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| News Archive / January 16-31, 1999 | ||
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KISS NEWS IN LATE JANUARY 1999 | FEBRUARY 1, 1999 |  |
| Disclaimer: Not necessarily all of the news as it appears on these pages is confirmed by or coming from official sources. As much as possible we try to avoid unsubstantial rumors, but KISS Kollector can not be held responsible for the validity of any of the information, nor do we accept responsibility for views expressed here by other people. | ||
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JANUARY 31, 1999 |  |
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German TV channel RTL going KISS crazy? | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH, special thanks to Tristan Glassey - | ||
| German TV channel RTL is currently showing a KISS tour advert. The soundtrack of the 30-second commercial is a mix of I Was Made For Lovin' You and Psycho Circus. The clip is said to be very cool, with high quality images. It contains some footage from the Psycho Circus video and the clown's head from the album cover is shown as well. At the end the number of the ticket hot line is displayed, through which tickets for all seven shows in Germany can be ordered. Coincidently, some KISS songs could be heard in the RTL 'soap' TV series Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten ('Good Times, Bad Times', in Holland known as Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden) over the last couple of days. The songs played included Hard Luck Woman and Shock Me. | ||
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A KISS Playmate speaks out | |
| - From Petracentral.com - | ||
"Being part of the KISS photo shoot for Playboy Magazine was a total thrill! Gene
Simmons really enjoyed doing the shoot and being surrounded by the ladies; He once jumped at
the opportunity of helping every single one of us in and out of the van! Surprisingly, Gene
seemed to be sort of a cross between a sex crazed dog and a complete gentleman if you can
imagine that. I caught him staring at me and he started barking — "ARF, ARF!".
Of course, I have to mention his tongue — It was amazing how he could twist it 720
degrees!"
"All of the girls were assigned to look like one the KISS members, and when I first found out my Playmate/KISS character was going to be Gene Simmons I was really excited, until I actually saw myself with his make-up on — 'The Demon' is just plain ugly. When I saw myself in the set mirror I screamed! I looked just like... THE DEMON — YIKES!!! Personally I would have preferred to be Peter Criss because his KISS character is pretty cute (At least, I know his wig would've looked a LOT better on me than Gene's did!), but I'm really excited to be part of the KISS Playboy issue nonetheless." |
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Two new KISS Kollector exclusives | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
Today is probably gonna be another historical day in KISSstory. The band's performance at the
Super Bowl tonight will be broadcast around the world and seen by millions and millions. What
better day for KISS Kollector Online to 'treat' its visitors to two new KISS Kollector
exclusives? One month ago today, KISS closed off 1998 by playing in their 'home town' Detroit.
We just added a — somewhat overdue, but great! — review of that New Years Eve show
at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The second new article is especially interesting for those
that play guitar: it tells you everything you always wanted to know about the 1986 Washburn
Ace Frehley model. Check out these great stories and the accompanying pictures in our
Features section.
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 15 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Of course it's not just fun for the band, they have to rehearse hard and serious in order to
put up a great performance throughout the entire tour. Today's still shows Ace and his beloved
Gibson Les Paul. Also check out page 14
of the booklet that comes with The Second Coming:
"June 28th, 1996. Opening night, Detroit's Tiger Stadium. After so many years, the moment had finally arrived. A pilgrimage of die-hard KISS fans flowed into Detroit from every corner of the earth, to witness what they had waited so long to see. In an intense flurry, KISS stormed the stage and brought the 45,000 seat Tiger Stadium to it's knees. "I remember thinking: We can't let our fans down. We've got to go out there and be every bit as big as they expect us to be." — Gene Simmons. The tour was on. Peter, Gene, Paul and Ace were back on the road again, living together, touring together. "You could see the look on peoples faces when we came out on stage. It was overwhelming for us, because we knew how long they had waited for this to happen." — Ace Frehley." |
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JANUARY 30, 1999 | |
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Buck Cherry confirmed as opener on European tour | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH, special thanks to Florian Hedwig - | ||
| Yesterday we reported that a band called Buck Cherry would open the KISS show in Holland in March. The German promoter has now confirmed that Buck Cherry is the opening act on the whole European Psycho Circus Tour. The band is on the Dreamworks label and has no album out yet, as far as KISS Kollector knows. | ||
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Super Bowl to Rock And Roll All Night | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH, special thanks to Jesper Brogaard - | ||
Super Bowl.com, the official web site
for tomorrows event, is web casting live pictures from Pro Player Stadium in Miami. This way you
can keep track of the preparations going on for the United States' biggest sports event of the
year. The game will be preceded by a pre game show, which KISS will close off by playing
Rock And Roll All Night. The band has also promised to light up the sky with fireworks.
Super Bowl.com announces it like this:
"NFL fans attending Super Bowl XXXIII or watching the game on television definitely will be
moonstruck by this year's pre game and post game festivities. A Caribbean cruise is the theme of
the pre game, which features the high-energy rock band KISS. (...) Accompanied by pyrotechnics
and special effects, KISS will perform their hit song Rock And Roll All Night. KISS has
sold more than 80 million records in its 25-year recording career."
Shortly after KISS' appearance, just before the start of the match, a former girlfriend and
good friend of Gene Simmons will sing the US national anthem: "Another American musical
icon, Cher, will sing the national anthem. Cher initially found fame singing with her former
husband, Sonny Bono, on the popular television show, Sonny and Cher. As a solo artist, Cher
has recorded a host of hit songs, including I Found Someone and If I Could Turn Back
Time. She also won an Academy Award for her role in Moonstruck."
