The special guest at the 4th annual Baltimore / Washington expo this year will be Bruce kulick.as you know Bruce is a big part of the kiss saga and responsible for over a decade of the kiss guitar sound and guitar work for the band and we are very pleased to have him out at this years expo.Bruce will be at the expo all day long doing a Q&A and signing autographs for the fans in attendance.also at this years expo we are please to announce (and this has never been attempted before) the very first ever all star kiss tribute band.There are a ton of kiss tribute bands out there these days and we picked the best members from 4 of the best bands around and twisted there arms until they agreed to do this.The members are.Angle zee from Shock me (as ace frehley).Rick Knuckle from love gun (as peter criss),Carlos Espada from kiss nation (as gene Simmons) and Benny Doro ( as Paul Stanley).This should be one of the most exciting kiss tribute shows ever at any kiss expo ever and we are excited to see what will happen..Also opening up this special kiss tribute show at the expo this year we are pleased to welcome back the Ace Frehley tribute band Loaded Deck to perform all the ace classics you love hear.The other events to take place thru out the day at this years expo are.

Saturday night before the expo at the Pikesville Hilton bar we are pleased to bring back the Live kiss karaoke where you pick the song and sing live with the kiss tribute band.this was a huge success last year and a lot of fun for everyone you don't want to miss this. Kiss look alike contest with the grand prize of $100.00 dollars going to the best look alike a kiss mini museum with real costumes and special memorabilia kiss face painting .tons of kiss dealers from around the USA selling new and vintage memorabilia A food court if you get hungry during the day.with video monitors playing kiss videos while you eat. Look for other announcements soon. for vendor info or any other request email trex1@adelphia.net you don't want to miss this years expo so see you in October for a day of celebrating the greatest band in the land KISS.

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From: Mike
For all you KISS freaks, check out my newest ride built by me, started build last Oct. and finished this past Nov., bike was autographed Dec 3rd when they came to Tampa on tour with Aerosmith. Looking to get it into Genes tongue Mag. any one out their have any connections or no anyone who may be able to help me, if so, please contact me. Thanks Tampa MIKE

From: Doug Cataldo
Hey Steve,

I've included links to some kiss articles. They are focused on the Kiss Love Gun Box Set and a preview of Gene's New DVD. We'll be running another contest for at least 10 of the DVDs when the current one for ***hole is completed.

Kiss Love Gun Boxset:
http://www.sportsology.net/nonsports/nscardsarticle.php3?ArticleID=176

Gene Speaking in Tongues (This one has some hilarious quotes)
http://www.sportsology.net/nonsports/nsmusicarticle.php?ArticleID=9

-Doug

I was at the Wantagh show on July 21 at Jones Beach. Wonderful show but they had a change on songs. They did not perform Christine 16 and added Parasite and She to the show.

After a short delay ZO2 was the first band to take the stage featuring Paulie Z and Joey Cassata from the KISS tribute band KISSNation. I personally didn’t get a chance to watch a lot of these, but from the fans reaction around me they must have done a great job.

I always wanted to see Poison in the eighties. So I was very excited that Poison was opening for my favorite band of all time. They sounded pretty good in my opinion. Nothin’ But A Good Time and Unskinny Bop were my favorites from their set. One of their biggest hits Talk Dirty To Me got the crowd really into their set. The whole band looked healthy and sounded great.

The local paper listed the attendance at around 11,000. Verizon Wireless supposedly holds about 24,000 people and it looked almost full. So I am not sure if that is the correct attendance or not. It also sounded like a lot more people than that as the fans were out of their seats and screaming all night.

As band opened the show with Love Gun there was smoke and pyro everywhere. It seemed as though there was a ton of effects throughout the night. Always lots to watch and experience. Something was going on constantly. There were several screens on the stage and a big one behind the band. The screens were very cool and used constantly.

After going to a couple shows on the World Domination Tour I really didn’t have as much fun as in previous tours. So when we heard from Eric he was back in the band I couldn’t wait to see him with KISS again. We have went to a few Alice Cooper shows in the last couple years and Eric just seemed to get better with each show. Instead of slowing down, as he gets older he seems to get better. He and Tommy really bring new life to the band. If you close your eyes and listen you will think is 1975 all over again. Paul is always Paul and seems to bring it every night. Gene is always Gene.

