Here's the Hughes and Kettner Tommy Thayer ad in the new German Soundcheck Magazine.

Thanks to Harald Streibl for sending the image to KISSonline.

Check out this funny animated Smiti KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park clip.

Dear KISS,

A group of students (and a couple of teachers) from Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar in Melbourne recently paid homage to your legendary band at their athletics carnival. God may have given them Rock'n'Roll, but you can take all the credit for the make up.

Phil Natt

LETTERS

Check out Amy Gunn's great new KISS Army tattoo!

Thomas Barta is working at the airport and sent Kiss News these pics from KISS' arrival at the Vienna Schwechat airport from Thursday, 4:22 pm. The close shots of the plane were taken yesterday.

Thanks to Thomas Barta and our friends at KISS News for the photos and story!

By Luke Luger

Wild-tongued Gene Simmons and the men of KISS brought their crazy rock and roll paraphernalia to the Wiener Stadthalle on Thursday.

"You wanted the best?" "You got the best!" "The hottest band in the world: KISS!" What followed were 120 minutes of rock and roll circus, including fake blood by the liter, guitar fireworks, loud explosions, a drummer floating up to the ceiling and a singer strutting and stomping on silver platform shoes. "Reality" definitely has no place in the Kiss universe.

No matter. The forefathers of full-frills stadium rock thrilled 15,000 visitors at the almost completely-sold-out Wiener Stadthalle, insistently invoking the healing power of rock and roll. Since 1973, Kiss' music has always followed the same pattern: highly flammable, rebellious blues-rock with glam visuals and sing-along lyrics that fluctuate between campy and grandiose. Stylistic musical experimentation and innovation? Please. Who needs it anyway?

Certainly not Gene Simmons, who together leads the band with singer Paul Stanley. "We have more firepower than most countries in the Third World," announced the 60-year-old bass player to the world at the opening of "Sonic Boom Over Europe" tour. And he's right. Here's to the pyrotechnics.

By Fabio Mainardi for KISSonline

On May 18, KISS was in Milan; show #12 of the Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour. I was heading to the venue with the bittersweet feeling that this would be the last time I could see them live (I was thinking the same in 1996, though..!)

KISS is immortal as their music, though, and nowadays it's so cool that KISS fans can collect high-quality recordings of each and every show thanks to the massive job carried over by KISS' technical partner Simfy Live (formerly known as Concerts Online.) I was scheduled to meet up with the recording team at the Mediolanum Forum to see how all everything is set up in order to let fans have their show in hand at the same time KISS are backstage taking off their greasepaint!

I can tell you the Simfy guys are doing a tremendous job; it's even unimaginable how many things are set up for every show and immediately afterward packed as fast as possible in order to be shipped to the next venue.

The KISS shows are taped on 46 tracks, including some crowd mics, as well as mics on the snares, toms and pedals of Eric's drum kit. The recording is made on a pair of PCs in order to be able to switch for one to another in case of technical difficulty and to ensure getting the recordings done. Cutting tracks and tagging them is done almost live, and even the special effects� of the guitars moving from the left channel to the right (during Tommy's solo, etc.) are done live thanks to a video installed in the control room where the guys are able to follow KISS playing and choose the right timing to fade in and fade out the guitars lines.

All concert are ready to be sold at the 11th song (normally "100,000 Years" near the end of the show) while the remaining portion becomes downloadable early in the afternoon the next day. It's almost incredible to see and amazing to listen to, believe me!

For more info on Simfy Live products and show listings, visit simfyLive.com.

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

Check out the cool KISS Elephant spotted in the Amsterdam Elephant Parade!

Here are some more great clips from KISS's Glasgow, Scotland show, including "Let Me Go, Rock and Roll," "I Was Made for Lovin' You" and "God Gave Rock and Roll To You!

Check out this funny picture of Eric and Gene backstage in Vienna with a "life size" painting of the Demon. Eric really loves his Lakers!

Photo by Spiro Papadatos for KISSonline.

By Wolfgang Hauptmann
Photo by Epa Lacerda

Kiss is not just music: the fans want to see the bass player breathe fire, the rhythm guitarist to fly over the audience, the guitarist to shoot missiles and the drummer's drum kit fly -- and listen to popular songs. This is exactly what Vienna experienced on Thursday night.

Since 1973, the world has known the black-and-white painted faces and costumes of the fantasy New York band, whose career started with crunchy guitar songs and has continued uninterrupted to this day. Later they fit into the popular disco sound. They produced a less-than-well-received concept album, came to disputes and replaced members, and put their masked faces in storage for many years. After a hairspray metal glam phase, the band returned to its earlier virtues and a reunion of the original lineup.

Two musicians from the original band, guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, are now out again. But, Gene Simmons (bass) and Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar) have found fine, sound musical replacements with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. They have had to take the roles of their predecessors (and even their stage gestures reflect this 1:1) but it doesn't really bother anyone. In the past year, KISS enjoyed their acclaimed Alive 35 tour and the release of "Sonic Boom" (Roadrunner,) their first studio album in ten years. And as the slogan "Sonic Boom Over Europe: From the Beginning to the Boom" promised, the song selection resulted in Austria hearing almost every episode of KISStory.

The group was not only wild onstage together but also musically explosive. The Hallenstadion became a sold-out rock and roll circus.

No matter who and no matter what, KISS is an unstoppable war machine, and yesterday night's show at the Mediolanum forum is testament to that.

The Italian KISS Army showed their love to the band with an amazing sold out and hotter-than-hell salute to Gene, Paul, Tommy and Eric as soon as they appeared on the top of a lift with the roaring drum beat of Modern Day Delilah. An adoring crowd stood outside of the venue from noon on to see their heroes after two years' wait. And believe me, it was worth the wait.

Despite the prohibition of using flames during the show, which undoubtedly annoyed Gene, who had to drop his fire-breathing stunt, KISS played the well known and very effective 2010 set list with the energy and a raw power that they've had since the beginning.

As someone else said to me, this is the "happy Paul" tour. It's so cool to see how he is enjoining being on stage cheering the crowd and smiling at his bandmates. I chatted a bit both with Tommy and Eric before the show and they seemed really happy to be in Italy again in front of one of the hottest crowd in the world, and needless to say their performances was great.

Highlights of the night for me God Gave Rock & Roll to You, Say Yeah, Tommy & Eric's solos and the amazing crowd participation during Detroit Rock City and I Was Made for Lovin' You. In a few words: KISS is still the best show on earth, period.

Fabio Mainardi

LETTERS

Hello, KISS!

Here is a photo of a Hellfest poster taken this afternoon at the railway station at Rennes-Britanny-France.

Antoine Tilly

LETTERS

Check out this photo of KISS taking their bow at the end of the night in front of the SOLD OUT crowd in Vienna!

Photo by Dean Snowden for KISSonline

Here's a KISSonline exclusive montage of KISS performing "Cold Gin," "Crazy, Crazy Nights," "Lick it Up" and "Shout it Out Loud" live in Glasgow, Scotland!