Issue #13: "Being the Manager -- Second thoughts"

As many of you may recall, a couple months back KISS ASYLUM printed my article suggesting changes for the band. Within less than a day I was deluge with email about the article. It was the most I had ever received on one of my articles and it took me six weeks to respond to everyone.

Many fans had their own comments to add and their voices were so strong, not to mention that many of their ideas were so good, that I felt it was worth devoting a follow-up article to their reactions. In fact, I like to think that the response Chris and I received on the article led directly to the new feature here at ASYLUM where fans are voicing their opinions loud and clear. So much so, that I wondered at first if there was even a point in doing a follow-up article.

Still, fans that wrote in touched on a few topics that I failed to cover in the original article, which gave me a good reason to do the follow-up. Those emails were much appreciated and those additional topics will be discussed below. Before we begin, I do want to thank everyone that wrote in who made suggestions and/or wanted to show their support. I'm afraid that I cannot name everyone here for lack of space, but I was very happy to see the intelligent and thoughtful responses that I received. Although a few people are mentioned by name in this article, this in no way means that anyone should be forgotten in the mix.

What was most surprising was the consistent nature of each response. While some did not agree with everything I had to say, no one was abusive or antagonistic in their emails back to me about the article. In fact, everyone was in agreement that things need to change with the band in order for them to meet the level of success both financially and creatively that they had found in the past. Everyone also agreed that there has been a steady decline in interest in the band and it was a serious enough matter that it had to be addressed quickly or else they will never be able to progress forward. Not to say that everyone agreed as to what needed to be done ‚ as will be seen below ‚ but there certainly is a unified and aggressive force in fandom to voice our concerns about KISS and their future.

But now, let's turn our attention to the band and what immediate problems face them.

1) The band as a team effort

Everyone agreed that there are many a bridges to mend within the band itself. As mentioned in the previous article, there have been too many cases lately of one member saying one thing, another saying something else and still another saying a third or nothing at all. There appears to be little unity in the band beyond the few snippets of the group we have seen through television and the Internet (such as the WCW appearance or the Superbowl performance). And even those appearances have been little more than the band lip-syncing material. It is not surprising then to find fans at a lost as to what the band is really planning on doing next, or if they plan on doing anything at all. To paraphrase what one person said, even a unified lie by all four would be better than the confusion the band is causing now.

Everyone who wrote in agreed that the four members need to be locked into a room with no one else to bother them as they discuss their plans for the next stretch of time (be it the immediate future or ‚ as fans would hope ‚ a few years down the line). Fortunately, no one thought the four should be locked into a room and then have the air-supply cut off; but that's another story (and a bad joke at that). This is certainly not a new idea for the band as Peter had said such things in the past, especially before the four reunited in 1995/96; so it is not a radical departure for the four to get together and hash things out to everyone's agreement. The air needs to be cleared up a bit between the band members. After all, if we the fans can notice that the four don't seem to communicate much, then perhaps there really is a lack of communication going on.

Fortunately, Paul Stanley mentioned on ROCKLINE recently that the four were getting together to discuss plans. If so, it would certainly be a chance to discuss the career goals of the band and the individual members in one place at one time. With public knowledge that Ace is working on solo material and the fact that Paul is seriously considering Broadway, these issues of band unity need to be addressed for everyone to feel comfortable with what will be happening with the band over the next year or two. If that means ultimately that they will not be able to tour again until the end of 2000, so be it; but get it out in the open instead of the constant dragging of feet that has always been a major stumbling block for the band.

2) Promotion and a new album

Once plans are set, make it public knowledge. Yes, it is true that you never know what may change in the time between that of announcing plans and that of actually going forward with them, but that has more to do with solidifying contracts and dates better before promoting them. Fans are far more willing to wait until Fall 2000 for a full-fledge tour promoting a great studio album done exclusively by the four members IF they felt they could trust the band, their management and the record label to actively commit to doing exactly that. The reason fans have been increasingly cynical about each new announcement by the band or a member is that there have been far too many instances in the past where an album, tour or other activity by the band had been announced, then pushed back, changed or abandoned with little or no comment. If KISS and the record label want to gain back solid support from the fans, they have to show they are just as committed to completing a project as the fans are in buying the product once it is ready.

