your clothes.’ There’s no word on whether Simmons kept his T-shirt on, however.

Stand
Our favourite so far; a proper anthem recalling the crowd-rousing grandeur of God Gave Rock’N’Roll To You. Stanley delivers the words ‘Stand by my side, I’ll be next to you/Stand by my side, we’ll make it through/Stand by my side, we’ll get by, you and I’ with consummate Starchild passion. This one just grows and grows… and then offers a neat false ending with some soft, CSN&Y-style harmonies (yes, really) before picking up the pace once more.

I’m An Animal
Full of giant, stalking menace, this is based around a dense, Zeppelinesque riff. Thayer plays a marvellous slick-but-stumbling Frehley solo, and you can rest assured the lyrics – ‘I’m an animal and I’m free… I’m an animal in the street’ – don’t refer to an old lady with her poodle off the leash. Late in the song, the band issue the urge: ‘Stand up, raise your fists.’ Little do they know, we’ve been doing that since track one…

Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick comment on Les Paul's passing (August 14)

"He was an inventor, amazing guitarist, and contributed so much to our industry. Glad I met him a few times. RIP." - Bruck Kulick



"The music industry has lost a giant! I'm very saddened by the news of Les Paul's passing. I was lucky enough to have known Les as a friend, and admired him as a musician and innovator. He forever changed the way we listen to music." - Ace Frehley

RIP Les Paul (August 13)

Kinda KISS related Ace loved this man.

----------------

Guitar legend Les Paul has died at 94

Inventor changed course of music with electric guitar, multitrack recording


NEW YORK - Les Paul, the guitarist and inventor who changed the course of music with the electric guitar and multitrack recording and had a string of hits, many with wife Mary Ford, died on Thursday. He was 94.

According to Gibson Guitar, Paul died of complications from pneumonia at White Plains Hospital. His family and friends were by his side.
He had been hospitalized in February 2006 when he learned he won two Grammys for an album he released after his 90th birthday, “Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played.”
“I feel like a condemned building with a new flagpole on it,” he joked.

As an inventor, Paul helped bring about the rise of rock ’n’ roll and multitrack recording, which enables artists to record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the “tracks” in the finished recording.
With Ford, his wife from 1949 to 1962, he earned 36 gold records and 11 No. 1 pop hits, including “Vaya Con Dios,” “How High the Moon,” “Nola” and “Lover.” Many of their songs used overdubbing techniques that Paul the inventor had helped develop.
“I could take my Mary and make her three, six, nine, 12, as many voices as I wished,” he recalled. “This is quite an asset.” The overdubbing technique was highly influential on later recording artists such as the Carpenters.
Electric guitar began with ‘The Log’
The use of electric guitar gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1940s, and then exploded with the advent of rock in the 1950s.
“Suddenly, it was recognized that power was a very important part of music,” Paul once said. “To have the dynamics, to have the way of expressing yourself beyond the normal limits of an unamplified instrument, was incredible. Today a guy wouldn’t think of singing a song on a stage without a microphone and a sound system.”
A tinkerer and musician since childhood, he experimented with guitar amplification for years before coming up in 1941 with what he called “The Log,” a four-by-four piece of wood strung with steel strings.
“I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody had me labeled as a nut.” He later put the wooden wings onto the body to give it a traditional guitar shape.

Some Peter Criss news!! (August 9)

RECORDING NEW ROCK ALBUM:

Peter is making good on a promise he told me in 2007 that his next album will indeed be a rock album.

A departure from his 2007 release, ONE FOR ALL, this new album will be an all out rock and roll record from
the CATMAN.

