AUGUST 13, 1999 - "DETROIT ROCK CITY" OPENS NATIONWIDE

Detroit Rock City is the now-cult-classic movie chronicling four teens' 1978 adventures as they try to see their favorite band, KISS, in concert!

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

Check out this great Beatles/ KISS mural spotted in Paris by Gene's daughter Sophie.

KISS' Hottest Show On Earth Tour continues this week with stops in New York and Pennsylvania.

August 13 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center - Buffalo, NY

August 14 Nikon at Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY

August 15 Toyota Pavilion - Scranton, PA

Check out these great fan-filmed clips of "Crazy, Crazy Nights" and "Shock Me" from the big Indiana State Fair show.

Here's Susan Dinkel, Emmy Award-Winning Midday Anchor with News 10, WTHI (CBS) enjoying herself at KISS' Indiana State Fair concert!

Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain

JOSEPH HUDAK For The Times Leader

If you thought this summer has been hot, just wait until Sunday night, when the self-proclaimed "hottest band in the land," KISS, brings its "Hottest Show on Earth" tour to the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain.

Lead guitarist Tommy Thayer says that moniker isn't just lip service. A KISS concert involves more pyro than a firefighters training school.

"If you watch a show at the soundboard, 100 feet out, you can feel that heat. But if you are on stage, you really feel it," says Thayer, who, for eight years, has gotten up close and personal nightly with the flames, flashpots and explosives that have become hallmarks of the KISS experience.

In 2002, the Oregon-born guitarist inhabited the band's Spaceman persona full time, after the departure of original guitarist Ace Frehley. They're big platform shoes to fill, but Thayer wears them proudly, especially when playing and singing Frehley's signature tune, "Shock Me," from the 1977 album "Love Gun."

Check out these great photos of the KISS Army taken at KISS' Indianapolis and Sault Ste. Marie shows.

Each one of these photos was taken by fans at the show who shared their great pics with the world via the KISS LIVE SHARE CoolIris application. KISS is the first band in the world to launch this app, and the KISS ARMY is being called upon to start taking great pictures! Want to join in the fun?

Download the free app from iTunes or Android Market at KISS LIVE SHARE and get started!

After being invited, we chose and sang Venus and Mars/Rockshow for the McCartney tribute album. Other performers include Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, BB King and Paul Rodgers. The backing tracks were all recorded by Paul McCartney's touring band. We consider it an honor to be asked to participate on a tribute to one of the most influential and greatest singer/songwriters of all time. Not to mention, a major force in the most important band of all time, The Beatles. Wow!

SAULT METAL SCENE:

So how exactly did last night's Kiss concert go? I'll tell you in this extended review of what may be the biggest hard rock show in Essar Center history!

The concert kicked off in a huge way as Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Tommy Thayer were brought to the stage on a giant platform rotating over Eric Singer's drumkit, as they played the opening strains of "Modern Day Delilah", while what seemed like 1,000 smoke machines billowed smoke all over the stage! Their stage setup is the most elaborate I'd seen ever locally, with tons of video "boxes", a giant video wall, two smaller screens on the sides, high risers for members to climb on, and a giant lit up Kiss logo which Eric Singer drummed on top of! And that's not even describing the special effects and stunts they did! First impressions on seeing Kiss live? Wow. What else can you say, it's KISS!

KISS to bring over-the-top theatrics to Mohegan Sun

By SHARMA HOWARD

KISS spews fire, spits blood and appears onstage like otherworldly apparitions. Their trademark look is still intact: kabuki-style makeup coupled with black leather outfits and knee-high platform boots.

Theirs is an image that has never been bested by other heavy metal bands. Throw in Gene Simmons' wavering tongue, and the iconic look has been seared into popular culture since the band's reign, which ignited in 1975 with the release of Alive!

Their rendition of the already-released "Rock and Roll All Nite," off Alive! yielded their first Top 40 single, and is now considered the anthem for rock'n'roll.

Their legendary penchant for pyrotechnics, which includes everything from igniting guitars to flying into the rafters, will be let loose Aug. 19 when KISS comes to Mohegan Sun Arena.

BY MIKE KERWICK

A few weeks ago, Eric Singer found a mirror in his dressing room. He took a moment to stare at the 52-year-old man in the red, white and black makeup, amused by his reflection.

Wow. This is great. I'm getting to do something I always wanted to do.

"I'm trying to learn to really appreciate those moments when you're in them," Singer said during a recent phone interview. "Rather than thinking, 'Oh wow, that's cool that I played with Brian May 12 years ago.' Or, 'That's cool that we're going to go play in Cleveland, my hometown, in another few weeks.' "

Enjoying the ride

Singer, three times a member of KISS, twice replaced by original drummer Peter Criss, knows there may be a moment when he relinquishes the reins a third time. So he tries to enjoy each appearance on "The Tonight Show." He soaks up those minutes when the band sits together in the dressing room, applying makeup.

Here's KISS on the cover of The Sault Star!

Kiss front man Paul Stanley says he'll "never be as good a guitarist" as his 16-year-old son Evan, but don't expect the teen to be putting on the grease paint any time soon. When we asked Stanley whether his son will ever play onstage with the band, he replied: "I hope not."

Although Evan does jam with the band during sound checks, Kiss' Star Child says he wants all three of his kids to "live by the same philosophy that got me where I am, which is: find your own path. Follow your desires and succeed without any sense of owing anybody any debt of gratitude." Adds Stanley: "Being Frank Sinatra Jr. is a hard cross to bear."

On Aug. 14, Stanley, Gene Simmons and the rest of Kiss will rock Nikon Jones Beach Theater, and Stanley says the band has never been "more vibrant or lethal." The band's Hottest Show on Earth tour has also been attracting some interesting fans, too. Says Stanley: "When you look out in the audience and Jimmy Page is out there with a big smile on his face, that says volumes."

Legendary rockers mine classics

Posted By Jeffrey Ougler

A recent episode of Gene Simmons Family Jewels had the Kiss bassist spouting off the old adage of how standing still in business is akin to writing one's own suicide note.

Granted. But when it comes to cobbling set lists, this legendary band eyes neither the future nor even the near present all that much. Tuesday night's rock extravaganza at Sault Ste. Marie's Essar Centre was a platform-heeled musical leap into the past, save for a few tunes from 2009's Sonic Boom.

But for Simmons and his Kiss cohorts, for whom music means business, it's only prudent to subscribe to the age-old market rules governing supply and demand. Just imagine if the band hadn't closed the show - or at least included - a fiery rendition of Rock and Roll All Nite, complete with accompanying explosions, Simmonsesque tongue wagging and levitating stages. The masses would have certainly shouted out loud, calling for something much more severe than Dr. Love. Kiss appeared to supply the demand of the 4,700 who packed the house - the massive stage shaved seating capacity somewhat.

Here are some photos from last night's show in Canada! For more pictures, visit this photo gallery at The Sault Star.

Photos by Rachele Labrecque.