No doubt about it, an album by the four original members with NO outside musicians is something that many fans want. KISS can no longer hide behind the idea of "KISS is," they have to prove it. Which leads back to the four being locked into a room for some time. The ideas of a new album have to be brought up and agreed upon by the four members. Once that has been decided, the album needs to be done with just the four members, a solid producer and no one else. Heck, make it the BIG DEAL of the album. Go nuts with it on a promotional level. Have Ace, Peter, Paul and/or Gene come forward and admit that the PSYCHO CIRCUS album was not as strong as it could have been BECAUSE the band had gotten used to doing things in a way that just didn't match what KISS as the original foursome was about. It was a weak album BECAUSE they had gotten use to recording bits and pieces in separate rooms and had forgotten about recording in the studio as a foursome. It was also BECAUSE they had also gotten used to working on material by themselves and having the others come in to record their portions (which lead directly to working with outside writers and performers). While it was natural to occur, and something most bands do when recording, it was not what KISS should have been about. When the first three albums were done, it was the four members making music in a room together. If a song needed help, the band members didn't go to outside help, they fixed it themselves. Why can't the four work this way once again?

Think of it from a promotional angle ‚ here are the four members of KISS working in a room, strumming guitars and beating on the drum and working as a team to create music. Make it a documentary about the making of the album. Show the progression of the music through the various stages. Show the disagreements, even the heated arguments if there are any. Basically, show the world that there is some blood and sweat going into these pieces of music. The problem with PC was that it was too cut-and-dry; fans got the impression that there wasn't much thought or energy involved in making the album. Of course, that was not the case; but the perception is there because the recording of the album was "behind closed doors." Open it up and you'll not only get an album that people will in no way be able to say, "ah, they didn't play on this," but it humanizes the band members to the world and makes for an additional piece of merchandise (the documentary) that is ready-made for sale.

Hey, the fans can come up with ideas for merchandise just as well as anyone.

As to the structure of the album, surprisingly a great number of people came forward to admitting that they loved MUSIC FROM "THE ELDER"; however, those very same fans also felt that such a conceptual album at this point in the band's career was probably not in the band's best interest. Instead, most fans agreed that the feel of the album needed to go back to the feel of the first three albums by the band ‚ a raw sound with little sweetening. In light of that, less than a handful of respondents thought Ezrin would be a good producer for the band at this point. That makes sense in light of Ezrin's track record, which leads towards heavy orchestrations and themes. Instead of Ezrin, Eddie Kramer was suggested as producer for the album. Kramer was suggested not only for his work with the band on their live albums and ROCK AND ROLL OVER, but also because he had worked a lot with Ace and could be seen as someone that could get the most out of Ace in the studio.

Ironically, the only name that came up consistently for producer beyond Ezrin and Kramer was Lenny Kravitz. It is a striking idea to bring in someone like Kravitz, but he has recorded KISS music in the past and might be a good break away from the producers of the past several years. There must be something here to consider since it was not just one fan to make this suggestion, but rather four from different areas of the country. If that type of coincidental unity can occur, then perhaps it's not that bizarre of an idea.

Beyond that of Kravitz, the only other name that came up was that of Mutt Lange. Still, the majority seems to split on Kramer or Ezrin, with even one person thinking that the two together on the same album would make for a good mix.

While many people believed that the four should be left alone in the studio to work on the album by themselves, one fan made the very good point about doing pre-production writing. As pointed out, Paul had admitted to waiting until he was in the studio before working on music for the PC album. Of course, studio time is money-time, and this may explain some of the problems with the PC album ‚ that of a feeling of clock-watching and being rushed instead of the relaxed attitude that comes with more creative outputs. With this in mind, the band really should try to spend some time together and working on material outside of the studio itself. Perhaps even spend a few weeks rehearsing the material together before going into the studio to record. If nothing else, it could lead to finding what material would work live and which songs work best with the members as a whole instead of recording material in the studio knowing full-well that they will never be able to reproduce it live.