Peter is now the process of recording, laying down 10 tracks, for the disc which is slated for release April 2010.

http://kissmaskwebzine.blogspot.com/2009/08/peter-criss-recording-new-album.html

Even more on the "360" trading cards (August 8)

By Doug Cataldo for KISSONLINE.com

Hot off the success of the sold-out debut KISS Ikons trading card set from Press Pass, collectors can now enjoy 360 degrees of the Hottest Band in the World. The second KISS release from Press Pass contains a 90-card base set, 4 insert sets and multiple parallel series to chase. A huge part of what makes KISS larger than life is their theatrical and visual show, and Press Pass delivers with a dazzling dip into the bombastic KISSnation.

This time around they've developed some stunning acetate and lenticular inserts collections and they included signatures from all four original members. You could find a single card containing the autographs of Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter. There are also memorabilia cards of not only Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, but beloved drummer Eric Carr. A box of KISS 360 is priced at $79.00.

To cover the entire career of KISS is quite an undertaking. They've been making KISStory since 1973. In 2009 they celebrated the 35th anniversary of their landmark recording KISS Alive! With an appearance on American Idol, the announcement of a new KISS CD and other significant milestones such as the introduction of KISS M&Ms, KISS Mr. Potato Heads and plans to launch another explosive tour, they continue to leave an unparalleled legacy in the world of rock and roll.

Press Pass did an excellent job capturing many KISStoric moments for fans of the band to explore. 360 opens with a 9-card look at the non-makeup era of KISS. This subset addresses the most popular KISS tunes from the 80s including Lick It Up, Tears Are Falling and Unholy. Classic live shots from the Revenge, Lick it Up and Asylum tours make up the fronts of the cards, while the backs contain stories from founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons about how the songs were written.

The set continues with a look at KISS in 2009, where the band is currently on fire. Fired up by the energetic Eric Singer on drums and solid lead guitar playing of Tommy Thayer, they haven't played with such musicianship since the reunion tour of 1996. It's this chemistry that sparked songwriting for a new KISS CD. These 9 cards contain quotes from the band on the recording process and a promise that it will rock like classic KISS releases from the 70s.

KISS wouldn't be where they are today if not for the continued efforts of Simmons and Stanley to keep the band going, but a significant portion of their early years were spent with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. The 18-card Behind the Curtain subset contains some amazing candid shots of the band in and out of makeup during the early years of the KISS craze. There are shots of the band applying their trademark makeup, preparing to take the stage and handling photo shoots and interviews. As a lifelong fan, I was really impressed with some of the photos in this particular series, as I had never seen them before.

Gene Simmons loves the spotlight, and he gets it all to himself in the 9-card "The Demon Speaks" set. Containing even more candid classic photos and quotes from the Bat-Demon himself, ranging from his ego to his adoration and appreciation of the KISS Army, Gene lets it all hang out as only he can.

Without the multi-talented Paul Stanley; KISS could have fallen to the wayside in 1982 after the departure of Ace Frehley. The quintessential frontman is one of the top rock vocalists of all time. His remarkable voice, combined with Simmons' marketable mouth has kept the KISS juggernaut running strong. Stanley is handling the producing chores on the new KISS CD and he's been instrumental in keeping them on track to deliver the classic KISS sound in 2009 too. Within the 9-card "Behind Starry Eyes" collection, fans will get some wisdom from the Starchild.

KISS fans love to recount the band's wacky road stories from their numerous tours that have taken place over the years. From tossing furniture out of hotel room windows and shooting arrows through artwork, Ace Frehley certainly lived life on the road in the fast lane. Many of these tales are told on the backs of the 12-card Roadstories set.

"Welcome to the show!" These key lyrics in the song Psycho Circus are the heart and soul of the KISS live experience, and this is also the name of a 6-card set comprised of the band's thoughts about the longevity and the global phenomenon that KISS is. There are heartfelt quotes from current members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer about how they feel about playing in KISS, but also how they are moved by the fact that KISS continues to dominate and make new fans wherever they go. There are some great photos in this subset too - a fantastic photo of Ace signing a beautiful blonde's svelte abs is a standout to be on the lookout for.

