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 All news should be considered an unconfirmed report unless verified, and all information published at KISS Asylum is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves. All information is confirmed where possible, and all publication is governed by common sense.
Mexico Trip From: KISSAsylum.com By Keith Leroux with editing by Russ Dannecker My KISS Mexico Trip report a few weeks late but finally here. This is the 3rd time I have seen KISS in Mexico and the fans there are always intense. My friend Russ and I had been planning on going to these shows since they were announced. Our other friends Mike and Rob also went and we brought along another friend Steve for his first trip to Mexico. These trips are always a fun time. Let me begin. We flew into Monterrey on the 14th, arrived around 12 noon and hired a taxi van to take us to our hotel, The Sheraton Ambassador. A Great hotel with a super cool and helpful staff. After checking in and cleaning up, we headed out for a little exploring and some lunch. We decided to head over to the arena around 5 to check out the great selection of un -official (aka bootleg) merchandise. Bootlegging in Mexico is out of control and legal. Vendors set up on the streets outside the venue and sell everything you can image. This year was no different. Over 30 vendors lined the pavement and were selling everything – dozens of different kinds of t-shirts, hats, lighters, jackets, posters, and necklaces. You name it – it was there. A lot of the stuff is junk but some of it is very cool and very cheap. The way we like it! After checking out the merch for a little bit, we headed over to the box office to see if the guest list was up. While we had a little trouble with the language barrier, the staff was really helpful and one of the guys actually went to the back stage area to pick up our tickets. While waiting for him, we took in the scene outside the Monterrey Arena. The vibe was really cool . These fans were getting really excited as they lined up to enter the Arena. Many fans were in full costume and makeup and the crowd was much like the US – all ages, shapes and sizes!! A stage was set up right in front of the arena and a death metal band (I think) was performing. They did a brutal version of "War Machine" among other covers and their own material as well. Lets just leave it at that! Finally our tickets arrived and we made our way to the backstage entrance. It always seems like a family reunion at these events. Russ and Mike have seen KISS over 200 times each, going back to the 70's. I have seen KISS over 100 times, going back to the Creatures Tour. They’re single, I’m married for 14 years with 3 kids, so technically I think we’re tied!! LOL! We have seen KISS in 10 different countries over the years, so a lot of the KISS crew know us and many of them have become our friends (others not). I think I have as much fun seeing friends like ERIC SINGER, TOMMY THAYER, Doc McGhee, Dave Matthews and Spiro as I do actually seeing the shows. I know Russ really enjoys the concerts the most. As we walked in back stage we saw Eric and Tommy right away. We talked a bit and had a few laughs. I took a great photo of Russ with Eric / Tommy. Russ and I have been friends with Eric for over a decade and to see him in full costume and makeup is great every time. Here’s one of our closest friends and now he’s in our favorite band again – it’s a real rush! . We were told the KISS Press conference was about to begin so we headed across the hall to get seats. The room was filled with a lot of press people representing all kinds of news outlets from around Mexico. The band made their entrance and the cameras started flashing and after several minutes the questions began. I only heard around 50% of them, I was busy screwing with my camera (still trying to figure out how it works). But the questions I did hear were mostly silly, like one asking Gene if he is going to move to Japan when he retires. PAUL STANLEY had the best answer of the day, when he replied to a question about the US Presidential Election by saying that it's important to vote and he’s trying to encourage people to get out and vote but that it’s not his place to tell them who to vote for! Way to go Paul!! Your answer was really refreshing! I am so tired of hearing from condescending entertainers telling me how to vote. As the press conference was about to end, Eric told Russ he should hold his own press conference!! So after the band and press left the room – we did. We sat in the chairs (like dopes) and took photos of us holding our own press conference. The press conference of "Get A Life Inc." Which is our company name Hey we know – we laugh at ourselves – that’s why we made up hats and shirts. But you know what – we have a lot of fun with it. And that’s all that counts! We headed back across the hall and joked with Eric some more. Gene came out and was in a great mood. He took pictures with every one. Gene kept screwing with my glasses so Eric made him put them on. Eric said Gene looked like Ben Franklin with the glasses on. I have a great photo of this on the site. The guys headed off to do the meet and greet and after Mike aggravated a crewmember with a comical routine involving Mike sitting in a reclining chair on wheels, we were "asked" to go to our seats. And what seats they were!! I have sat in the front row many times but I can honestly say this was the best seat I ever had. It was on the side directly against the front of the stage on Tommy’s side. The way the venue is set up I was literally stage level a foot away. Monterrey night #1 was about to begin. As the curtain dropped and the show began it was obvious this was the most intense crowd of the tour I had seen so far. The arena was sold out and probably held around 15,000. The crowd was bouncing up and down and singing along with every song. The band was really feeding off of the crowd and now I can say this was the best show I had seen on the tour and probably one of my favorite KISS shows ever. Everyone was in fine form especially "Mr. Consistent" – PAUL STANLEY. This band is so tight musically that it’s