As to a number of songs from each member, well, there's a bit of division on that topic. Most fans do have their favorite member, so there was a tendency for fans to prefer more songs from, say, Gene or Ace than someone else. On the whole, however, people acknowledged that Gene and Paul are more prolific when it comes to songwriting than either Ace or Peter, so the inclination was for the album to represent each member along the following lines: Gene ‚ 3 songs; Paul ‚ 3 songs; Ace ‚ 2 songs; Peter ‚ 2 songs. A larger argument was made of the lack of material on the PC album overall, with many fans wondering why additional material was not added (especially Ace's track that was used as a bonus on the single and the Japanese edition of the album) when there was plenty of room for more. In that respect an album made up for more tracks written by Gene and Paul would certain go down well IF Peter and Ace were given room to do at least two tracks each. It should be remembered that both Peter and Ace are good songwriters in their own right and to dismiss their work so readily, as found on the PC album, shows a lack of faith in their styles and creativity.

Myself, I would rather see the band experiment along the lines of HOT IN THE SHADE than be stuck into a mode where they feel that have to record a certain type of music and not deviate from that procedure. One of the major problems with efforts after the release of HOT IN THE SHADE is that there was a strict effort to do a certain type of dark, heavy music that has never been the band's forte (and certainly is not evident in any of their hits). Even material like "God of Thunder" or "War Machine" are basically fun songs dressed up in mock comic-book cliches to sound down and dirty. The band had always shown a sense of humor when doing material that was a bit darker ("Goin' Blind" is a great, great song, but no one would be able to convince anyone that someone's tongue was planted firmly in cheek when writing it), and the material from REVENGE onward had lost much of that sense of fun. Lyrically, the later albums have also suffered from a lack of clarity when it comes to subject matter, with no well energy coming forth from the material.

Nothing wrong with some subject matters, after all the band has always written about sex and that's fine and good. Yet, the band needs to get a way from the doom and gloom nature of the music that has held it in a vapor-lock for the past several years. Shake that attitude off and a lot of the magic would probably come back into the music. After all, the band that created wanted to "rock and roll all night" cannot be the same one that does "I Confess" or "In the Jungle." Advancement COMBINED with continuity (and not a homage) to the past is the key.

Speaking of recordings, there were a few other suggestions for material to be done by the band, including an idea for an EP of Beatles covers by the band as a one-off holiday presentation. Sounds like it might be a nice way to get the guys into the studio and loosen up a bit before doing work on the next studio album (besides giving the record-label a quick product to push out the door while waiting for the completion of the full-length album). Don't know if the band would go for the idea, however, as it means that they will be using someone else's material when they are already getting bruised by comments of too much outside help on albums. Still, the band members are fans of the Beatles, so it could be a cool sidetrip for the band.

Jason Portz wrote to say that solo albums by the members (in the tradition of the 1978 solo albums) would be a good way to go for the moment. It would certainly be ideal if the band decides to split up before doing another studio album, as it would allow both Peter and Ace the thrust to get their solo careers back in gear while also allowing Gene to experiment with his own solo musical career.

Both Nick Mandagelo and Mark Sopko came up with a similar idea as a way to get material into the door for a new album: a contest. The contest (to combine their ideas together here) would be to have the record-label and the band set up a contest where fans could send in tapes of original songs for possible use on the next album. The entries would be judged by the band members themselves and the winners would end up with their songs on the next album.

The idea sounds like a dream come true for some fans, but there are several snags that would keep such an idea from occurring. First, of course, is once again the idea that the band is ready getting heat from fans and critics about not doing enough material themselves on each album, having a nationwide (or global) contest that suggests, "we can't come up with our own material, help us" would not be the greatest publicity for the band. Saying that, perhaps a contest where only one song would be picked as the winner and used could be a way around this, but it still holds problems. The legalities that would have to be involved in order to get such an idea off the ground would be so expansive that I'm sure a Sony lawyer is having conniption even as you read this. Musical artists already face enough problems with lawsuits from individuals that say the band or musical stole songs that were sent into labels for possible use. Even though a majority of the cases are proven in favor of the artists, it still means time in court and in doing research to disprove such allegations. The contest would have to be one where the band picked a song at random in order to avoid such problems, and they would have to make sure that they never hear any of the other entries before or after picking one from the group. The only other option would be for the fans who send in entries to sign releases that gives up ALL rights to the music being sent in to the record-label itself (something I'm sure a lot of aspiring musicians would be less than thrilled to do). Thus, a noble idea to bring the fans and the band together is really shot down in flames from the get-go.

And while we're on the subject of albums and recording . . .