The remainder of the base set is made up of a discography of KISS albums. Starting with the 1974 release of KISS to 1998s Psycho Circus they cover 18 albums from the band's vast catalog.

Collectors looking for some rarities can try to piece together parallel sets including the Blood-Spitting collection which can be found in 1:4 packs and the "$" parallel #'d to 50 that can be found 1 in every 24 packs on average. Finally, you might also unpack a limited edition 1-of-1 Press Plate card. These hard-to-find gems are the plates used to print the actual cards. You could find a Cyan, Magenta, Yellow or Black variation of all 90 cards.

Kudos to Press Pass for delivering a quality KISS trading card product. With all of the innovations that were non-existent when the first KISS trading cards were made in the 70s, it is only fitting the Hottest Band in the World has the Hottest Trading Cards in the World!

More info on the KISS "360" trading cards (August 8)

The new KISS 360 Trading cards will be released next week!

Discover 360 degrees of KISS. From the exhilarating live shows to the crazy stories from the road, KISS 360 uncovers all aspects of the KISS legacy.

The 90-CARD BASE SET includes subsets such as The Demon Speaks, Unmasked, Behind Starry Eyes, Welcome to the Show, and Road Stories.

ROCK STAR RELICS features authentic memorabilia cards featuring items from Gene (autographed leather pants), Paul (autographed vests and a jumpsuit), and Eric Carr (autographed drumheads). Also look for dual Gene/Paul memorabilia cards (Pictured).

KISSignatures features cut signatures from Gene, Paul, Peter & Ace, including a quad cut signature card featuring autographs from all four original members.

TRANSFORMATION - a 6-card lenticular motion card insert

SNAPSHOTS – a unique plastic card insert featuring classic photos of the band

Also look for "BLOOD-SPITTING", "$" (hobby-only), "Dr. Love" (Wal-Mart), and "Kissed" (Target) base set parallels

KISS 2010 calandar artwork (Aug. 7)

Ace Frehley "Anomaly" press kit 2009 (Aug.4)

KISS Alive35 Tour DVD on the way (Aug 3)

Not sure if this DVD will be part of the new CD package or be sold separately.....

Successful rock band Kiss travel to Australia and New Zealand for their Alive 35 tour. Concerts in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Wellington - full HD coverage with up to 8 cameras at each concert.

The Kiss Alive 35 tour will be released on DVD

http://www.trademarkpictures.com/kiss.htm

Looks like the title of the new KISS CD will indeed be "Sonic Boom" (Aug 3)

This is UNCOMFIRMED by kissonline of course...


from http://twitter.com/MelodicRock

"Looks like the new Kiss album will be titled "Sonic Boom"."

"Kiss album due Oct 6 thru WalMart with new material disc one, re-records disc 2 and a DVD. Same deal as Journey and Foreigner. Value for $$$"

Andrew runs www.melodicrock.com a well respected website so I take his word as set in stone.

I just wonder if the DVD will be live concert of the current band, or if it'll be the band working on the album in the studio.

Add for the new KISS M&Ms coming soon (Aug.1)

Coming soon!

Tommy interviewed on Portland TV (Aug 1)

Hear new Ace Frehley song "Outer Space" (July 30)

It rocks!!

Guitar Player Magazine comments on new KISS songs (July 29)

From Guitar Player Magazine EditorBoy: KISS review. Heard 5 songs. If you dig KISS, you're gonna dig this new album. Paul sings his ass off. Eric plays some amazingly powerful drums. Gene was finally made to play all of his bass parts (apparently, in the past, if someone had a cool bass idea, he let them play it), and he DOES have a pretty driving sound. Finally, Paul and Tommy's guitars sound HUGE -- with some fab riffs and '70s-style solos.

Eddie Trunk reviews "Anamoly" (July 26)

EDDIE TRUNK ON ANOMALY:KISS AND ACE FANS WILL LOVE THIS!

