About 6,000 rabid soldiers -- the elite guard of the unwavering KISS Army -- were on hand to re-live 1978 for a while at Copps Coliseum last night, helping their kabuki-faced commanders film a scene for the movie Detroit Rock City.

And it was a match made beautifully in hell. Hollywood meets Hamilton.

Asked to dress for the part, most aptly came as they were, not having to dig too deep in the closet for this wardrobe change.

If you were in a lumberjack shirt, you were OK. Exposed navels were the inny thing, many puffed to a squint.

"I've been a fan since Day 1 and I wouldn't miss this for the world. It's all I listen to," said Gerry Hill, a lifelong fan of the band who brought his wife, Nancy and daughter Sarah from Wellandport for the shoot.

The throng, a few well-masked but others looking more like Halloween Al Jolsons, had to contend with the grind of movie production.

Long boring delays punctuated by brief but fiery appearances by the band was the order of the evening, but folks managed to keep their cool as camera booms hovered around them.

Sound and light technicians fiddled endlessly with equipment, and band members sympathetically entertained the crowd, preening themselves, signing autographs and flicking guitar picks into waiting hands.

The plot of the flick, due out next year, centres on four kids -- Hawk (Edward Furlong), Lex (Giuseppe Andrews), Trip (James De Bello) and Jam (Sam Huntington) -- and their adventures trying to get into a KISS concert at Detroit's Cobo Hall, played with aplomb last night by our very own Copps.

Twenty years ago, 20 minutes ago, or 20 years from now, it didn't matter to this loyal crew. This was time suspended, part live, part Memorex.

"I've got Paul Stanley posters wall-to-wall in my house and a tattoo of him on my butt," said 29-year-old Shawna Wolfe of Toronto, who resisted requests for a showing. "This is worth it. These guys are the best."

Mark Murray of Hamilton has also been on board since the mid-'70s. He witnessed the original Love Gun tour when it swung through Kitchener 20 years ago.

"This is very nostalgic," said the 37-year-old, "and they're much the same (as back then). They have a great chemistry on stage and the light shows just get better."

It's true the nostalgic feel was everywhere. Stepping outside Copps, one expected to see teenagers tumbling out of yellow AMC Pacers and blue Chevy Novas on to Bay Street, wrapped in their brand-new Star Wars T-shirts.

Inside the arena, an impressive cache of '70s wigs were doled out to the extras, and the security staff all donned faux big-hair for the night. The garish neon seatcoverings of Copps, too, fit perfectly into the retro motif.

Murray attributes the band's ultra-loyal following to a mutual respect.

"They really have great respect for their fans," he said. "And because they look the same, the fans can look up there and see that nothing's changed. "They've always done anything they've done to excess."

Mark Andrews and his buddies from Newmarket arrived in full gear, and the 23-year-old seemed impressed when told he'd been noticed from the stage by KISS bassist Gene Simmons.

Andrews, who was wearing a red cape, was informed by a crew member to take it off since it was actually 1979 tour attire. Simmons had noticed. "Really? Maybe he should get us backstage, then," he said with a chuckle.

Be prepared to be smothered in KISS over the next 12 months, at least. In addition to the movie and their ongoing Psycho Circus tour, there'll be a New Year's Eve date with Dick Clark, a pre-coin toss appearance at the Super Bowl, and a Playboy cover in February.

Copywrite 1998 Hamilton Spectator

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