The top picture shows the stage being setup in a corner of Pro Player Stadium. The second picture shows KISS' equipment, which has been in the stadium since yesterday. You can clearly see the huge logo, lying on its back. The countdown to another KISStorical event has begun! |
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Two latest KISS home videos go Platinum | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| Judging by the Top Music Videos chart in Billboard's January 30 issue, the two recent KISS home videos Psycho Circus (at No. 13 in its 12th week) and The Second Coming (at No. 6 in its 8th week) have both been certified Platinum... (RIAA platinum certification for sales of 100,000 units for SF or LF videos.) | ||
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 14 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Two weeks have passed since we started our countdown, building up to the European leg of the
Psycho Circus World Tour. The tour is coming closer and closer and no doubt anticipation is
growing within the KISS Army, especially now with all the talk about the support act. Well,
what do we have in store today for those without the awesome home video called The Second
Coming?
You can check out page 13 of the full color booklet and right here in front of you is another still taken from the screen. You see the band fooling around in the dressing room, dancing the Macarena. It's no secret anymore that the band is having lots of fun backstage, one of the stills from the last few days showed Gene inspecting a french fry that had been 'prepared' by Paul behind the back of the rest of the band. Gene came very close to eating this particular french fry, but just in time found out that Paul had been messing around with it. More of these fun shots in the days to come! For now, here's the text of page 13: "June 15th, 1996. "We had to do a warm-up gig... We know we had to work the bugs out and the only way to do that is in front of a live audience. So, we did a promotional concert for a radio station in front of 18,000 of our closest friends" — Paul Stanley. "The KROQ Weenie Roast was a taste of what was soon to come. With a pyro miscue in the stage left PA stacks, KISS literally burned down the house. With the trial and errors of the Weenie Roast behind them, band and crew travelled east to Detroit's Cobo Hall to rehearse and make any last minute adjustments to the show. What they didn't know was, when Ace showed up two days late, they had to face some stark reminders of the past." |
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Wall of Sound interviews Paul Stanley | |
| - From Wall of Sound - | ||
What could be more American than the Super Bowl? Well, how about rock and rolling all night
and partying every day? So, it's a marriage made in heaven — or heavenly hell: KISS
playing the Super Bowl pre game show with its trademark brand of energetic rock and roll
showmanship. It's just the latest salvo in the group's Psycho Circus campaign, which this
year finds the reunited original lineup (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and
Peter Criss) with big plans. Besides the Super Bowl, KISS will tour the globe, appear in
Playboy (as part of a, um, spread dubbed The Girls of KISS), launch the feature
film Detroit Rock City, and continue to sell merchandise like the well-oiled and
grease painted rock and roll machine that it is. Rumor also has it that KISS will join
Metallica and Ted Nugent for a millennium New Year's Eve bash at the Pontiac Silverdome
outside Detroit — but that's only speculation. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame might
not want them, but everyone else seems to want what Stanley tells Wall of Sound is still
the best.
How is the 'Psycho Circus' experience different from the 1996-97 reunion tour? That's a tough one. Really, the only thing that's different is it's more of the same, and it's better. I think the band is better, and I think that the show is better, and coming back after 17 years and accomplishing what we did on the reunion tour in terms of being the biggest tour of the year and also putting the skeptics in their place and putting everything in its proper perspective — in essence coming back and winning the heavyweight championship after a 17-year layoff was a big accomplishment. Now what it's about is going out and knocking out the opponents every night. The Psycho Circus album hasn't exactly been a sales blockbuster. Has that been a major disappointment? Again, it's a weird question because if it sold 10 million copies or half a million copies, I don't know that it changes anything. When you've sold 70 million albums overall, and you have 30 or 31 albums in the stores, and you're doing sellout business on the road, everything on top of that doesn't amount to the icing on the cake. It's just the sprinkles on the icing, more or less. Are the four of you more comfortable with each other these days? Oh, yeah, absolutely. About two months ago, Peter said something about how we're getting along like we used to, and the truth is we're getting along like we never did. There's no room for babying in the band. There's no room for people not carrying their own weight. And it's an honest friendship within the band; we get along much better because there's no hidden agendas. If there's any kind of hostility or any kind of resentment, it's put on the table and dealt with. And on stage, we have a ball; we're hardly actors who could convince anybody that we're enjoying ourselves if we weren't. Speaking of actors, what's up with Detroit Rock City? The movie is finished, and tentatively it's set for release in mid-April. I've gotta say, it's a very funny film and much closer to Fast Times at Ridgemont High crossed with The Wizard of Oz than to A Hard Day's Night. It's really the journey of four young people during the '70s, and their misadventures and mishaps trying to get to a KISS concert, to meet us and be in the show. It's really a fan's story; we're in the end sequence of the film and are pivotal, although we're not in the film throughout. So who do you want to win the Super Bowl? To be honest with you, I couldn't care less — not because I don't like football, but because doing what I do, I found it pretty difficult to follow sports on a regular basis. But we're playing the pre game, before the kickoff. We're going to be doing Rock And Roll All Night and pretty much giving a pyrotechnics display that usually is saved for the Fourth of July. And since it's outdoors, we're going to try to bring down some low-flying airplanes. |