I have heard some KISS fans are upset that Tommy and Eric are in the band now. My advice to those people is go see a show. You won’t think that way when it’s over. I have been a fan since the 70s also, but this show was probably the best KISS show I have ever been too. Musically is sounded better than anything I have been to. Eric and Tommy are phenomenal bringing new life to the world’s greatest band. I do miss Ace’s antics and personality on stage, but Tommy does a better job-playing Ace than Ace did. Gene and Paul KEEP THIS LINEUP and keep touring!

My favorite songs of the night were I Stole Your Love, War Machine, 100,000 Years and Makin’ Love. I Stole Your Love and 100,000 Years were amazing I could have sworn it was 1977 all over again.

The Instant Live cds available at the show after its over is an awesome idea! How many times do you hunt down a bad bootleg after a show you liked or had a personal connection too? Now you don’t have to want, just buy one and pick it up minutes after the show. I got one from this show and its fantastic. If you go to a show get one, its definitely worth it.

Overall it was a fantastic show, I am definitely going to more shows on this tour. I can’t remember a KISS show having this much pyro, smoke and confetti it was unreal. No KISS fan should miss this tour!

Setlist

Love Gun
Deuce
Makin’ Love
Got To Choose
Lick It Up
I Stole Your Love
War Machine
Christine Sixteen
I Want You
I Love It Loud
100,000 Years
Unholy
Shout It Out Loud
I Was Made For Lovin’ You
Detroit Rock City
God Gave Rock & Roll To You
Rock & Roll All Nite

From: Indystar.com
By David Lindquist
July 4, 2004

When Kiss signed on for an Independence Day weekend show at Verizon Wireless Music Center, a party was guaranteed.

On Saturday, an audience of 11,500 experienced that and more (without even mentioning the rain that arrived during the concert's encore).

Beyond the expected blood, fire and dry ice, 29-year-old Kiss delivered a music-based performance -- one that supplied substance in equal measure to showmanship.

The larger-than-life rock franchise, which embarked on its first "farewell" tour in 2000, can offer more than gimmickry these days because Eric Singer is playing drums and Tommy Thayer is playing guitar.

It's easy to criticize mainstay members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for treating original band mates Peter Criss and Ace Frehley like hired hands and nudging them toward their eventual exits from the group.

Nevertheless, the current lineup's abilities make a compelling argument against loyalty.

Thayer and Singer were sturdy and competent enough to make the evening something new, even if Kiss played zero songs recorded after 1992.

Singer hammered -- a verb rarely associated with Criss -- the intro to "Got To Choose," a 1974 tune brought out of the archives for this tour.

Thayer was allowed to jam at the conclusion of "Christine Sixteen," earning a strong crowd response for his gritty, minor-key riffs.

Stanley portrayed his customary role of cheerleader. He also sang every note without a hint of wear or tear, perhaps sailing highest on "I Stole Your Love," a 1977 souvenir that featured a refreshing pop backbeat.

It's Simmons, of course, who's on a tenacious mission to keep the Kiss machine rolling. He's every bit the hard-working man described in "Deuce," which showcased his bullhorn voice early in the show.

He likely made the brilliant choice of booking Poison as the tour's opening act.

Although vocalist Bret Michaels and guitarist C.C. DeVille rarely acknowledged each other's presence, Poison played a catalog of hits written primarily about having fun.

"Nothin' But a Good Time" gave way to "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," which was followed by "Talk Dirty To Me." What more could be asked of a warm-up band?

Kiss legend on money, sex and Bush
by Steve Hammer

Gene Simmons, the fire-breathing, legendary leader of Kiss, is one of the easiest and best interviews in the music business. Part artist, part salesman, part preacher, all you have to do to get him going is to say hello.

So instead of the typical rock-star interview, here are the thoughts of Chairman Gene, taken from his recent phone chat with NUVO.

On Indiana:

I have many good memories of Indianapolis, but it has less to do with buildings and shows than the female of the species. The women of Indiana match up quite well actually. Over the years, I’ve been welcomed in Indianapolis often with open arms and sometimes with open legs.

The new tour:

We are doing, because of the present lineup with Eric and Tommy, very obscure material, in some cases material we’ve never done live. “Unholy,” “God Gave Rock and Roll To You,” “She,” “Love Her All I Can,” “All The Way,” “Christine Sixteen.” You’re still going to get “Rock and Roll All Night,” but at least half the set is stuff we hardly ever play. It feels great, because the original lineup couldn’t do it. It didn’t have the muscle.