3) ALIVE IV, the next "Best of" and the infamous MONSTER OF ALL BOXSETS

Well, as everyone knows now, the band plans on recording their New Year's Eve 1999 show in Vancouver for release as a video and as ALIVE IV. Let's hope for the best, although I suspect that the show will be nothing more than a version of the PSYCHO CIRCUS show with no new songs added. Although the band has been talking about changing the setlist and doing songs from the 1980s, I doubt they will have time now (especially since Paul just finished up his time with THE PHANTOM in November) to make any major changes to the show as it is. I could be wrong, and would be glad to be proven wrong in this case, however.

Thus, ALIVE IV will be another "best of" collection of songs that everyone has heard live several times over the years (although a couple of PC songs in there might help the mix). This is why it really would be a good idea to up the ante a bit and attempt a few new songs to the setlist, if for no other reason than to get fans pumped up on buying another live album (and perhaps pumped up about a new tour at the same time). ALIVE IV is the time to show the fans that the band can still cook on stage and give them a surprise or two. It's got to grab people, and if it doesn't, then it's just another nail in the coffin for any new tour after it. If the fans and the public think that any new concert by the band is going to be the same old show once again for a high ticket price, then no amount of publicity advertising "new and different" is going to save the tour. The band could advertise live set acts during the show and people still would be unlikely to come if they think that the new live album represents what they'll see and hear.

So ALIVE IV is an important album, and hopefully it will not be thrown away on material that everyone has heard a thousand times before. This is not necessarily the fault of the band, however. The record-label has pushed the band a couple of times in the past to record live material that would introduce "new fans" into the mix. The only problem is that live albums are not the draw as they were back in the mid-1970s. You can't hook new fans with such material, and especially if it is material that was performed on earlier live (and possibly better) live albums. New and or different material is what is going to sell the album.

It is a shame in a way that this is the next live album, as something a bit more comprehensive or their live career would have possibly been a better way to do. A double-live set of the band from different years certainly would entice more fans than just another live album. The band certainly DOES have the material to put together such an album, with many shows over the years to choose from. Just imagine a double-album featuring early live material such as "Acrobat" or a few songs from the Eric Carr days (including tracks featuring the Eric/Ace/Gene/Paul, the Eric/Bruce/Gene/Paul, the Eric/Mark/Gene/Paul and even the Eric/Vinnie/Gene/Paul periods). To combine efforts here, one could even take a side and leave it for material from this year's New Year's Eve show to bring everything up to date. Such a collection of rare songs and different variations of the band would be a nice piece of reflective history about the band and probably sell a lot more CDs than another live album. And, as Joe pointed out, the album could then be called ALIVE IV-EVER, and really be a statement in fact.

Speaking of collections, Greg Prato believed that the next "best of" album (when it is done, not if) should be a collection of tracks that have not shown up on such a package before. He was not alone in this thinking and Raven also wrote to suggest that such a package would probably do more to get people to buy it than just another "greatest hits" package (which there are so many of already). If nothing else, between the ideas for ALIVE IV-EVER and this "off the beaten track" collection, it will get fans and the band ready to put out the constantly talked-about MONSTER OF ALL BOXSETS.

Of course, Gene has been talking about this package for quite some time, and fans have continued to goose the fires by talking about what they would like to see in such a package. Fans, being fans, would really like to see a package that has a lot of rare and never-heard tracks from the band, while others have suggested more rare live material (as discussed above for the ALIVE IV album). That's all fine and good, but we have to also take a realistic approach to the package as well.

Record-labels normally hesitate to put out boxset unless they know that there will be a large enough market for them. Which is understandable. After all, a boxset is anywhere from two to four CDs normally, with some additional packaging such as booklets, not to mention the box itself or perhaps some other extras in the mix. It can run into a bit more money than just another "greatest hits" package.

But, let's face it, record-label really look at boxsets to be a larger variation of the "greatest hits" package. The boxset is not there to merely entice fans to buy, but to strongly entice new fans into the mix. Of course, some rarities will be included in such boxsets, so as to grab the attention of long-term fans who already have everything else, but the record-labels know they are preaching to the converted by putting such tracks in the box. They KNOW that there will be sales there even if there is only one CD full of rarities. Thus, the emphasis on material that they figure new fans will see on the back of the package and say, "hey, this band put out a lot of stuff I remember! I¼ll buy it so I don't have to buy all the other albums." Then, hopefully, after listening to the boxset such new fans will have heard enough to want to buy more of the catalogue. One must keep in mind that this is the same label that once asked a wellknown fan and professional writer what should be done with the Remasters back in 1996, and when he suggested "extras" such as unreleased demos or alternate tracks as additions to each album, they laughed in his face. Didn't matter if it would have been what fans wanted and had cost minimal to produced, it was too much work for the Remasters.