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JANUARY 29, 1999 | |
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New opening act for KISS' European Tour: Buck Cherry | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| Yesterday we received the following information from Mojo Concerts, the promoter in Holland: instead of Backyard Babies the support act in Utrecht on March 13 will be Buck Cherry. At this point we have no information about the opening acts for other European shows. | ||
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Shannon's role in Detroit Rock City | |
| - From KISSONLINE - | ||
| Shannon Tweed plays Amanda Finch, an older woman, who helps one of the four boys, Eddie, overcome his fear of dancing in a amateur male strip contest. Why is he dancing... to get some money to buy tickets to see KISS! Wouldn't we all do that! For a nice look at the movie Detroit Rock City, check out the site upcomingmovies.com. | ||
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Super Bowl airs in more European countries on January 31 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Jesper Brogaard - | ||
| In addition to the KISSonline report, we are happy to let you know that more European countries will air the January 31 Super Bowl. Those of you who are able to watch Canal+, should check out their program listing as it will air on one of their channels too. In Denmark TV channel TV2 will be showing the Super Bowl live on January 31 from 23.50 - 04.00 (CET). Danish Sports Media are talking about this event all the time, as Morten Andersen of the Atlanta Falcons is a Dane. | ||
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More on KISS' record company cutting acts | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| According to an article in the January 30 issue of Billboard magazine, "sources" say that Universal Music Group has developed a flexible formula for the roster cuts: an act is to be dropped if it has not had a gold album in its last two releases. This would be an extra reason why it is expected by some that KISS is among those artists that will be save, while many acts will have to leave the labels owned by Universal Music Group. | ||
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 13 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Besides checking out another still, taken from the video (Gene helps Ace to get up, after
he fell on stage), you may also have a look at
page 12 of the
booklet today. The text reads: "June 10th, 1996. In order to to facilitate the full scale
production, rehearsals moved to a large airplane hanger at the Van Nuys Airport in Los
Angeles. It was here at the Van Nuys facility that the first dress rehearsal took place
on June 12th. Playing for an audience of 35 family and friends, KISS' first set together
in 17 years came off without a hitch. But later that night during a pyrotechnics demo, the
airplane hanger caught fire; call out the firehouse!"
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JANUARY 28, 1999 | |
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Backyard Babies do not open for KISS in Europe | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH, special thanks to Magnus Rinnan - | ||
Only a couple of days ago it was announced that the opening act on the European leg of
the Psycho Circus World Tour would be Swedish band Backyard Babies. Now it is reported
that KISS has selected another band a the very last minute. Backyard Babies web site
WEB 13 reports:
"I got a mail from the guys that said that in the very last minute KISS had chosen to have
another band opening up for them on the upcoming tour. Bad news for all of us, but the guys
are instead gonna concentrate on the American market trying to secure an american record deal.
They will also play some festival dates this summer and begin work on their next album."
Another Backyard Babies fan site reports it like this: "We're sorry to say, but BYB ain't going on tour with the gods of rock KISS. Last night they did find out that another band went into the idea to open for KISS. After a lot of thoughts BYB did decide they will drop the chance to open for KISS. And start the work on their next album and tie up some ends with some US labels. This spring they will do some gigs in Scandinavia and Europe (TBA), it's for sure that they will play at the Swedish Grammy Awards." |
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Overseas Super Bowl broadcast | |
| - From KISSONLINE - | ||
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Australia: For the Aussies subscribed to Foxtel cable TV, the Super Bowl will be
telecast live next Monday, Feb 1 at 4:30 with the kick off starting at 10:15 am, so let's
hope we get to see KISS!! The channel is channel 11, Fox Sports. Europe: People in Europe who can watch via satellite should put their eyes to Astra or should check their cables for SAT1. Germany: German TV station SAT1 will show the Super Bowl on January 31st from 23.20 hours (MET) on. Austria: Austrian TV station ORF1 will show the game from 23.50 hours (MET) on, which may be exactly 5.50 EST. |
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Some info on the concert in Utrecht, Holland | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Click here to have
a look at the ticket for the March 13 show in Utrecht, Holland, and a small part of
the huge poster promoting the concert. The artwork on the posters is much like the
newspaper advertisements
that appeared in Dutch papers one day before tickets went on sale. The first half of the
poster consists of the text 'KISS in 3-D' and the band members' names plus a picture of
Ace, Paul, Peter and Gene behind the Psycho Circus clown's face. The lower half of the
poster reads: 'Psycho Circus', 'First Ever 3-D Tour' and '+ support Backyard Babies'(which is no longer correct — see article above). On the bottom of the poster are
the name of the venue and the date of the concert. The name of the promoter and sponsors
are stated as well.
