KISS Kollector Online's KISS News

R.I.P. Bill Aucoin

We're sad to say that former KISS manager Bill Aucoin (born December 29, 1943) passed away yesterday (Monday, June 28) in Aventura, Florida due to surgical complications arising from prostate cancer. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons commemorate him in a wonderful way on the band's official website.

KISS coverage in the Dutch media

Over the past few days, KISS appeared in some of Holland's media - varying from newspapers to TV shows. The image below shows a compilation of newspaper clippings, while a short TV interview on the day of the recent KISS concert at Gelredome XS (along with some footage from the show) can be seen here. A cool online review can be read here, while a short story on Dutch Playmates meeting KISS before the show can be checked here.

KISS plays Arnhem; Gene Simmons tours Amsterdam

Last night, KISS played at Gelredome XS (the small version of the soccer stadium) in Arnhem, Holland. The band played no less than 2 hours and 15 minutes, including their great rendition of Beth, short bits of Forever, Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love and The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again plus a very subtle Mott The Hoople snippet. (Update: check out this interesting review on the site of free Dutch newspaper Spits, in which the Sonic Boom tour is called the KISS Alive 35 tour...) 

The night before, Gene Simmons - along with his longtime girlfriend Shannon Tweed - did a sightseeing tour of Amsterdam (see pictures), which included a visit at the famous Anne Frank house. For a short video, please click here.

Big KISS article in Dutch newspaper

Today's Volkskrant - one of the big nationwide newspapers in Holland - features a huge article on KISS because of next week's show at Gelredome XS in Arnhem. There's a small 'banner' on the paper's cover, while the art section in the middle of the paper features a huge photo of Gene Simmons (that also graced the cover of our own KISS Kollector magazine in December of 1998) on the cover, and on the inside there's an almost two page article chronicling the band's history.

Although you can tell the author spent some time researching his piece (judging from the article he must at least have read a big part of the biography KISS Behind The Mask), there's plenty of wrong 'facts' and throughout the article the line up consists of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss with no mention of the current line up of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer...

KISS' Rock Am Ring show live on TV tomorrow

Tomorrow's KISS concert at the Rock am Ring festival in Germany will air live on TV, as both MTV Europe as well as Germany's Eins Plus will be airing the show on Thursday, June 3. It's our guess that "MTV Europe" only means MTV Germany, as they have a live show listed starting at 22:00 hours while MTV Holland has their regular programming listed for Thursday night...

Live performance of Beth in Hamburg

At the KISS show in Hamburg, Germany, on May 31 KISS performed Beth live with Eric Singer on lead vocals (and Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer on acoustic guitars - and Gene Simmons on his regular Punisher bass)! Check out the video here.

Same setlist in Liverpool last night

KISS played the same setlist last night in Liverpool, as at the first two shows of the Sonic Boom over Europe tour. Tonight, the band plays in Birmingham.

KISS kicks off Sonic Boom over Europe tour

KISS opened the Sonic Boom over Europe tour last weekend in England, with a show in Sheffield on Saturday (May 1) and a gig in Newcastle on Sunday (May 2). The setlist for these shows was:

Modern Day Delilah
Cold Gin
Let Me Go, Rock And Roll
Firehouse
Say Yeah
Deuce
Crazy Crazy Nights
Calling Dr. Love
Shock Me
I'm An Animal
100,000 Years
I Love It Loud
Love Gun
Black Diamond
Detroit Rock City
Lick It Up
Shout It Out Loud
I Was Made For Lovin' You
God Gave Rock And Roll To You II
Rock And Roll All Nite

Tonight, the band plays in Liverpool.

Gene Simmons interview in Holland's free LiveXS magazine

The May issue of LiveXS magazine, a free music magazine available all over Holland, features an interview with Gene Simmons, titled 'KISS still champion on the stages'. There's also a small picture of Gene on the magazine's cover (see above). The article can be read below, and the entire magazine can be read here on the LiveXS website.

KISS Expo Oberhausen on June 1

On June 1, right before the KISS concert at the nearby Arena, there will be a KISS Expo at the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen, Germany (just like in 2008). There will be international KISS dealers and KISS music all day (from 12.00 - 18.00 hours) long, to warm the fans up for the KISS concert that night. Tickets are only 3 euro at the door (no pre-sale). For more information, please click here.

