News Archive January 2011

KISS In Hollywood, FL
From: Broward News & Entertainment Today
Posted: January 24, 2011

Rock and roll icons KISS will bring their "Hottest Show on Earth Tour" to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on March 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 28 at noon.

Regarded as one of the most influential rock and roll bands of all-time, KISS holds honors as one of America's top gold record champions, recording 37 albums over 36 years and selling over 100 million albums worldwide. Record-breaking tours around the globe include high-profile appearances at Super Bowl XXXIII, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the 2005 Rockin' The Corps concert dedicated to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently, the 2009 American Idol Finale before thirty million viewers.

Formed in the early 1970s, KISS was the brainchild of Gene Simmons (bass, vocals) and Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, vocals), former members of the New York-based hard rock band Wicked Lester. The duo then brought in drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley. The band released their self-titled debut in February of 1974; it peaked at #87 on the U.S. charts.

Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, KISS fashioned a stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting and fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands. The band's music was a commercially potent mix of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock driven by sleek hooks and ballads powered by loud guitars and melodies. It was a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop-metal that would later dominate the rock and roll scene for years to come.

Alive! (1975) made the band superstars; it climbed into the Top Ten and its accompanying single, "Rock 'N' Roll All Nite," made it to # 12. Their follow-up, Destroyer (1976) became the group's first platinum album; it also featured their first Top Ten single, Peter Criss' power ballad "Beth" as well as many other songs that remain concert staples to this day.

A 1977 Gallup poll named KISS the most popular band in America. KISS mania was in full swing and thousands of pieces of merchandise hit the marketplace. The group had two comic books released by Marvel, pinball machines, makeup and masks, board games, and a live-action TV movie, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. The group was never seen in public without wearing their makeup. Membership of the KISS Army, the band's fan club, was now in the six figures.

In October of 1978, all four members released solo albums on the same day. Simmons' record was the most successful, reaching #22 on the charts, yet all of them made it into the Top 50. Dynasty (1979), that continued their streak of platinum albums yielding the disco-tinged hit "I Was Made for Lovin' You," was their last record with the original lineup - Criss left in 1980. KISS Unmasked (1980), was recorded with session drummer Anton Fig; Criss' permanent replacement, Eric Carr, joined the band in time for their 1980 world tour. After Music from the Elder (1981), Ace Frehley left the band to be replaced by Vinnie Vincent. Vincent's first album with the group was Creatures of the Night (1982).

Sensing it was time for a change, KISS dispensed with their makeup for 1983?s Lick It Up. The publicity worked, as the album became their first platinum record in four years. Other releases and personnel changes followed for the rest of the decade and KISS continued to turn out best-selling albums, culminating in the early 1990 hit ballad "Forever" - their biggest single since "Beth." Revenge (1992) was a Top Ten hit and went gold. Alive III followed the next year.

In 1996, the original lineup of KISS - featuring Simmons, Stanley, Frehley and Criss - reunited to perform an international tour, complete with their notorious makeup and special effects. The tour was one of the most successful of 1996, and in 1998 the reunited group issued Psycho Circus. The quartet announced in the spring of 2000 that they would be launching a U.S. farewell tour. But, on the eve of a Japanese and Australian tour in early 2001, Criss suddenly left the band, once again. Despite discord in the band, KISS kept touring. In 2008 they returned to the studio, re-recorded their hits, and released Jigoku-Retsuden aka KISSology or KISS Klassics. The release was exclusive to Japan until a year later when it became a bonus disc for the band's first studio album in 11 years, Sonic Boom.

The KISS legacy continues to grow, generation after generation. The unparalleled devotion and loyalty of the KISS Army to the "Hottest Band in the World" is a striking testament to the band's unbreakable bond with its fans.

Tickets cost $169, $129, $99 and $79*; all seats are available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open Tuesday - Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and on Sunday & Monday - only open on event days at noon. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.