KISS Fans Flock To Expo
Former drummer Eric Singer is guest of honor at event
By Lisa Jackson / The Detroit News
NOVI -- Former KISS drummer Eric Singer has fond memories of Detroit and its rabid rock fans. "I travel and talk with fans all the time, but Detroiters are very loyal, very eager, very knowledgeable. They seem to remember the most minute details surrounding the band," he said. Singer, who left the band in 1996, will re-experience that loyalty when he is the guest of honor at the 1998 Detroit KISS Expo on July 26 at the Doubletree Hotel in Novi.

The Expo was created five years ago by Joe Marshall, 35, of Westland, who has been a KISS fan since "a long as I can remember." The KISS fest moves to Novi this year from the Troy Marriott, where 1,500 to 1,800 fans showed up every year. The daylong event includes a wide variety of KISS memorabilia, such as 20-year-old lunch boxes that now cost about $185. Dolls, costing about $1,000 for all four members -- Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss -- also will be sold at the expo.

In addition to the expo, devotees also can find new KISS action figures on store shelves, made by McFarlane Toys of Plymouth. The new series of figures, called "Psycho Circus," ties into the McFarlane/KISS comic book series and the band's upcoming album. McFarlane Toys owner Todd McFarlane is also the creator of the African-American comic book hero Spawn. "KISS has really let the company go wild with our ideas. Their only request is that the makeup is correct. The figures still have to be instantly recognizable as KISS," he said.

If you're going The KISS Expo is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 26 at the Doubletree Hotel, 27000 Sheraton, Novi. The tickets, which cost $14 each, are available at all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at (734) 326-9054.