These posters should be seen in Utrecht and other cities in Holland soon, since the concert still is far from being sold out with just under 9,000 tickets sold at this time. The capacity of the Prins van Oranjehal is approximately 16,000. Some 17,000 people were let in the last time KISS played this venue (in June of 1997) and some of the crash barriers even broke in half back then. After deliberating with Gene for a few moments, Paul personally stopped the show. It took about 45 minutes for things to calm down, before the band could return to the stage. Also check out the full color ticket and poster for the concert in Prague on March 18 by clicking here. |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 12 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
We're still counting down, today you can lay your eyes on another still revealing what you
can actually see on the two tape video set (picture on the right). We also focus on
page 11 of the
booklet that comes with The Second Coming. One of the pictures on this particular
page is a great shot of Paul (and Peter) during band rehearsal. The text reads like this:
"Levine's classic photos of KISS in the '70s always exemplified the unique alter egos of each one of their personalities. During the course of the 3-day long photo shoot, the interesting chemistry between Gene, Peter, Paul and Ace began to evolve as they spent more time together. More rehearsals followed. With song parts and arrangements constantly updated, there was never a worry that the songs wouldn't come together. All the ingredients were there, it was just a matter of stirring the pot, and it got stirred a lot. Utilizing the 1977 Love Gun/Alive II stage as a starting point, the band and manager Doc McGhee began laying the groundwork for the monstrous KISS production. by recreating a feeling, rather than duplicating exactly what had come before, '90s technology was incorporated to maximize the impact of the show." |
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JANUARY 27, 1999 | |
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Special edition with live EP released on February 22 | |
| - From KISSONLINE - | ||
Mercury Records Germany released the following information: The live EP will be released in
a special package together with the Psycho Circus album as a two CD set on February
22nd. The track list:1. Psycho Circus 2. Let Me Go Rock 'N' Roll 3. Into The Void (including guitar solo) 4. Within (including drum solo) 5. 100,000 Years 6. Black Diamond Pricing still has yet to be determined, and no mockup of the packaging is available. |
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KISS reference in Backyard Babies video | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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European opening act Backyard Babies, who look a little like Faster Pussycat or L.A. Guns,
have a video out for the track Highlight from last year's album Total 13.
Throughout the video clip a little kid wearing Gene Simmons make-up, alongside another
little kid in Alice Cooper make-up, can be seen. Towards the end of the video, the drummer
who's wearing white face made-up like a skull, can be seen breathing fire.
The Swedish tattooed glam rock punkers name KISS as one of their influences, while English rock magazine Kerrang! once described the Babies as "the bastard sons of Iggy, Danzig, The Cult and Hanoi Rocks". In the aforementioned video a wall can be seen with 'New York Dolls' written on it. Obviously these old glam rockers, who influenced KISS in the early seventies, are one of the Backyard Babies' influences as well. |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 11 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Today you can check out page 10
of The Second Coming's booklet and a great still from the video, with Peter in full swing
during the MTV Music Awards show. The first photo on page 10 of the booklet shows Ace during
band rehearsal at a small rehearsal room in Hollywood. The text reads as follows:
"Behind closed doors, something was happening. In the spirit of the band's first rehearsals back in 1973, Paul, Ace, Gene and Peter chose a small out-of-the-way rehearsal room in the seedy part of Hollywood to begin working out the classic KISS arrangements. The magical KISS sound immediately came alive. The spirit and the vibe was definitely still there. April 16th, 1996. The stage was set aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid for KISS to officially announce their plans to reunite and tour the world together again. By the time Ace, Paul, Gene and Peter appeared in front of the massive KISS sign, the huge crowd exploded with excitement. Legions of reporters, television crews and members of the KISS Army witnessed the beginning of a new era. For the band, it was back to business. A new KISS photo shoot was planned. Wanting to continue the tradition, the rich lighting and the great sets of many of KISS' original photos, Barry Levine was brought on board." |
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JANUARY 26, 1999 | |
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It's official: Backyard Babies open for KISS in Europe | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
What had been rumored lately, has been confirmed the other day: Swedish rockers the Backyard
Babies will be the support act on KISS' upcoming European Psycho Circus Tour. It appears
that Backyard Babies are to open on the entire European leg of the tour. In Holland posters
have been made for the KISS concert at the Prins van Oranjehal that state: '+ support
Backyard Babies'.
On the Backyard Babies web site WEB 13 the news was announced like this: "After months of talks and phone calls between managements it is now official. Backyard Babies will be opening for KISS on their upcoming European tour. They will play about 20+ shows in 11 countries. Gene Simmons himself wanted the swedish punk rock band to open up for the band." |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 10 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
It's only one month before the European Psycho Circus Tour kicks off in Finland, and this
is the tenth day of our countdown in which we reveal on a daily base what's on the great
double home video The Second Coming, which unfortunately has only been released in
the USA Apart from another screen shot of one of the video tapes, we show you
page 9 of the
36-page commemorative The Second Coming booklet. One of the photos on this page
shows Peter at Gene's place in Beverly Hills, the day before the 1996 Grammys, putting on
his make-up for the first time since he left the band in 1980.