refreshing to hear songs like "Shout It Out Loud", even though I’ve seen KISS play it live many times! The set list was pretty much the same as the last few US shows I had seen. After the show we headed back to the hotel for a late snack and some needed rest. What a day, what a night. Monterrey night #1 was complete and it was a real blast. Sunday afternoon Eric joined us for lunch and some shopping around town. There was a nice little shopping area near the hotel with several streets of permanent stores with outside vendors set up for Sunday. I bought some gifts for my kids and a cool Mexican wrestling mask for Gene. The mask was silver with Gene’s make up design on it. Eric was joking as usual! I also witnessed Eric’s soft side, he bought a bubbles toy for a little boy (with Mike's dollar ) who was walking with his parents and he gave $20 US to a handicapped street beggar. Both the boy and the handicapped man acted like Eric just gave them a million dollars. I’ve seen him do this before. Eric is a good egg a little hard boiled but he's alright! After a few hours, Eric had to leave to get ready for the 2nd Monterrey show. We went back to the hotel for a little while to get our friend Kevin who had just flown in from Dallas and then headed to the arena. We did some more shopping outside the venue. Rob found a very cool sport jacket with nice embroidery work for his girlfriend Lisa who could not join us this time to Mexico. The vendors were really busy and the streets were very very crowded, and of course we got separated. We eventually all met up back stage again, where Mike and Russ gave us the guilt treatment for getting our tickets at the box office while we were socializing! It's true, we were. Backstage everyone was asking Russ and I if we were going to the next show in Mexico City. Steve, Russ and I were ticketed to fly home the next day. Mike and Rob were going onto Mexico City. Dave Matthews and Wayne ,the tour manager, kept saying they could not believe we weren’t going to the last show of the tour. The seed was planted! Eric also informed me that Spiro was doing a dead on impersonation of me laughing. I would later learn that Spiro does great impressions and I must admit he has me down perfect. Russ, Mike and I were lucky enough to get a group photo with the band that night. While we were posing for the photo, Spiro was doing his impression of me and had me laughing during the photo. Gene grabbed Russ's arm and put it on his cod piece ( aka crotch ). As we headed down the hallway from the photo shoot area, Russ kept telling me and Mike to stop so he could tell us something. What he didn’t know was I could see Gene was coming down the hall behind him and I was trying to motion to him to keep going so we could get out of his way. Russ stopped and then we heard Gene say, "Settle down Rocky". We all laughed and headed out to find Steve, Rob and Kevin and then went to our seats. Monterrey Show #2 was about to begin. For tonight’s show we sat a few rows away from where we were the first night. Great seats again. Steve and I sat in one row, Russ two rows behind us and Mike, Rob and Kevin worked their way up to front row center. During the show Eric was motioning to me, asking where Russ was by doing a funny impression of the way Russ stands. After motioning to me, Eric did the same to Mike in the front row and asked him. He then looked back to me and I pointed to Russ. Eric finally saw him. It was a funny moment. Tonight the band played "Dr. Love" instead of "Christine Sixteen" and added "Come on and Love Me", which sounded awesome. As the show was ending, the platform that Tommy stands on – went up around 5 feet and then started to fall forward into the crowd. It was a scary few minutes but Tommy managed to climb down while continuing to play "Rock and Roll All Night". Another great show. Another Great Night. Monterrey Show # 2 was now complete. We headed outside for a last look at the merch and then to find the cab we had arranged to pick us up. After we all got in the cab, the driver tried to start the car to no avail. He motioned to a friend of his in another cab who drove up behind us. We figured we were changing cabs, but no. The cab in back proceeded to push us forward until our cab started. We all laughed at our first Mexican "jump-start". As we were driving, the cab driver wanted to take us to see some "dirty girls", we kept telling him no but he kept insisting. He finally dropped the idea when I told him Russ is gay ( WHICH HE IS NOT ) and we made it back to the hotel alive. Now on a mission, to get through to Delta Airlines and see what it would cost to change tickets to go to Mexico City. I tried in vain to get through to Delta. The local office was closed until morning and I could not dial a US 800 number. I finally called US info and got a non 800 US number but the international number just kept ringing busy. So after eating and saying goodbye to Mike, Rob and Kevin, we called it a night fully expecting to go home in the morning. Monday morning 10 am, I finally got through to Delta and found out I could change my ticket for a few hundred dollars – I was in. I called my always-understanding wife, Michelle, who gave me permission to stay few more days (yes Gene – I asked permission!). Next I told Russ to come down so we could call Delta and see if he could change his ticket, he was flying on a free ticket. Steve decided that he was going home. Russ came down and after spending around 30 minutes on the phone with Delta , the prepaid calling card ran out and he lost the Delta agent. We literally had 5 minutes to either stay or leave for the airport. Russ got frustrated and thought we should just go home. I was on a mission so I recharged the card and called Delta again and luckily an agent answered immediately. Now we had another problem, they could not confirm Russ a seat home on the day we where all going back to the U.S. But being the KISS fan ( idiot ) he is, he booked it any way and we were staying!! We said goodbye to Steve as I booked my ticket and then went down to the office center to book our Monterrey hotel room for another night and also book a hotel in Mexico City. Monday