As much as everybody loved Ace, Paul, Peter and Gene, the original lineup couldn’t pull off these songs.

You’re always going to have the vocal minority and we’re in the majority business. If 5 percent of the audience says you can’t survive without Peter Criss and the 95 percent is quite happy to fill the coliseums anyway, the 95 percent have spoken.

On whether the original Kiss would ever reunite:

No. It’s too late now. It’s been 30 years. Everybody loves Ace and Peter. They’re sweethearts. They deserve to be happy. But they shouldn’t be on the road. The road chews them up and spits them out. We all care about them, they deserve to be happy. But Kiss deserves to be happy.

On drugs:

I refuse to hurt myself. The idea of somebody holding a gun is a frightening idea to me, but the rest of the world has no problem with smoking cigarettes. It defies logic. Just because you don’t die right away doesn’t mean you’re not going to die of cancer. Says so right on the box.

Same with drinking. People don’t think there are repercussions for getting high and drinking. There are.

I’ve never been high or drunk in my life. Never smoked. There’s no reason to. As corny as it may sound, your mom was right. She said get plenty of sleep at night, eat your vegetables and don’t get high. And all your friends who get high and think they’re cool, they’re morons. They’re your enemies. And your mom, who you thought was corny, was absolutely right.

On money:

It’s an awkward subject to talk about because people get queasy when you talk about success and money. You’re talking about a country that is self-conscious about being the most powerful and well-off country in the history of mankind. We walk around in jeans and soft sell the idea of how enormously wealthy this country really is.

When a guy like myself works hard, joins a band like Kiss, the band bravely decided to not look around and not tug on anyone’s shirt sleeves to see if it’s OK to live the American dream, it shocks people. And they don’t know what to make of it. Rock bands, by and large, don’t do licensing and merchandising well. Kiss does, it did, it will. It always has and always will because it’s fun. The proof is in the pudding. The fans want it. It seems to me that commercialism is a good word. It means somebody wants to buy your stuff, whether it’s a record or a concert ticket or anything else that has your band’s name on it. If you’re lucky, you’re not just a band, you’re a brand.

On being loved:

That’s not as important as being successful. You can be loved universally and be dirt poor. Having been poor, I can say that while money can’t buy happiness, it’s still better to be rich than poor. If you’re going to be a miserable son of a bitch, you’re better off being a rich son of a bitch than a poor miserable son of a bitch. Capitalism speaks. It makes no value assessments, it just says, “This is what people want.” People who vote with money speak louder than people who just speak with words. Criticisms are words. And they’re valid to the extent they are, but if somebody buys a ticket or an album or a T-shirt, that’s worth more.

On performing:
It is a privilege to get up on that stage. This is not a birthright. We still introduce ourselves with “You wanted the best, you got the best.” Whether you’re in Peoria or Paris, the people there deserve the best. That means, if you’re the Lakers and you’re not putting out, you will lose. Doesn’t matter how good you are. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves, get out there and go to work.

On politics:

I do have very strong political viewpoints but they’re not black and white. Most peoples’ aren’t. That’s why the presidency has been occupied by Democrats and Republicans pretty evenly. Most people vote on the issue and the person. As regards President Bush, I disagree with most of the things he stands for. The environment, women’s rights, separation of church and state. But I fully support his foreign policy. If this was a time of peace, I’d go for Kerry. But because the war is ongoing, and al Qaeda is a living, breathing thing, I’d say Mr. Bush will do a better job. If you have cockroaches in the kitchen, you don’t want somebody to come in and have a conversation with them. You need an exterminator. And exterminators are not popular guys. They stink up the house. They’re not fun. You don’t want them around, but they’re exactly what you need when you have cockroaches in the kitchen. Mr. Bush is doing what exterminators need to do: go out and find out where the roaches are.

Awesome new shirt for the female KISS fan. Great image featuring KISS member boots and the phrase "These Boots Were Made For Rockin'". Great shirt available in Small, Medium and Large.

Only $19.99 plus shipping!

[Click here to go to the KISS Freaks store and order]

July's giveaway is for a KISS This Solo Faces Sticker. You just have to be a member of the KISS Freaks Email List, doesn't matter when you joined. Wanna buy one? We have them in the KISS Freaks Klearance Store, just click here!

What do you have to do to win? Just sign up for the KISS Freaks Email List below. I will pick one fan at random at the end of the month, email that fan to notify them and get address info, then ship the cd.