"By February 1996, Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter secretly met in Los Angeles. What the world didn't know was that they were planning a surprise appearance on the 1996 Grammy Awards show. With anticipation and excitement, they began fitting new costumes and practicing putting the revered KISS make-up back on. After only a month together, The band prepared to shock the world with a surprise appearance the 1996 Grammy Awards show, before a television audience of 80 million people. It would be the first time in 16 years that the world see Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter in full KISS make-up and costume. The world was bewildered. But still no official word. Was the Grammy appearance just a publicity stunt, or was it really the beginning of what KISS fans had waited years for; the fabled reunion of the original KISS line-up?" |
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JANUARY 25, 1999 | |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 9 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
On the ninth day of our countdown, another still from the video: the band rehearses in plain
clothes and sans make-up, but with boots. Notice that Paul is wearing spandex shorts. You may
also check out page 8
of the booklet that comes with the great double video set The Second Coming. This page
is dedicated to KISS' appearance on MTV Unplugged and and the rehearsals that went into it:
"Emotions stirred as rehearsals for the Unplugged show began in New York. The realization that they were all actually sitting in the same room together was overwhelming, but the fact that they were all there to play together was still unimaginable. August 9th, 1995, an irresistible force was set into motion. For the first time in over fifteen years, Gene and Paul were reunited on stage with Peter and Ace for an amazing encore of five classic KISS tunes. Speculation spread like wildfire. Was the Unplugged session a prelude to a full-blown reunion tour?" |
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JANUARY 24, 1999 | |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 8 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Today we show page 7
of the booklet included with The Second Coming, the new KISS home video, which was only
released in the USA On the right is the first still from the video. More stills will appear
here in the days to come (all courtesy of KISS Kollector member Barth van der Leck). This way
you will get a better picture of what the video is all about. Don't forget to come back here
tomorrow. The text on page 7 reads:
"1995. The official KISS Conventions toured the country. Fans could see up close displays of original KISS costumes, memorabilia and vintage instruments. Along with KISS weddings and tribute bands, the KISS Conventions were a celebration of the history of the band. The story began to unfold when Peter Criss showed up at the Los Angeles convention on June 18th, 1995. With the intention of showing his daughter Jenilee some of his KISS past, Peter ended up on stage singing Hard Luck Woman. By August, an invitation was extended for KISS to appear on MTV Unplugged. Because of the buzz surrounding Peter's jam with the band in Los Angeles two months prior, Gene and Paul thought the fans would love seeing Peter appear again. And then the inevitable question arose — Why not invite Ace Frehley on stage too?" |
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JANUARY 23, 1999 | |
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KISS Expo in Utrecht, Holland, on same day as concert | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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The annual KISS Expo in Holland will be held on Saturday, March 13 at club Tivoli in Utrecht.
A few hours later KISS performs live on stage at the Prins van Oranjehal in Utrecht. The Expo,
with ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick as special guest, takes place from 13.00-19.00 hours.
Tickets are 25 Dutch guilders each (or 12,50 Dutch guilders after 17.00 hours). The first
100 fans will receive a free photo special.
Note: Please do not send (e-)mail to the fanclub asking for more info on the Expos, once we get more info, we'll post it on these pages. |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 7 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Continuing with our daily series in which we count down until the start of the European Psycho
Circus Tour, today we display page 6
of the commemorative booklet. The text on this page reads: "By the time of the release
of Dynasty in 1979 and Unmasked in 1980, they had lost their focus, they had
lost the magic and the band had become dysfunctional. The idea of breaking out individually
on their own solo careers, led to Peter Criss' departure in early 1980, and Ace Frehley's
later on in 1982. Through the 1980s KISS was alive and well. Gene and Paul carried on, without
their trademark make-up, releasing more platinum records, hit singles and sold out concert
tours. But in the wake of the 1980s and early '90s, the question always lingered, was there
ever a chance of the four original members reuniting in make-up?"
Soon we will start showing bits 'n pieces of what's actually on the two video tapes, by giving you short reviews of the The Second Coming as well as by displaying stills taken from the screen. The double video set features awesome footage from behind the scenes — not only in dressing rooms or on the road, but also at Gene's house — and live 'in concert'material, plus footage from photo shoots, press conferences and the surprise appearance at the 1996 Grammy Awards. For now, click here for another picture from the booklet. |
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Sold out New Years Eve show ranks at No. 6 in Billboard | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| In Billboard's January 23 issue, KISS' sold out New Years Eve show at the Palace Of Auburn Hills in Detroit (capacity: 14,431) is ranked No. 6 in the Amusement Business' Boxscore Top 10 Concert Grosses. The concert, with opening act Caroline's Spine, grossed $936,625. Tickets were priced at $45, $75 and $100. | ||
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Rare footage used for closing titles new KISS movie | |
| - From Metal Edge Online - | ||
| The credit sequence to the KISS movie Detroit Rock City will contain footage and images set to 2 ½ minutes of Love Gun, some of which has never been seen before. "There's boxes of 16mm film that no one has looked at since the '70s," says Tommy Thayer, who produced The Second Coming home video and is working on this sequence with Joe E. Botana. The rare footage will be supplemented by still photos, magazine headlines about KISS, and pop culture references from the time period like Pet Rocks, Jaws, and the Rubik's Cube. Simultaneously, they're transferring all the old KISS footage to videotape to preserve it, as well as archive it for possible future use. KISS will appear at the NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executives) convention next week in New Orleans before heading to Miami to appear on the Super Bowl pre game show. | ||
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JANUARY 22, 1999 | |
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KISS' Detroit Rock City clips bow at horror convention | |
| - From Rocktropolis - | ||
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KISS bassist Gene Simmons took time out from the band's schedule to publicly premiere footage
from the upcoming movie, Detroit Rock City, at a horror fan/memorabilia convention on
Saturday (Jan. 16) in New York City.
The event, called the Weekend of Horrors, is sponsored by horror movie magazine Fangoria and held annually at the New Yorker hotel in Manhattan. The show features previews of upcoming movies, celebrity appearances by horror film stars, and dozens of dealers selling everything from videos to posters to toys to fake fangs. Someone involved with the convention thoroughly did their market research and determined that horror fans are also big heavy metal fans in general, and KISS fans specifically, since the main ballroom was packed for Simmons' surprise mid-afternoon appearance. 