Here's a part of Eddie's report on Anomaly you can read the full repost here

"I had heard this album in various forms and mixes through the years but this was the first time mastered and done and with the final mix. I'll say what I have said all along; Kiss and Ace fans will love this. It is exactly the type of album you would want and expect from Ace. Straight up in your face hard rock. Probably the most striking thing about the album is Ace's voice. He is past three years sober (there is a song about his battle with the bottle on the CD) and singing like the '78 album. A friend of mine who was in the car said the exact same thing. His voice sounds great due to the fact he is clean for sure. Guitar tones sound great as does the playing. Ace sings the entire CD and there are two instrumentals; another in the Fractured series ends the CD and then there is a Zep like heavy jam called "Space Bear". I know hard core Kiss fans will smile at that title! Other stand out tracks for me were "Change The World" (again great vocal), "A Little Below The Angels", "Too Many Faces" and the super kick ass "Sister" , a track that has been around for a bit but sounds great here. The album has a great deal of edgy tracks but it's also dynamic with some Beatles touches in some songs and a real nod to some early 70's stuff. The guitar work is classic Ace as well. Anton Fig handles most of the drums and is a monster as always. Ace is giving his fans exactly what they would want with this album, and who knows, in this age of Guitar Hero and Rock Band he will no doubt grab some new ones as well. After all guitar hero = ACE FREHLEY! Can't wait for everyone to hear it and of course we will do much with Ace and the album on the radio shows when we get closer to release. I thank Ace for the early listen and as a long time close friend I am extremely proud of him not only for making the album he wanted to, but for being a changed man the last few years."

KISS interview before Casino Rama show (July 25)

Report on KISS Casinorama show on July 21 (July 24)

KISS SLAYS CASINO RAMA!!!! WOW!!!

Fan Review by Mike Mariacher

There is nothing like the rush of a great KISS high!!! I am STILL riding it!!! Casino Rama was DESTROYED by a high voltage, high octane, and thunderous KISS onslaught that only the TRUE MASTERS of metal can provide.

Gene, Paul, Eric and Tommy came to ROCK and were not shy about doing it to the MAX!!! This was an AWESOME venue for my 11th KISS show. If you ever get the chance to see KISS in the confines of an in-your-face setting like a casino, DO NOT pass it up!!! I know they just did a show last week for 90,000 maniacal fans, but the boys were playing like they were in front of 200,000!!!

I thought they were tight when I caught them last fall, but I honestly believe they blew that show completely away at the first date of the 2 night stand at Casino Rama. This lineup KILLS!!! The way they interact with each other and the crowd is unparalleled!

The KLASSIC KISS vaults were wide open as one MONSTER tune after another was unleashed on the rabid KISS ARMY members in attendance. The seasoned veterans as well as the new recruits were laid to waste by the KISS WAR MACHINE.

The electricity from the fans combined with the incredible energy of the band was EXPLOSIVE!!! With specter of a NEW KISS album looming on the horizon, KISS seems rejuvenated and more ALIVE than ever!!! I for one am completely STOKED for the NEW release!!!

Seeing them again was MAGICAL!!! When that curtain dropped, I was 12 years old again!!! It is a truly unique feeling that defies definition.

Each of the boys interacted a TON with the audience. Paul had quite a hot time with the ladies up front, Gene worked the crowd with bloody-spewing Demon antics, Tommy mesmerized the Rama crowd with his frantic fret work, AND Eric brought the crowd to their knees with his THUNDEROUS solo!!!

By the end of the show, the CREATURES OF NIGHT left the Casino crowd exhausted, scorched and wanting more!!! Thanks KISS for yet another CRAZY NIGHT!!!

KISS Army Halifax (July 21)

I WAS THERE!

Quality footage from July 18 Halifax concert (July 19)

KISS rocked Halifax!! (July 19)

KISS rocks, awes tens of thousands of faithful on Commons!

