KISS!!

The Bell Center in Montreal will never be the same again! 15,000 plus KISS soldiers (the place was sold out!) witnessed KISS 35, or should I say the amazing birth of KISS 2.0! I have seen KISS seven times along the years with many different line-ups, and to be honest, I kind of expected a little bit of the same...but man did the band have a surprise for me!

A leaner, meaner, stronger and musically superior KISS rocked the crowd for over 2 1/2 hours non-stop. You have to see it to believe it. The band has been upgraded for the best. They have never been happier or better on stage. And that vibe makes for a party like KISS have never thrown before.

I'm sure that Tommy will remember for a long time the warm welcome the Montreal fans were waiting to give him. He's just great, and no doubt, Tommy truly has KISS blood running in his talented hands.

Can't wait to hear the new album with the improved KISS 2.0! That'll be another tour I will not miss, just to make sure that the Montreal show was not a dream!

Even if you've seen KISS live before people, trust me - You've never seen KISS like this! You are in for a shock.

Montreal thanks you - Gene, Paul, Tommy and Eric for the great time we had.

KISS 2.0 lives forever!

Best,
Copain 36

Photos by Spiro Papadatos for KISSONLINE.

Here is a photo of Gene and KISS fan, Leonard Arp backstage at the KISS show in Orillia, Ontario on July 21. Gene visited Leonard at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto two weeks ago and was told Leonard would be too sick to attend a KISS concert. We were all pleasantly surprised to see Leonard doing well and at the KISS show that night!

Photo by Spiro Papadatos

BY CHRIS ALEXANDER

As a lifelong, card carrying member of the KISS Army, I just had to share...

This Tuesday past I had my rock rolled off seeing the band that, for me, has become mythical - KISS - live at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario. The two night stop was part of an appendage of their ALIVE 35 tour, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the double disc live album that put them on the map, ALIVE. The tour boasted a whack of off-kilter Canadian stops including Sarnia and Windsor, in addition to Ottawa, Halifax and Montreal and I was lucky enough to get floor seats verrrry near front of stage and managed to get close enough in the photo pit that I could see up Paul Stanley's nose, close enough to get Gene Simmons' drool in my eye...

If you scroll over my Blood Spattered Blog, you can read up on how important KISS is to my horror heritage, to my outrageous, exploitation culture leanings. They have been my heroes since I was old enough to talk in full sentences and, even when it was terribly un-cool to dig the Simmons/Stanley machine, I was there, waving the flag. When they got rid of the makeup and became full on metal, I still stayed, mainly because I believed then as I believe now that Stanley is an incredible songwriter and has the 2nd best howl in rock and roll (Robert Plant having the first). I even saw them during that naked phase, on the ASYLUM tour when I was 11.

But mark my words, no matter how old and infirm I evolve, I shall NEVER, EVER forget the balls out, blow-em-up magnificence and glory of KISS as they were at the Casino on Tuesday.

Here's the next winning clip in the Ultimate KISS Fan Contest. This entry is from Matt Porter.

Matt reminds us that KISS is a big part of people's lives!

Enjoy!

Melissa DiMarco interviews KISS backstage just before they go onstage a Casino Rama an Out There Exclusive!

Hey Paul, Eric, Tommy and Gene,

Just wanted to say that I caught the first two shows of the Canadian tour and it was great seeing the Hottest Band in the World in two completely different settings! Both shows were amazing and I cannot wait for the new album and tour!

I also wanted to share with you this funny photo my friend, Russell Dannecker took in Orillia. Check out Gene's Boot on the security guard's head!

Thanks for ALWAYS kicking ass!

Doug Cataldo

Check out this fan's awesome KISS tattoos! These photos were taken backstage in Sarnia.

Photos by Spiro Papadatos for KISSONLINE.com

Here's the next winning clip in the Ultimate KISS Fan Contest. This entry is from Eric & Debbie of Raleigh, North Carolina .