First European Gene Simmons Cort Axe bass received by KISS On The Rocks bassist

Gene on The Rocks, the bass player in Dutch KISS tribute band KISS On The Rocks, has a new axe. In fact, he was the first European customer to receive the brandnew Gene Simmons Cort Axe. Thank to MyGuitar.nl in Veenendaal, the bass player was able to pick up his new Axe during the past Easter weekend. Says Gene On The Rocks, whose real name is Robbert van Gorcum: “It's a great looking instrument. Great in details, 100% true to the one Gene Simmons played throughout the last 20 years. It has a great feel, and the sound of it has that true Gene Simmons attack.”

Great KISS concert ad in today's newspapers in Holland

The other day extra tickets were made available for the June 18 KISS concert at the Gelredome stadium in Arnhem, Holland. Some of today's newspapers in Holland are featuring a great advert for the show, which actually takes place at the XS version (6.500 - 12.500 capacity in stead of the regular 33.000 capacity) of the stadium as the Ahoy' venue (circa 10.000 capacity) in Rotterdam is not available this year because it's totally being rebuilt. In related news, the upcoming issue of KISS Kollector magazine (which, sadly, still is in the works) is to include a contest in which you can win concert posters featuring the below artwork...

Review from last night's club gig in London

KISS Kollector reporter Rutger de Groot attended last night's very special club gig in North London, UK, and wrote the following review:

A dream come true... Tonight KISS performed for an audience of 800 fans in the 02 Academy Islington in London. A club barely big enough for local bands now had the hottest band in the world KISS playing as if it was an arena. Besides the confetti during Rock And Roll All Nite, the band used no additional special effects. What you got was the bare naked truth: no blood, no fire, no explosives. And guess what, the band didn't need it at all. A show like this shows how good KISS currently is.

After opening with Modern Day Delilah, the band continued to play old and new classics in high tempo. No breaks, no individual solos. If only there would be a formula to do more of these gigs besides the big arena show... What a very special evening! Out of the 50+ KISS shows I've seen, this was the most special. Almost better than a meet and greet. Thanks KISS!

The setlist at the 02 Academy Islington was:

Modern Day Delilah

Cold Gin

Let Me Go, Rock ‘N’ Roll

Say Yeah

Calling Dr. Love

Got To Choose

I Love It Loud

100,000 Years

Love Gun

Black Diamond

Rock And Roll All Nite

Detroit Rock City

KISS warm up party in Germany

This coming Saturday, March 6, there will be a KISS warm up party at the Turbinnenhalle in Oberhausen, Germany. No less than three bands will play live to warm the KISS fans up for the forthcoming European tour. Tickets are 10 euro during the presale. For more info please click here. On the day of the KISS concert in Oberhausen, on June 1, there will be another warm up party at the Turbinenhalle.

Video footage KISS on Wetten, dass..?

Click here to watch KISS perform Say Yeah and I Was Made For Lovin' You on last night's Wetten, dass..? TV show in Germany.

KISS on German TV tonight

KISS will appear on Wetten, dass..? tonight, Saturday, February 27. The long, and long running show is probably Germany's most popular TV show. The programme starts at 20.15 hours, and KISS will be there to promote the Sonic Boom album and upcoming European tour. By the way, tickets for the very special London club show, scheduled in March, sold out in only a few minutes earlier this week.

KISS to play club show in London in March

On March 2, KISS will play the O2 Academy Islington in London, UK. With a capacity of 800, only 500 tickets will be available to the public. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

More photos from NAMM

Our reporter Rutger de Groot sent us some more pictures from the NAMM convention in Anaheim, check 'em out below.

Photos from the Winter NAMM show 2010

Check out these photos from our reporter/photographer Rutger de Groot who's attending the NAMM show in Anaheim again and hopes to run into past and present KISS members within the next few days. The new Gene Simmons Axe Bass (available in March) will be sold by Cort, with a street price that's just under $ 500.

Gene Simmons interview in Holland's biggest newspaper

Yesterday's edition of De Telegraaf, the biggest nationwide newspaper in Holland, included an interview with Gene Simmons. The article, with the headline "We're just like Batman", mentions the upcoming stadium show at the Gelredome in Arnhem (Holland) and Gene also talks about the new Sonic Boom album - for which he totally credits Paul Stanley: "He did a fantastic job and has put KISS back at the top of the rock world."