This will probably be the same procedure when the KISS boxset occurs. Thus, no matter how fans wish to see a set come out with nine or ten CDs full or rarities, it will probably be a set of four CDs at the most, full of tracks we have in other packaging, and with the equivalent of one CD full of rarities. That is not the band's way of screwing over fans, that just the reality of the situation. There has been some talk among fans wishing that the band itself would put out the set, but again, financial matters will spearhead such ideas. The band would not only have to pay for the creation and manufacturing of such a set, but since the band does not own the rights to many of their songs now, they would have to pay a good portion of the receipts to the songs' current owners. KISSTORY was a different story, as the photos, etc. were property of the band. That is not the case with a boxset and it will be the deciding factor if the band ever decided to put it together themselves (and probably the reason for why a CD of rarities that was promised in the original edition of KISSTORY never came to be).

So where does that leave all of us for the boxset? Probably a linear chronology of tracks from the early days of the band up to the present, with one CD for the years between 1973 through 1977; then one CD for 1978 through 1983; CD 3 will be 1984 through 1995; then a final disc of material from the MTV show, PC and some bonus live material. All four will be full of songs the fans know and love, along with three or four rarities per disc (possibly material like the acoustic "Queen for a Day" or the original demos for "God of Thunder"). Although I mentioned live material above, I would suspect very little of it as ALIVE IV will have covered this option and so the label will be less incline to go with rare live material. Not much, right? But if the boxset is marked for $50 and ends up with roughly 12 rare tracks, there probably would not be many fans who would hold off on buying the set (especially if a booklet of material was included).

The problem with this scenario is that the label will only be getting the diehard fans with such a boxset. After all, if a new fan wants to hear the hits, they can go down to a used-CD shop and pick up ALIVE III or GREATEST KISS for $5. There's no reason to bother plucking down ten times that amount (or more) for a boxset from the band. The label would be preaching to the converted, which has been their tendency with their KISS products since around the days of HOT IN THE SHADE.

What would help is a restructuring of the material to entice fans a bit more than the large "best of" packaging that could occur. First off, a booklet detailing the material from the original members, producers and writers would be a great first step. Gene and Paul did a bit of this on the back of the FIRST KISS album and it really was a nice touch. That type of personal insight into the songs would certainly light up the eyes of fans interested in the boxset. Get someone like Ken Sharp (the writer of the numerous GOLDMINE articles with the band members over the years) to put the booklet together. And on the material for the album, try to get more interesting material than just the hits. After all, there have been way too many "best of" albums and live albums of the same material over the years. Oversaturation is killing the market for the material, and doing it "one more time" is not going to help matters.

Get more rare material on there. There certainly have been some good ideas for material from the fans here at KISS ASYLUM to consider for starters. Let the encompassing vision of ALIVE IV-EVER listed above be a jumping-off point to a boxset that would have material no one has ever heard. Who know? There might even be a hit or two lurking in the packaging this way.

4) The next tour

Well, it looks like there may be another tour down the line here and I'm sure fans are crossing their fingers (even the cynical fans) that this one will top them all. Yet, how did the fans responding to the original article view such a new tour?

I was most surprised to see how many fans were enthusiastic to the idea I had of a mixed makeup/non-makeup set, with the band playing the first part of the show in makeup and then doing the second part without. I thought this would be the one area where I would have the most disagreements, but in all I received five letters from individuals thinking it was a bad idea to take off the makeup at all.

Several individuals added additional ideas to the makeup/non-makeup set. Mark Kravitz believed that after the intermission the band should return to the stage without makeup to perform an acoustic set. This would certainly allow the band members to show off material in a different light than as the four characters of KISS, while also allowing more ballad material and experimentation. If nothing else, it might help to loosen the band up a bit and let the audience AND the band have more fun on stage during a show. One of the biggest gripes of fans is that the shows are too rehearsed, but there is no other way to do the show if there has to be moments like Gene flying through the air, or Paul swinging on a rope to the middle of the arena. It has to be very strict. Yet, that also makes the show very confining musically as well. This is why such an idea as makeup/non-makeup could be to the advantage of the band to pursue.