KISS brings people together!

Enjoy!

Here's the next winning clip in the Ultimate KISS Fan Contest. This entry is from Mari Porlan of Brazil.

Mari obviously put a lot of time and effort into this rockin' stop motion clip!

Enjoy!

Last year with a couple of friends, we started a KISS FAN Expo in our hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas. This Aug. 15th we are having a second one. The purpose of our conventions are to raise money for needing charities.

This year we are helping a seven year old boy, Knute Tate, who realized that there were homeless people in the town. By stepping up and being a hero with a great heart, he started raising money to build a new, bigger homeless shelter. Since October, Knute and his classmates have raised almost $10,000.

Fitting enough, our convention this year is focusing on "The Elder." I have written a play with two other guys and we are premiering the show in downtown Jonesboro, along with a small concert and memorabilia from around our area.

If a seven year old boy can raise $10,000, with a lot left to go, we as adults and KISS Fans should be able to at least do the same or more. Our goal is to raise at least $5000. We are calling out to ALL KISS fans for help us as we unite as one.

Support can be from ordering tickets for our event or by email contact at gaylontyner@yahoo.com. You can also help by sending a donation in care of the Salvation Army or Knute's Piggy Bank / PO Box 397,Jonesboro, Arkansas 72403.

Gaylon Tyner

10 years of KISStory in Belgium is being celebrated in style. The 5 man tribute band from Belgium is pulling out all the stops on Sunday November 1st. At the Hippodrome in Kuurne, Belgium they plan a KISS Fan Expo with special guest LYDIA CRISS, the usual worldwide KISS dealers accompanied by a rock and metal market.

CLICK HERE for more info.

Lydia will be bringing along her fantastic coffee table book 'SEALED WITH A KISS'. Your chance if you don't have it already to purchase it at the expo. There will of course be a meet and greet moment and a Q and A round with LYDIA. Tickets can be purchased online and from halfway July at several ticket agencies in Belgium. Prices for the expo are 20 €.

KISStory will be performing a special 'Dressed to kill/unplugged' set during the expo and will close the event with a MEGA BIG show. Anyone who's ever seen the band perform live know what to expect. An all over the top live show with all the kiss trimmings we all love. Fans who just want to see the evening show can get in from 19h30 for 10 Euro and when you dress up Halloween style you get in FOR FREE!!!

After the show, there will be a DJ-set and a Halloween party......More extra surprises concerning this expo will be revealed on this site in the near future.

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!!!

Thanks to all the fans who submitted their videos to the Ultimate KISS Fan Contest. There were so many great and creative clips that it was difficult to choose the five winners. Although not everyone followed the rules, we enjoyed viewing them all, and now we'd like to share them with you.

Over the next five days KISSONLINE will post the winners of the Ultimate KISS Fan Contest, in no particular order, -- one video per day!!

Today's clip is from Matt Payne. Enjoy!

KISS Destroy Caesars Windsor Casino - Still the Hottest Band in the World

By Randy Falsetta
Photo by Tony Caldwell

The spectacle that is KISS live must genuinely be experienced to be fully understood and appreciated. Though it may be explained in articles much like this, it truly should be witnessed for one's self. The creativity in design as well as the preparation and execution of a show of this magnitude, undeniably deserves its ranking as one of the greatest shows on Earth.

Without scaling down the menacing stage ensemble in lieu of the 5000 soft-seater arena, crews worked two full days bringing the event to the Colosseum inside Caesars Windsor Casino. With the venue filled to capacity, the city often overshadowed by the neighbouring Motor City, Detroit, Michigan came alive. Amid their historic appearance at Cobo Hall in '75 (KISS's first sell-out of a major arena) and later at Tiger Stadium in '96 (launch of their reunion tour), the event seemed to hold more significance for fans and possibly for the band as well.

Here are some members of the KISS ARMY rockin' out in Ottawa.

Photos by Spiro Papadatos for KISSONLINE.com