The sea of thousands of fans dressed up in rain ponchos, slickers and heavy weather gear looked more like the Kiss navy than the Kiss army on Halifax's North Common on Saturday.

Yet the fear of smeared face paint didn't deter the faithful from transforming themselves into the Starchild, the Demon, Space Ace and the Cat Man for the occasion. For all anybody knows, the real Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer could have been roaming the crowd and no one would have been the wiser.

I didn't feel compelled to put on the greasepaint, but if I had a time machine and could go back to the mid-70s to ask my 11-year-old self what bands he'd most like to see, the top two choices would be the Beatles and Kiss. The Beatles had been broken up for years at that point, and there was no way in Hades that my parents would let me go near those so-called "Knights in Satan's Service" and their legendary shows at the Halifax Forum.

Cut to three decades later and within the space of a week we've had ex-moptop Paul McCartney and those rock and roll action figures -whose acronym could more properly be Keep It Spectacular, Stupid - making for one giddily ecstatic inner 11-year-old by the time the legendary foursome took the stage on Saturday night to the primal pounding of Deuce.

Of course they didn't just walk on stage; the foursome descended from the lighting rig on a platform while a giant banner bearing a band logo as distinctive a trademark as the Nike swoosh dropped to the floor. Immediately they went into character, with Simmons on the prowl like a widow-peaked vampire, Stanley a strutting Mick Jagger cartoon and Thayer approximating former guitarist Ace Frehley's spaced out stage stance, swaying on his massive silver platform boots.

As with other shows on the tour, the early part of the set more or less mirrors the track list on Kiss's landmark live album Alive, which celebrates its 35th anniversary next year, and Stanley promised an evening of "vintage classics" - post-makeup tunes from the '80s like Lick It Up and I Love It Loud wouldn't show up until the encores - with Strutter and Got to Choose eliciting a wave of shouting along to the choruses and fists pumping in all their devil-horned glory.

"Halifax! How we doin' so far?" implored Stanley with that crazed, evangelistic tone so familiar from Kiss live albums of yore.

"I got a feeeeeeeelin'! Whoaaaaaaaaoooh! We're gonna make this place hotter than hell!"

Sure enough, the stage was bathed in smoke as they tore into the title song from the 1974 album, complete with sirens and Simmons doing a bit of fire breathing with a flaming sword. These guys didn't rewrite the rock showmanship rule book for nothing all those years ago.

"Okay Halifax! We played Montreal! We played Ottawa! We played Sarnia! We played Quebec City!" exclaimed Stanley, eliciting a low rumble of boos for each place name, except Sarnia which mostly just got shrugs.

"All you Haligonians, tonight is your night to show us that Halifax is number one! We want to come back, can we come back?"

A loud roar went up as he plugged a forthcoming album hitting stores on Oct. 6. "I promise you it will be as good as anything you will hear tonight! I swear on the Kiss Army!"

That's a tough promise to live up to, considering classic Kiss is built on a foundation of glam guitar, tuneful pop smarts and an oil tankerful of testosterone, like the amped-up garage rock with Beatles harmonies of Nothin' to Lose, unsubtle come on of C'mon and Love Me.

But given the band's dedication to its back catalogue on Saturday night, there's little doubt they know what fans both young and old want to hear.

The junior members of the Kiss crew got their spotlight moments as well, with Thayer taking an extended solo in the middle of the mastodon tempo and brute eroticism of Simmons' She, playing behind his head and setting off explosions across the stage.

Thayer's string-bending eventually morphed into whirring space sounds and a fragment of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, before coming back down to earth.

Singer got his chance to lay waste to the drum kit in 100,000 Years, and while he didn't offer up a flurry of polyrhythms or even a surfeit of cowbell, it cast a strobe lit spell on the crowd, which erupted in cheers as sheets of flame burst forth on the stage and the rest of the band returned with Stanley swinging the mic cord around his neck and Simmons spreading the bat wings of his battle armour.