was a day off in Monterrey for KISS, so around 12 noon Russ and I called Eric and told him we were staying. He invited us to go out for the day with him. Eric met us in his hotel lobby and told us Spiro was coming along. While waiting for Spiro, Eric greeted a number of fans in the lobby including a very nice lady from Texas. She told us she had a wonderful time at the show and asked Eric if he had seen her at the show dressed up like Gene. The punch line, the woman was 73 years old!! She was there with her son and his family. Eric posed for a few more photos and then Spiro came out and we left. Spiro had the KISS van take us over to a really cool shopping mall. I was surprised by how many people recognized Eric at the mall. He graciously took photos and signed autographs the whole time we were there. I really enjoyed watching some of the store clerks faces as Eric shopped. They all looked nervous to wait on him. Some media people actually followed the van to the mall. They took photos of and with Eric and did a quick interview, which I later found out, ended up as a story in a Mexico City newspaper. It was nice hanging out with Spiro too. Have known him for years but never really spent any time outside of a KISS show hanging out. We talked about all kinds of things including the artwork he has designed for the KISS Rock The Nation Tour. Spiro can do an uncanny voice impersonation of Gene. It is dead on including all of Gene’s phrasing. I’m planning on hopefully interviewing Spiro for the site soon. After a relaxing day out in Monterrey we all headed back to our hotels and crashed for the night. Tuesday Russ and I flew to Mexico City. It was a short flight. We landed and headed to our hotel. Mike and Rob were staying at the hotel and had no idea we were coming to the last show. We checked in and Russ called their room. Rob answered the phone and Russ pretended to be a "friendly" Mexican girl but Rob was not buying it, he actually thought it was Mike down in the lobby. We all got together for lunch and then headed over to the arena. The bootleg scene outside the arena was incredible. Much bigger than Monterrey . Over 100 vendors lined the streets, selling everything from ceramic Gene busts to funny looking Halloween masks. We spent an hour or so checking it out and then met up with Mike’s friend Ivan and his wife Andrea and young daughter Fer who live in Mexico and where very helpful to us. WE THANK YOU. Russ and I headed over to the box office to get our tickets and then headed to the backstage area where a local security guard told us our passes were not valid. After about 15 minutes in the down poring rain and with a little interpreting help from Ivan, the guard realized he was wrong and we went back and met up with Rob and Mike who were already there. We took some photos with Spiro, Wayne and Dave. Paul came over and chatted with us a few minutes. He said he was looking forward to going home and getting a little rest and then finishing up his solo release. Meanwhile the crewmembers were taking photos with each other and some with the band. The newest member of the crew was gagged and taped up heavily in a chair to take photos. He was then carried in the chair to the front of the stage where the other crewmembers left him helpless in front of 20,000 fans. It took him over 10 minutes to work himself out of the tape. But he did it. It was so funny the crowd was cheering him on while doing the wave. There was a cool vibe in the air tonight. Mexico City was loud and ready for KISS!!! The curtain dropped and the show began with the fans singing every word of "Love Gun". This place was loud and proud, even for Mexico. The set list was the same as the first night in Monterrey. Eric did an extended solo in the middle of the "She" Jam. Gene kept the Mexican spirit alive donning a sombrero (Very FUNNY ) and before we knew it the intro to "Rock and Roll all Night" had begun. The show and tour was over! After the show we said our good byes to our KISS friends and walked back out to the vendors, looking to dump our left over Pecos on a t-shirt or two. A really nice Mexican KISS fan informed us we were being "watched " by some very unfriendly people. Russ was concerned and suggested we leave immediately, so we headed for the main street to get a cab. Amazingly we hailed a cab amongst the insane traffic. Back at the hotel we were told all the restaurants in the area were closed. So we called room service but no one spoke English. We were lucky enough to end up with fries, chocolate cake and soda. Not so bad, RIGHT? Ah yes another great day in Mexico!! The next morning arrives and the four of us headed for the airport. We checked in and Russ could only be confirmed to Atlanta. After arriving in Atlanta and clearing customs, we said our goodbyes and I headed for my gate to connect to Indy. Russ went with Mike and Rob to their gate where Russ would go stand by. We were all a little concerned for Russ but thankfully he was able to get on a connection back home. While waiting for my flight, I went into the gift shop. On the way in, a guy kind of forcefully bumped into my bag. He said excuse me and I moved over to the magazine section. A minute later the same guy hit my bag again. This time I turned around and there was my pal Dale "The Demon" Torborg! I talk to Dale every few days and neither of us had any idea the other was going to be in Atlanta. We laughed and I showed Dale all of the photos from Mexico. Dale had the new Alter Bridge CD (ex members of Creed) with him and showed me his name in the thank you section. We hung out until my flight boarded. On the plane I was thinking of a question PAUL STANLEY had posed to us in Mexico City, "Why do you guys keep coming out to see us?". I have been traveling to shows for over 20 years, about 9 of those years with Mike and Russ and the answer is really simple. Traveling around the world, having fun with great friends, laughing nonstop, meeting new people and seeing old friends. It just doesn’t get any better than that! Oh and seeing the world's greatest rock and roll band of all time is cool too! THANKS GUYS!!!!!! |
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