Simmons, sans make-up and costume, was joined on stage by director Adam Rifkin, associate
producer Tim Sullivan, and one of the film's teenage stars, Sam Huntington, for a half hour
question- and answer session with the audience that included the showing of a feature on
the film's making. The short promo film included several clips from the movie, which is a
story about four teens on a quest to get into a KISS concert in 1978. From the brief clips
shown, Detroit Rock City looks like it could be a lower-budget, grittier, more rock and roll
version of the usual slick teen coming-of-age comedy.
Unusually subdued for a fire breathing demon from hell, Simmons (who's also a producer on the flick) politely asked audience members to focus their questions on the film, and not on whether "I did your sister or not (on tour)." He also emphasized that the movie didn't necessarily have to have KISS in it to work. Rifkin agreed, saying that while KISS was a presence throughout the picture, they only appear in the climactic scenes, a re-creation of the band's Love Gun concert from their '77-'78 world tour. "(Gene brought up) The Wizard of Oz," said Rifkin. "While the movie is called The Wizard of Oz, it's not really about him." Simmons also mentioned that KISS will go into the studio next week to cut one or possibly two new songs for the film's soundtrack, one of which might be a songwriting collaboration between singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and hit maker Diane Warren (pictured above — KISS Kollector). Detroit Rock City is slated to open on April 16. |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 6 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
It's day six of our countdown, the European Tour comes closer and closer, while you learn
more about The Second Coming. Today we show you the back cover of the great booklet
that comes with this 2-tape video package. As you'll notice, the back of the booklet is the
same as the backsides of both video covers put together, like the front of the booklet is the
same as the front of the video covers held next to each other. Click
here to see both
the back cover and the front cover, which we put up earlier. The picture to the left is also
taken from the booklet: the band is in rehearsal, wearing their on stage platform boots, but
not their on stage costumes nor make-up.
Just like we've done in the past few days, here's also one of the pages inside the booklet. The text on page 5 reads as follows: "By the time the landmark Alive! album was released in September 1975, the band was rolling full force through the confines of middle America, tearing up arenas and selling out packed shows nationwide. With the huge success of albums, Destroyer, Rock And Roll Over, Love Gun and Alive II, and new merchandise, toys and comic books flooding the market, along came the excesses and temptations that would begin to erode what they had worked years for. Power came big and power came fast. By 1978, the underlying signs of internal tensions within the group were beginning to surface. As production began on their made for TV movie, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, the band was fragmenting." |
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UNION news update from The UNION Asylum | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
As reported by KISS Asylum yesterday, The UNION Asylum caught up with Bruce Kulick on wednesday to get the official word on some of the news and rumors circulating about him and the band lately. What follows is a brief summary of the most important things he had to say:
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JANUARY 21, 1999 | |
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More on KISS' record company cutting jobs and artists | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
December 19 was the last time we reported on Universal Music Group, the new name for KISS'record company. PolyGram and Universal were renamed Universal Music Group after Universal's parent company Seagram bought PolyGram from Dutch electronics giant Philips on December 10 last year for $10.4 billion. Back then, we already reported on the expected cutting of jobs and artists.
On tuesday the LA Times had an article on Seagram and U.M.G. in which they reported that today, the corporation is expected to unveil the names of employees and artists slated to lose their jobs during the first phase of the biggest restructuring in the history of the record industry.
The entire reorganization will be taking place at least until July, before it can be completed. It is expected to produce savings of $300 million a year by integrating businesses and firing 3,000 employees at Universal and PolyGram. At KISS' label Mercury Records an estimated 60 of its 150-person staff and about 110 of its 140-act roster will be laid off, according to sources of the LA Times. For the full LA Times article, please follow this link. Please check out the following two articles for even more information on the subject. And keep watching this space, because we will keep you updated on the story as it develops. Axe Falls Early At Universal/Polygram Labels Artist rosters and label staffing to be decimated at such labels as Geffen and Mercury. - From Sonicnet - Universal Music Group, the largest of the world's five major music corporations, plans to lay off 500 staffers Thursday (Jan. 21), launching a significant reshuffling that will leave another 2,500 without jobs and hundreds of bands without record deals by the end of summer. While the bulk of pink slips are expected to be issued Thursday morning, a high-level source at one affected label said cutbacks already had begun Wednesday (Jan. 20). "Staffing issues are happening as we speak," the source, who preferred anonymity, said Wednesday afternoon. For the full story, check out the Sonicnet web site. Layoffs expected this week as Seagram absorbs PolyGram - From Jam! - LOS ANGELES, CA. — Sources say Montreal-based Seagram Co. will lay off more than 500 people in the first round of job cuts as it merges its Universal Music Group with PolyGram NV, the former rival it acquired last month. The layoffs, expected to begin as early as Thursday in New York and Los Angeles, will eventually include 3,000 of 15,500 music division employees, the sources said Tuesday. In addition, as many as 200 artists could be cut from a diverse roster that includes Sheryl Crow, Boyz II Men, Nine Inch Nails and Luciano Pavarotti. Click here to read the full article on the Jam! web site. |
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Wall of Sound expects KISS to stay on Mercury label | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| While the music industry was bracing itself for 'D-Day' or 'Black Thursday', because of the possible huge lay offs that Universal Music Group is expected to inform employees and artists about today, Wall of Sound reports that KISS is amongst those artists expected to be safe. An article which can be read on this page says: "Reliable sellers such as Beck, Hole, Garbage, Jay-Z, Bryan Adams, Jonny Lang, KISS, and others are expected to be safe within the new conglomeration, while acts such as Peter Wolf, Primus, Girls Against Boys, Buffalo Tom, Orbit, and others are sweating." | ||
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 5 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
In this part of our countdown you'll be able to see page 4 of the booklet that comes with
the double video package The Second Coming. The text reads: "Wanting to create
the ultimate rock & roll group, the band where no band had gone before, they created
their own individual personas by experimenting with kabuki style white face paint and a
unique trademark of black and silver leather outfits complete with six inch leather platform
boots. They created the individual larger-than-life alter egos that would soon abduct and
shock audiences."
