If you were wondering why there was an absence of KISS T-Shirts last summer, KISS’s long-time licensee, Live Nation, had given up their KISS clothing line. Not a good thing right as the band was going out on tour, but finally several companies have taken over the rights and we now have a whole new series! And this retro design line is just what we wanted to see…amazing!
New KISS Shirts available at KISSmuseum.com
Chad Bowar | Loudwire
Some of the icons of Thanksgiving include turkey, football and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but this year, musical icons KISS will lend their presence to the Macy’s parade for the first time ever.
No, there won’t be a giant inflatable Gene Simmons balloon. The band will perform in the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on Nov. 27 in New York. The band, led by more than 600 cheerleaders from around the country, will perform a KISS medley. More than 3.5 million people line the streets of Manhattan annually to watch the parade, with another 50 million watching on TV.
KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley say, “2014 has been a banner year for us and participating in one of the country’s most beloved events caps off what has truly been a spectacular 40th anniversary. We can’t wait to rock the Big Apple with our fans on Thanksgiving.”
“Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the most popular and visually spectacular holiday parade in America, and there is no doubt that KISS, unequalled in the world of concert performance, will deliver stunning theatrics at the Parade,” says Juli Boylan-Riddles of KISS’s brand management company Epic Rights.
KISS are currently in the midst of playing a Las Vegas residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. They have played three shows so far, with six more to go. The next one is Nov. 12, with the residency wrapping up Nov. 23.
Loudwire
Joe Polo
So this episode is all about the set lists on KK4. Did they play the songs they want to play or did they play the songs we want to hear? I got the idea for this show when Doc Mcgee asked a simple honest question during his Q&A that he thought he was gonna get a completely different answer too…ENJOY!!
Michael Brandvold
John Katsilometes | Las Vegas Sun
Chris Morris
During a show last month with his band The Dirty at Tuscany’s T Spot Lounge, Franky Perez unexpectedly spun a yarn about Paul Stanley.
Stanley, who keeps busy with his primary job as the vocalist and co-overlord of KISS, is not part of Camp Freddy or Royal Machines. But he did take in a Camp Freddy show at the Roxy in L.A. in December 2011.
Perez, from the stage that night at Tuscany, recalled Stanley’s arrival at the Roxy.
“He shows up at the backstage entrance without a pass, and these kids at the door, they don’t know who Paul Stanley is,” Perez said. “So, one of them asks, ‘Sir, we need to see your pass.’ ”
Then, as if drawing attention to a work of art, Perez motioned to his face with his hand.
“And Paul Stanley says, ‘This … is my pass.’ And walks in.”
Joe
The title says it all! It’s very interesting and funny. It’s longer than my regular episodes but TOTALLY WORTH IT!!
Mjpatriots
KISS reveal their beautiful, brand new stage, (minus the horrible ten-story video screen they have become so accustom to), for their month-long residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
Vegas Bill
WENN | Contact Music
Veteran rockers Kiss were booed by fans after they turned up an hour late to launch their residency in Las Vegas on Wednesday (05Nov14).
The band made a grand entrance by helicopter as they arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to kick off their run of gigs in the city, but they left their hundreds of devotees waiting in the desert heat.
After finally arriving more than an hour behind schedule, the group was booed by fans, who were left covered in dust from the helicopter landing. Many were unable to see their idols’ entrance due to a large truck parked outside the venue.
An onlooker tells Wenn, “Kiss arrived for night one at the Hard Rock Hotel via helicopter. In full make-up. They were an hour late and it was so badly laid out that fans couldn’t see a thing. And got covered in dust… The security positioned fans in a decent way, but then they parked the van right in front of 60 per cent of the people who had been waiting nearly two hours for a good view. There was much booing (sic)… A lot of unhappy people with tired feet.”
However, the band went on to perform a spectacular first night show to kick off the residency, and during the encore, they reinforced their support of the U.S. military by presenting a retired solider with a mortgage-free home in Las Vegas.
John Katsilometes | Las Vegas Sun
The Kats Report Bureau at this writing is Umami Burger, Beer Garden & Sports Book at SLS. The Beer Garden scene, in particular, where the night air is cool, the lamps are hot and the neon of the Bonanza Gift & Souvenir Shop lights our way …
Hosea is a combat-wounded military man who was injured in Afghanistan. He enlisted in 2001 and is a hero by any measure, having received the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, five Army Achievement Medals and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other honors.
It was a soaring gesture, to be sure, and Paul Stanley then asked the crowd at the Joint to join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in tribute to our servicemen and servicewomen volunteering around the world. It was not the first time the KISS Army has paid tribute to the real Army in such a way. KISS also presented a fully renovated, mortgage-free home to a serviceman during the June 2013 Rock Fest in Cadott, Wis.