One drawback, however, is one that Tom Rifai mentioned: the band has always been so obsessed with their look on stage ‚ not only their makeup, but their hair and clothing ‚ that there may not be enough time to really pull off such a change in costume midway through a show. Even with an intermission! That is a good point, but one could get around that with a 20 or 30-minute break before a 20-minute salute to the band's history (or an Eric Carr tribute) on the big screens. That would allow the band plenty of time to get cleaned up and rested for the second part of the show (besides giving Peter a breather for his arms). If nothing else, the band could consider the idea of the break to change into different costumes and STILL keep the makeup on. A full three-hour set (with the 20-minute intermission and the 30-minute video as part of the three hours) would certainly leave fans in a happier mood than a normal 90-minute set. It would also allow the band to pace themselves a bit more, which is needed.

Speaking about a long show, the idea of an opening band was discuss by many people who responded. Several thought the band should enlist the help of Bruce Kulick's band, UNION, for the tour as the opening act. Other projected seeing bands like Motley Crue or Poison as the opening act. One thing that fans have to consider, however, is how the label would look upon such opening acts. After all, in most cases the label itself is contributing funds to any tour as it helps promote the band's most recent album and any other in the label's catalog. In the case of an opening act, most labels like to "persuade" the main act to consider the idea of a band under their own label (or an affiliated one at the very least). Thus, the chances of a band like UNION being used are slim for this reason alone. One would also have to consider if UNION would really be interested in such a situation as well. After all, if you broke away from a band and ended up opening for them, does that give people the impression that you couldn't get work anywhere else? Like "daddy" had to come along and take you by the hand? No, although fans would love it, it probably would not be in the best professional interest of Bruce's band to do this.

One strong consideration that the band should think about is that most fans simply have NO interest in an opening band. None whatsoever. Most headliners have this problem, so it's not just limited to KISS. (How many shows have you gone to lately where most of the audience does not show up until halfway through the opening act?) Frankly, it's just not cost-effective to have an opening band, especially with the idea of a "longer" set due to an intermission. KISS fans are there for the KISS-SHOW (!), and usually spend their time only grumbling during an opening act (the only people I've seen grooving to an opening act during the last two tours have been the opening band's groupies ‚ all three of them ‚ in the front row). So, unless KISS can get an opening band that would really shake the full audience up, say a band like Cheap Trick or Motley Crue or even a newer band that is making waves on radio stations and MTV, they might as well save themselves the money and the fans the bother.

Of course, if UNION was on tour with them, it was only a small step for most fans to consider the idea of Bruce coming on stage during a portion of the KISS segment of the show to play with them. Better yet, some fans even suggested the ESP open for the band so that both Eric and Bruce could come out and perform with the band. Again, I just don't see it happening for professional and personal reasons. It's a nice idea, and perhaps they could actually work something out like this for one or two shows, but the logistics involved would be a major headache for all involved.

As to the tour, there were other ideas as well. Carl Koski suggested that a good idea for the band would be to do a club-tour to test the waters for a new look and a new setlist. This really isn't a bad idea, and the band has certainly done this in the past for both REVENGE and HOT IN THE SHADE, so it's not as if it would be a "step-down" to perform in some clubs along the East or West Coast. Besides, it would allow the band to test new material for the shows and see what works and doesn't work with the audience. After all, when the band did their KISS Convention tour, it became quite clear that they were picking and choosing old material that might work for the UNPLUGGED show that came later. If they hadn't had bothered trying out material, I doubt that we would have heard "Comin' Home" or even "Goin' Blind" during the UNPLUGGED show. But we did because the fans cheered the material on and the band knew when they had gold in their hands.

If nothing else, it would be a chance to tighten the unit up for the huge tour that would follow.

Christopher Crowder was leaning towards smaller venues overall for the band. That would certainly guarantee ticket sales and may bring out more of the curious to see how the band adjusts to a smaller setting. While this may mean that Gene cannot go flying up to the ceiling anymore, perhaps that would be for the best. After all, most fans were very, very clear in their feelings that the shows have become stale and repetitious. Seeing Gene fly was fun during the Reunion tour, but now it's time to move on to new ideas. The 3-D one was at least an attempt to do something different, but it was more gloss than showman-worthy. Give fans something new to see as well as to hear during the show.