It continues: "From booking concert halls to promoting their own New York area club shows, the attitude was that every show was 'Madison Square Garden'. Perfecting their outrageous make-up and performance, people were starting to talk about the monster they were creating. It was the band's crazed on stage antics and theatrics that shocked and enthralled the audience. KISS was building its reputation as the hottest live band in the land." Have a look at pages 2-4 of The Second Coming booklet. |
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French Hard 'N Heavy magazine reports on KISS | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Tristan Glassey - | ||
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The new issue of Hard 'N Heavy, a rock magazine from France, has a four page poster
of KISS live in concert during the Psycho Circus Tour. The issue also includes a two page
advert for the upcoming KISS concert at Bercy in Paris (France) and an article on the
Super Bowl appearance. According to this magazine, Nashville Pussy will open on the European
Tour.
Earlier KISS Kollector Online heard the rumor that Backyard Babies might open on the German dates (since the other rumored opening act Motley Crue tours the USA when KISS tours in Europe), while other sources seem to claim the Backyard Babies might open the shows in the Scandinavian countries. Once we find out an opening act is confirmed, you'll read it on these pages. So stay tuned. |
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JANUARY 20, 1999 | |
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Twenty Playboy playmates and KISS! | |
| - From KISSONLINE, by Spiro - | ||
Twenty Playboy playmates and KISS! — That was the scene at Playboy Studios West
a couple of days before KISS launched their new Psycho Circus World Tour. The photo shoot
was for an upcoming special collector's edition called Playboy Presents the Girls of
KISS. KISS will appear on the cover of this March issue along with twenty beautiful,
scantily clad women all in KISS make-up. That's right! The girls will be wearing greasepaint
too, and not much else! The cover will be an extra large gatefold to include the entire
'dream team' of KISS and Playboy. There may even be an accompanying long form video
documenting the entire historical event.
The photo session actually took two full days and was shot by legendary Playboy photographer Arny Freytag. Each guy in the band had his own individual photo session (including five playmates wearing the same make-up), shot on elaborate sets depicting their respective stage personas. For example, Ace's set was shot with five 'Acettes' in front of an array of lasers and fog. The grand finale was the the big 'team photo' that will appear on the cover. I had the dubious task of putting the make-up on the playmates with the help of my good friend Jaime St. James and the Hotter Than Hell guys who all did a great job. Gene and Paul even offered some make-up tips. Some of the more well-known playmates were Kerri Kendall, Anna Marie Goddard and Petra Verkaik. Everybody was in high spirits, go figure. It's a dirty job but somebody's gotta do it! This was definitely one of the coolest things things I've done since I started working for KISS in 1995 and I think KISS fans and Playboy fans alike will agree when they feast their eyes on this landmark issue. No other band has done this, another first for KISS. A good time was had by all, what a great way to kick off a tour! |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 4 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
It's the fourth day of our countdown to the European Psycho Circus Tour, during which we
we would like to reveal a little more of what The Second Coming 36-page booklet is
all about. Here's some of the text as it appears on page 3: "This is KISS and this is
their story... 1973. Rewind, 25 years to Queens, New York in the early 1970s, when aspiring
rockers Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons formed the nucleus of their 'dream band' because they
were unhappy of the direction of their current group, Wicked Lester (...)." Click
here to see
yesterday's picture of page 2 and the newly added picture of page 3. For a look at the
body sticker of tape 1, please go to
this page.
Pictured above is the logo as it appears on top of both video boxes.
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JANUARY 19, 1999 | |
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Hard Radio reports: KISS to headline Brazilian festival? | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
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Online rock music station Hard Radio
reports rumors that KISS may headline the third Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil,
in July. Another article talks about the ESP tour Down Under. The new Paul Stanley solo album,
which is mentioned in the last sentence is *not* happening however. Both Bruce Kulick and
McGhee Entertainment (KISS' management) have stated that this rumor is totally false.
"There are strong rumors from Brazil that Rock in Rio 3 (with the subtitle of 'Rock For A Better World') will happen in July. KISS have apparently been invited to headline one of the three days of the festival." "ESP (Eric Singer Project) recently played three club shows in Australia which look to be the only shows ever for the band. The project outfit got their arm twisted to do the Oz shows when Eric Singer was Down Under touring with Brian May's band. ESP band members Bruce Kulick, John Corabi and Ace Frehley bass player Karl Cochran got flown to Australia especially for the three shows, which saw Oz rockers Cyclone Tracy support. Singer and Kulick also incorporated clinics on their visit. Corabi and Kulick are keen to come back to Australia to promote the new UNION album, with Kulick also spilling the beans that he will soon be contributing to a new Paul Stanley solo album..." |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 3 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Continuing with our countdown, today we display the cover of the The Second Coming
36-page color booklet (click on the picture for a larger image) and the back cover of tape 2.
