CINCINNATI KISS EXPO
March 23, 2003
Holiday Inn
Sharonville, Ohio

This was a true test of my dedication to the hottest band in the world. I had to work a third shift the night before. As soon as my shift ended, my friend Anthony "KISS is forever" Yates picked me up and we began our four hour trip. We arrived exactly one hour after admission doors opened. After paying our admission fee, I right away ran into fellow Evansville KISS fanatic Allen Tate. The two of us briefly spoke about the upcoming expo he is organizing for Evansville in June. I then entered the event room. There seemed to be a good turnout; although slightly lower than what I had seen at some past expos in other cities. The vendor tables were all doing brisk business. Most of them were the usual vendors. There were only a few I had not seen before. Having nearly cruised around every table in the room, I came upon my friend Steve Stierwalt at the KISS Freaks table. He had a few copies of the Animalize Live DVD on hold for Anthony and myself. Once Steve got them out for me ( his last available), everyone within visual distance started salivating. The moment we completed the purchase, we got our hot commodity back out to the car where it would be safe. Otherwise, we probably would have been mauled with the question "Where did you get that?" as much as Gene Simmons would have been with "Can I have your autograph?" if he were to have suddenly walked in the building.

Shortly afterward, special guest Eric Singer came onstage for a q&a session. The crowd were very eager to speak with him. There were really no dumb questions as often are asked during these sessions. Eric didn't dodge anything and gave thorough answers. The only point of disorganization came during Eric's following autograph session. Rather than forming a single line, attendees were brought in to meet him in groups. This slowed the process and created a lot of tension. However, Eric made it worth the trouble for each fan. He first asked for my name to be sure and personalize the autograph he signed. He then noticed and became fascinated with my watch. After Letting him check the watch out, he posed for a photo with me.

As Eric met his fans, there were live bands playing. The first was SSG. They played even more obscure KISS covers than at past shows. Included was the recent Ramones cover "Do You Remember Rock And Roll Radio" done KISS-style. But they shined most highly on their own original songs "The Story Of Jack" and "Gravity Girl". Next up was the main reason I chose to put myself through so much to get there, the live performance of all woman KISS tribute band Black Diamond. It was clear that they were still a little on the amateur side. But they were also clearly dedicated and gave it their current best. I say current best because they are certain to get much better with each show. The crowd near the stage during their set was mostly of the opposite gender. From the comments I overheard, their favorite was Tonya. As far as musicianship, she is the most talented. She did not miss a beat and played just as well as Peter Criss. During her solo, parts of her were putting on a show of their own that the Catman himself could never physically put on! Shannon was putting more focus on her playing than her Paul Stanley impersonation. That really didn't matter much as she totally looked the part. And like Tonya, her spandex bodysuit accented her "bonus items". Holly was very into her Gene Simmons role. Even though she didn't breathe fire, she did all the tongue wiggling and blood spitting. Lynn was the one on top with the showmanship. She had all the Space Ace mannerisms and playing style down. Her wig was more obvious than the one worn by Paul Stanley. But after seeing her lovely long golden locks post show, it was proven just how into her part she was. Their set list was mainly a standard KISS set. They pulled a few surprises. First with going from the "Rock Bottom" intro into "She" Then with "Rocket Ride" as the Ace Frehley song instead of "Shock Me". I think they were trying to start a sing-a-long with their rendition of "Black Diamond". But the crowd just didn't get it. They had a dragon as part of their stage set. Which leads me to believe that their theatrics will be getting more elaborate as their playing also evolves.

Another KISS tribute band called Mr. Speed played next and closed out the event. But due to the extensive trip home, lack of sleep, and mostly hunger, we took one last sweep through the vendor tables and left. Aside from the debacle during the autograph session, this went rather well for an inaugural KISS expo.

Pictures by Steve Stierwalt, Jr.