Graham Hartmann | Loudwire
Kevin Winter
Earlier this year, KISS were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, it was too little, too late for frontman Paul Stanley, who admits he felt slighted by the Hall and questioned their motives.
During a new interview with KNPR News, KISS singer-guitarist Paul Stanley spoke about his ill feelings toward the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Firstly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wanted nothing to do with us; they begrudgingly let us in,” Stanley begins. “And my sense was that we were going to be a dog-and-pony show. They wanted to have the original guys play in the band, and all of us in makeup, and, quite honestly, I think it would have done the band a disservice.”
“That lineup has not been together for 14 years, and physically, perhaps, wouldn’t have looked that great, and musically, undoubtedly, probably, would have sounded a bit suspect,” Stanley continues. “So, to have people watch it on television and identify that as KISS because there’s four guys in makeup would not send a great signal to the people who are not following the band in its current permutation, or what it is today.”
It seems like if the Rock Hall wanted a classic KISS reunion, they should have acted sooner. KISS became eligible for a Rock Hall induction in 1999, when the classic lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss was back together for a handful of years.
Michael Brandvold
The members of KISS performed two concerts wearing suits — reminiscent of their “Dressed To Kill” album cover — aboard the fourth annual Kiss Kruise this past weekend. Fan-filmed video footage of the second show can be seen below.
Kiss Kruise IV onboard the Norwegian Pearl, which embarked on October 31, included a Halloween pre-party on the ship on October 30. During the sailing, theme nights included “Kiss Around The World”, “Dress As Your Favorite Kiss Song”, “I Was There” and “Dressed To Kill”.
KISS begins a three-week Las Vegas residency, “Kiss Rocks Vegas”, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Wednesday, November 5.
KISS has teamed up with Maverick Helicopters to kick off its first-ever residency with an over-the-top helicopter arrival at Hard Rock on November 5. At 6:30 p.m., members of KISS will fly over Las Vegas in true rocker style and land at their temporary home, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Following their grand entrance, the group will pose for photos in front of Maverick Helicopters with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s vice president of entertainment Chas Smith and AEG Live Las Vegas‘ vice president of booking Bobby Reynolds. In addition, the band will be joined by their “Roadie For A Week” winners Master Sergeant Jason Borkuis of Nellis Air Force Base, Sergeant First Class Cory DeMille of the U.S. Army Reserve and Technical Sergeant Richard Reichert of Nellis Air Force Base.
Each night, the group will perform a mind-blowing show featuring a setlist created exclusively for The Joint. In partnership with AEG Live, the chart-topping band will unleash its signature elaborate set designs, jam-packed set list, intense pyrotechnics and much more for nine of the biggest shows in KISS performance history.
Known for their extensive work with active military members and veterans, KISS has partnered with Nellis Air Force Base to pick three local, highly-decorated heroes to become a “Roadie For A Week.” Borkuis, DeMille and Reichert were hand-selected by the band and chosen to represent the armed forces community. Each roadie will work three shows alongside the KISS crew and VIP program.
Ticket prices start at $49.50 (plus applicable services fees).
bussey
Hugh McIntyre | Forbes
Las Vegas is famous for its residencies, whether they be by legacy acts like Elton John, Celine Dion, and Rod Stewart or more contemporary pop stars like Britney Spears or Jennifer Lopez(possibly). Now, one more globally-famous group is throwing their hat into the ring, and it looks to be one of the most “explosive” sets yet.
As part of their 40th anniversary celebration, KISS is coming to Sin City for a 9-show residency—the first of its kind for the group—at The Joint, one of the music venues inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The shows begin this coming Wednesday, November 5th and end Sunday, November 23rd, with shows scattered in between those two dates.
While The Joint can only hold around 4,500 people at a time, it opens its doors to some of the biggest names in the industry. Aside from KISS, the venue will see acts like Train, Imagine Dragons, and comedian Katt Williams come through before the year is up.
The Joint may be much smaller than the arenas that the legendary rockers are used to, and while guitarist Paul Stanely said that was certainly a challenge, it was also part of the fun.
Jordan Strauss
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Sting, Idina Menzel and the cast of “Sesame Street” will be among the stars celebrating at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Macy’s announced Monday that Kiss, Meghan Trainor, Quvenzhane Wallis and Renee Fleming also will be part of the lineup on Nov. 27.
The special will air at 9 a.m. Easten on NBC. Macy’s says more than 8,000 people will participate.
Philadelphia’s Taney Dragons will kick off the march with its star pitcher, 13-year-old Mo’ne Davis.
Latin superstar Romeo Santos, Nick Jonas, Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez and former NHL players John LeClair and Pat LaFontaine also will take part.