Plus a page out of the booklet, which you can see here.
Yesterday we showed the back cover of tape 1, on which the text reads: "This bombastic
behind the scenes documentary details the events, the planning and the preparation that
led up to KISS' record-breaking Alive Worldwide tour of 1996-97. Come witness the story of
how Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter reunited and strove to write a new chapter in the history of
rock & roll. This is KISS — The Second Coming."
On the back cover of tape 2 it reads: "For over a quarter century, KISS has shaped the
face of popular music and rock culture. The KISS Alive Worldwide Tour saw the rebirth of
rock's most incredible band. Witness first hand, the amazing story of how after 17 years,
Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss' paths finally crossed, reuniting
one of rock and roll's biggest success stories ever." Check back here tomorrow for more
great pictures taken from The Second Coming and its booklet.
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SBS 6 faxes Millennium KISS episode press release | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Last Friday SBS 6, the TV station that airs the FOX series Millennium in Holland,
faxed us a two page press release informing on this week's episode. Thursday, January 21,
SBS 6 will air the episode entitled ...Thirteen Years Later in which KISS appears.
Originally this episode was planned for last week, but because of their recent live broadcasts
of the World Cup Darts the previous episode had to be scrapped and rescheduled for last
Thursday instead of ...Thirteen Years Later.
Towards the end of the episode the band can be seen performing live on the set of a horror movie, but all four band members also star in cameo roles earlier in the episode. It's pretty hard to recognize them all, so don't read any further if you don't want to know yet who's playing who. Paul is the first to appear without make-up, portraying a director by the name of Lew Carroll. Gene once again plays a bad guy, named Hector, whereas Peter and Ace are almost unrecognizable as Trinity policemen. Click here here to view page one of the fax, which includes a great picture (page two is pictured to the left). |
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JANUARY 18, 1999 | |
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Countdown to the Euro Tour with The Second Coming: 2 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Yesterday we showed you the cover of tape 1 from The Second Coming and a photo of
the band spending time in their dressing room, among other things. This new series,
in which we count down to the Euro tour by reviewing the new KISS home video, continues.
Today you can see the cover of tape 2, a small sticker and the back cover of tape 1. Click
here to see
another great photo from the booklet (a rare picture of the band performing back in 1973).
One of the tings on display tomorrow will be the cover of the commemorative booklet. Right
now, here's a little teaser of what can be read in the 36 pages: "For over a quarter
century, KISS has shaped the face of popular music and rock culture. The KISS Alive Worldwide
tour saw the rebirth of rock's most incredible band. Who are these masked men and where did
they come from? What did it take to reclaim their title as 'The Hottest Band in the World'?
After 18 years apart, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and Gene Simmons overcame their
past differences, finally reuniting the powerhouse original KISS line-up that wrote rock and
roll legend."
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Poetry book by Eric Carr's mother Connie Caravello | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Loretta Caravello, sister of late KISS drummer Eric Carr, informed us that her mother,
Mrs. Connie Caravello, has just published her very first book. Loretta tells us it's a
beautiful collection of poetry entitled Poems From The Heart. Many of these
heartfelt poems were inspired by Eric and are of love, courage, experiences, devotion,
faith and determination.
After joining KISS in 1980, Eric Carr quickly turned into one of the most popular KISS band members ever. Mrs. Caravello's son died of cancer in November of 1991 after a career of more than ten years as the drummer of 'The Hottest Band In The World'. He toured five continents with them and contributed to no less than 10 albums. For more information on Poems From The Heart, which can only be ordered online, please check out the 1st Books web site. |
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JANUARY 17, 1999 | |
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Euro Tour 1999: we countdown with The Second Coming | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
With the European Psycho Circus Tour kicking off late next month, and the awesome home video
The Second Coming not being released in Europe (or anywhere else outside the USA),
we thought it's a nice idea to count off until the start of the European Tour by displaying
parts from The Second Coming and its excellent 36-page booklet right here every day, or
at least a few times a week. That way, we can build up to the tour (and our upcoming Psycho
Circus party — details to follow soon) and also create the possibility for those fans
who are unable to lay their hands on the home video, to get an impression of what this great
double video package is all about.
Pictured here are the cover of video 1, a sticker from the packaging that says 'Double video
set plus commemorative 36-page color booklet! See KISS in 3-D on the Psycho Circus tour -
live!!' and tape 2. Click here
to see a great photo from the booklet: the band dancing the Macarena in their dressing room!
Tomorrow we'll show the cover of video 2, another sticker and the back cover of video 1.
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Small KISS article in Holland's biggest newspaper | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| De Telegraaf, the biggest newspaper in Holland, had a short piece on KISS in their Saturday January 16 edition, accompanied by a full color photo from this week's American Music Awards (January 11). The photo shows Will Smith checking out the outfit of Gene, who is shaking his hand to congratulate him with the award that KISS just had presented to the rapper/actor. The small article mentions the band's Grammy nomination and the upcoming concert in Utrecht (Holland). As is often the case, the article was mainly based on a KISS Kollector press release that was sent out recently to several media. Click here to see the newspaper clipping. | ||
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