One fan suggested that Gene should have a setpiece dealing with a fire on stage during the show. Another suggested that some of the other members should be flying instead of Gene (or even a battle between Gene and Ace, as they fly through the air). Some sound intriguing, but many sound dangerous and in violation of certain ordinances and laws in states around the country.

The best option is to consider some new things. Many felt that the band should NOT look to their past for costumes ideas as they had done with the Reunion tour and the PC tour. Instead, if they wish to continue with the personas of makeup, new, original costumes should be considered for the tour. And it doesn't have to be anything overly expensive or fancy, just a change in design that showcase the characters in a new light. As to a stage, although I feel the band would be fine to continue with the PC stage (which would be cost-effective), a lot of fans felt that a new stage set would be a good idea as well. As to what would be good, it's hard to say. The band had been pretty lacking in good ideas for the stage since ALIVE II, with either too many props on stage (such as the REVENGE tour) or not enough (such as CRAZY NIGHTS or even the PC tour). Fans seemed a bit at odds about how the stage should look as well, but they seemed to agree that a change is in order. Many also mentioned that they would like to see the band rise from the stage floor again like they had done during the ANIMALIZE tour (which was really a small lift behind the back of the stage). Come to think of it, the lowered spotlights of ANIMALIZE was an idea that was at least different.

True, there really are no clear-cut answers to the stage setup, but it certainly is an issue that fans have noticed and are wanted to see get a changeover.

As to a setlist, EVERYONE was in agreement that things need to be done with the setlist. I believe the band sees that as well considering how stale the set seemed during the PC tour. As to what songs should be in the set is something else, however. There was a pretty even split on doing material from the 1980s during the show, with some fans feeling that no one would remember the material to others feeling that it would really freshen up the setlist and everyone would remember things like "I Love It Loud" and "War Machine." I lot of people cringed at the idea of "Crazy, Crazy Nights" (I have the same feeling about every hearing "Fits Like a Glove" myself), but there did seem to be a few songs from the 1980s that people were enthusiastic about. Overall, I doubt anyone in the audience is going to complain if they hear one or two of them during the show (they certainly don't complain about hearing "Rock and Roll All Nite" again for the 100th time).

There were a few favorites from the years that people seemed to mention a lot in their responses. So, I thought I would list the top five most mentioned songs that the fans would like to hear the band play on the next tour:

1) "Strange Ways"
2) "Makin' Love"
3) "Sweet Pain"
4) "Rocket Ride"
5) "Plaster Caster"

"Baby Driver" got mentioned a few times as well, but not enough to make the top five. Either way to look at it, a new setlist is wanted by fans. No give or take about it.

Beyond that, there were a few additional comments about the next tour. A couple of respondents though Ace needed a new solo, which he is quite capable of doing. I think the band has been led to believe that fans would only be interested in Ace redoing his solo from the 1970s, but that has never been something that I believe fans have been greatly anxious about. Now, after two tours, it is coming across as if Ace doesn't have any other ideas for solos. Let him do a do one and prove to everyone that he has progressed past the 1977 Ace. It's only fair.

Several people thought the band needed to . . . well, how can you put it any other way . . . "hit the gym." This is not directed only at one member either. There were a couple of members in the band that looked out of shape during the PC tour. Of course, as stated before, everyone is older and it is harder to keep it off as it may have once been, but the options are to either work on it, or design costumes that do not make the problem more noticeable. Saying that, I'm sure there are a few fans out there that could lose the weight as well (I know I could).

Probably the most interesting idea is one I got from Joe Galimi. I can't say I endorse it, but I have to admit he has a certain flair about it. His idea is to forget completely about trying to cover up the advancing ages of the band members, or what they are like off-stage. Instead, make a spectacle of it all. Here, in Joe's own words, are his ideas:

"Gene should sing about how people call him an asshole behind his back, yet they kiss his ass. . . . Anything that is sick, outrageous, and brings attention to them. Admit to being truly money-grubbing, perverted, rich spoiled son's of bitches with miserable lives hiding behind masks and when the masks are donned ‚ it's a BIG PARTY!! And when the masks are off, they are a living nightmare of how you would never hope to become as you get older. That has edge and that is what Rock-N-Roll is. True destruction. Sex, drugs and wildness. Make an album about their whole life story and sing about ****ing in a fading, miserable decadent way so they can be truly remembered as Rock-N-Roll's Bad Boys and as Dirty Old Men! In fact, call Simmons right now and have him call the new album, DIRTY OLD MEN. Drunken, corrupted, arrogant, evil, ****ed-up nut-jobs who became legends without the help of mass media.The album cover should be a gravestone that says: "KISS" with a corporate Trademark look to it and an old man's hand coming out of the ground with his fingernails painted black."