The cast of the “Today” show will host the three-hour broadcast of the 88th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In 1978, there were two things on the minds of boys ages 5 to 16. OK, maybe three. They were KISS, “Star Wars,” and girls. You pick the order they were in for you personally. I was 6, so girls really hadn’t figured into the equation yet.
Girls were on boys’ minds for the obvious reasons. “Star Wars” was popular because it had just been released the year before and blew everyone away with its groundbreaking, never-before-seen special effects and imagery. After only being around since 1973, KISS was the hottest band in the world because of their shockingly explosive on-stage spectacle and look. They had already released several best-selling studio, live, and solo albums. They had t-shirts, stickers, belt buckles, and everything else you can think of with their logo and likenesses plastered on them. The band even had a comic book that featured the members as superheroes that was published through Marvel Comics.
Their manager, Bill Aucoin, could only see one other area KISS could move into that hadn’t been explored yet. The band needed to make a movie. And not just any movie: a movie that put the band into the status of superheroes they were raised to in their comic book.
KISS needed to be seen as superheroes each with individual powers that reflected their different personae. Singer/guitarist Paul Stanley (the Starchild) could control and read minds. Singer/bassist Gene Simmons (the Demon) had super strength and could breathe fire. He also had a reverberating voice that commanded people listen to him and animal-like growls. Singer/lead guitarist Ace Frehley (the Spaceman) could shoot lasers and teleport. Drummer/singer Peter Criss (the Catman) had superhuman agility and leaping powers.
Sean DeFrank | Vegas Seven
I have a confession to make:
Despite appearances, I was never really in the Army. Yes, I wore the uniform, knew all the terminology and infiltrated its ranks, but after all these years—on the eve of KISS’ residency at the Hard Rock Hotel—I finally have to come clean: I was never an official member of the KISS Army in the ’70s. I had friends in elementary school who paid the $5 annual fee to become card-carrying members, but for reasons unknown to me even now, I never formally enlisted.
Having such a strong devotion to the band, maybe the official membership just seemed extraneous to me. After all, I bought all the affiliated merchandise, or rather my family did: posters, T-shirts, magazines, action figures, trading cards, puzzles, lunch box, a windbreaker jacket, you name it. Even the KISS Your Face Makeup Kit, which my mom used when I was Paul Stanley for Halloween in fifth grade (his makeup was the easiest to do). I had all the albums, some on vinyl and 8-track, even the four lame 1978 solo projects. OK, three were lame; Ace Frehley’s easily outrocked the others.
It wasn’t just my parents who were aware of and supported my habit. My stoic maternal grandfather purchased a copy of Alive II not only so I could listen to it when I visited, but also so he could learn more about this band I was infatuated with, a subtle gesture of love that wasn’t lost on me even then. And I remember distinctly the day in 1978 my paternal grandmother brought home the slick promotional magazine for KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park from the grocery store.
My dad promised he would take me to a KISS concert if they ever came to Las Vegas. But they only performed here once during the ’70s—in May 1975 at the Sahara (with Rush opening!)—not long before I became obsessed with the band.
Like many fans from that era, it was KISS’ 1975 live (with much studio overdubbing) album Alive! that first grabbed me, the introduction proclaiming, “You wanted the best, and you got it! The hottest band in the land: KISS!,” followed by Ace’s guitar cutting into the opening riff of “Deuce,” Gene Simmons’ hand sliding down the neck of his bass and an explosion ushering in a surge of rowdy rock anchored by Peter Criss’ frenetic drumming. For a 6-year-old who had been raised on the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Motown, KISS opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed, leading to the discovery of other hard-rocking bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and forever shaping my musical tastes.
Robin Leach | Las Vegas Sun
Fire breathing, spitting blood, guitars on fire, levitating drum kits and extraordinary pyrotechnics have always been hallmarks of KISS led by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and it all finally took them to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Now KISS is celebrating its 40th anniversary with its first-ever residency — at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel — where Gene promises: “What happens in Vegas will not stay in Vegas, not if we have anything to do with it. We intend to blow the roof off the Hard Rock.”
KISS will play nine shows Nov. 5-23 with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer rounding out the action. Beneath that bizarre makeup beats the hearts of two astute businessmen who are marketing marvels. We actually share the same Wall Street investment banker.
I’ve known Gene and Paul for many, many years, so it’s always good to have a long chat with them. I caught up with Paul just before he left for Mexico City and his annual KISS Cruise.
You’ve just wrapped another one of those major tours?
We did 42 shows and played to 600,000 people, so right now I’m just catching my breath. Tomorrow I leave for Mexico City to headline a festival, then we have the KISS Cruise, which we do every year, and that’s sold out with 3,500 people from 33 countries. Then we come to Las Vegas, which is the icing on the cake.
Not just because it’s the first time you’re playing a residency at the Hard Rock, but why is it the icing on the cake?