The best was yet to come, however, when Stanley asked the audience for suggestions for an anthem to bring the world together in these times of trouble, even crooning a bit of O Canada in the process.

The answer he was looking for though was Rock and Roll All Night, whose party hearty lyrics were soon coming out of every mouth in sight, as cannons filled the air with smoke and confetti and fireworks exploded overhead in the greatest musical example of shock and awe since Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

KISS rocks 90,000 in Quebec City! (July 18)

UPDATE: We were just informed that the attendance for last night's show was 90,000!!!!!

By Kathleen Lavoie Le Soleil
Photo by Laetitia Deconinck
Translated for KISSonline by Jill Cataldo

After waiting for nine years, Quebec was clearly overdue for a visit from the infernal quartet, KISS. Tens of thousands of KISS Army soldiers descended to see their idols on Thursday. Large and small, men and women painted their faces and have donned their homemade costumes of the devil, the starchild, the spaceman and the cat-man, these comic characters were embodied by Gene Simmons (bass, vocals), Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar), Tommy Thayer (guitar) and Eric Singer (drums, vocals).

With KISS, as is always true, the show was never limited to the stage. At the beginning of the show, a platform descended from the ceiling on which the three guitarists arrived . The stage featured the classic KISS logo in white bulbs. And then there were the explosions, flames, smoke, fireworks, confetti ...

And oh yes! How can we forget the music! "From old-school rock to KISS," says Paul Stanley, who offered a few words in French before apologizing that he could not do more and to continue in English.

The guitarist did a great job in the role of master of ceremonies as well as rock star, shimmying in his black spandex, moving constantly, singing at full volume and jumping unrestrained in his platform boots!

For his part, Gene Simmons was difficult to ignore in a costume more like an armored winged bat than lycra...

Beyond the effects of some futuristic super heroes - a wriggling tongue, a guitar-bazooka, overpowering fire and blood - the band spent the first hour playing a majority of songs dating their first three albums and classics such as Rock and Roll All Nite, Shout It Out Loud, I Was Made For Lovin 'You and Detroit Rock City.

The show was strewn with solos from each musician and delirious fun on stage and elsewhere. "Quebec, your city is our second home," agreed Paul Stanley.

KISSmania hits Quebec (July 18)

KISS is featured on the cover of this week's Le Soleil Newspaper Special in Quebec.

Shannon Tweed at Ottawa's Bluesfest concert (July 17)

Former Ottawa resident and Playboy model Shannon Tweed cheers on her longtime partner Gene Simmons and the other members of KISS at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

"Detroit Rock City" from Ottawa Bluesfest July 15 (July 16)

2 great fan filmed clips from Montreal concert (July 15)

Some pics from July 13th Montreal show (July 14)

New KISSonline is up (July 14)

The new improved KISSonline website is up! Could this mean album news is on the way?

Check it out here...

http://www.kissonline.com/

Pics from July 11 Windsor Ont. show (July 12)

Happy birthday Eric Carr (July 12)

On July 12 1950,the Fox was born.

Today he would have been 59,he is missed.

Brand new KISSonline coming next week (July 12)

ALL NEW KISSONLINE COMING NEXT WEEK!

Attention KISS Army!

We are excited to announce that we will be launching the new KISSONLINE early next week! The site will feature several new areas including:

ALL NEW KISS Kommunity Section
Klassic KISS videos
New KISS Kulture section
New Home Page layout ...and much, much more!

Most of content from the current KISSONLINE will automatically move over but if you have uploaded any photos, tattoos or artwork to the current KISSONLINE, we suggest that you download the images now so you can resubmit them to the new KISSONLINE next week. The new KISS Kommunity allows fans to upload both photos and videos to the site!

If you have not renewed your KISS Army membership and you want access to presale tickets, now is your chance!

"Deuce" video from Sarnia July 10 2009 (July 11)

KISS was made for loving Sarnia (July 11)

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.