Well, like I said, I can't quite agree with it, but you've got to hand it to Joe for coming up with something to offend everyone (including the band if they read this, most probably)!

So, we've covered the album, the live album, the boxset and the tour. What's next?

5) Promotion.

A certain amount of promotion was discussed at the beginning of this article, but a few other ideas were discussed by fans as well.

Merchandise was typically considered by fans to be a bit out-of-hand. Although three fans wrote to say that they enjoyed ALL of the merchandise, nearly everyone else who wrote thought that the band had more than enough products out on the market and that anymore would just be a bad promotional move by the band. It should also be pointed out that the comment, "well, we have dolls; do other bands have dolls made of them?" is no longer a good comeback to the question of merchandise. Not with Ozzy having his own doll, with Alice Cooper waiting in the wings and talk of such bands as Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson and Korn looking into ideas for dolls as well. Besides, while REM "doesn't have dolls", I doubt that Michael Stripe is lying awake at night worrying about his own McFarlane doll.

If nothing else, prices on merchandise needs to come down. But that was discussed in more details in the first article, so I won't go over it again here.

Several fans voiced their disappointment with the official website as well. In doing so, some complaints were made about the webmaster, but I think that is completely unfair. I've seen what the band has done in the past with such "fan-related" ideas as the KISS Army in the 1970s and KISS Central in the 1980s, and I truly believe that KISS Online is being handled by the band in the same way. What that comes down to is a great interest by the band during the early days of such a project, then boredom, followed by resentment in having the people running the site asking for things to put on the site (or in the magazines or in news-releases). Unfortunately, the people who had been placed in charge and are the only ones the fans get to have any interaction with, are the ones that get the sour grapes. They're the ones that get the rotten tomatoes thrown at them by the fans because there isn't enough interaction with the band. That's normally just the band not interested in doing more with the projects than just setting them up and letting it go.

I could be wrong, as I don't know the details to what is happening with KISS Online, but there are complaints from fans and I think the band should take that information to heart. NOT by getting rid of the fans who do the site, but rather to get a little "computer-dirty" and actively work on the site with those fans. It would mean so much more to the fans to see the band getting involved than for a person just taking some photos of the band on tour for the umpteenth time. Let's see some interviews done solely for the site, some more private moments from the band itself there. Make it something that one can only get there and nowhere else and the fans will come around. Until then, the site is getting criticized out the wahzoo for reasons that the people doing it have no real control over.

Many fans did agree that the band needs to move past some of the typical "fit Answer A into Slot B" interviews that they are known for, and that other members besides Gene should be used in promotional interviews as well. There also needs to be a bit less snipping at other bands (like the REM comment listed above). As Emilio Pacheco mentioned in his response, "Stop putting down other acts. You've more than earned your place in rock history. No rock book can afford to ignore you. You've even earned the respect of some reluctant rock journalists. So FORGET Rolling Stone and stop acting like you have to prove something. You don't have to prove anything, so stop acting like resentful children in interviews."

A powerful point that I really can little to. The band has been in a defensive mode for so many years, that they seem to have a hard time working without it. Even when the fans say they want to see something different, it could still be taken as an insult, which is certainly not the intention of many of the fans that are here. Who will be there when the band plays again, warts and all. No matter what.

In conclusion, however, Christopher Crowder said something in his response to me that I felt had to be stated here. His comment below was probably the most powerful one that anyone made:

"Even though I am a huge fan (my son can name all of the planets in the solar system and each of the original members of KISS on sight!), I really think that the band needs to re-evaluate their attitude towards their fans. Instead of an attitude that says, åWorship us because we're KISS!¼ they need to re-develop the attitude into one that says, åWe're KISS and when we're done working our magic, you're going to worship us!¼"

That's pretty much wraps up what most of us fans want.

Email Dale Sherman at justabob@iglou.com

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