WENN | Contact Music

Veteran rockers Kiss were booed by fans after they turned up an hour late to launch their residency in Las Vegas on Wednesday (05Nov14).

The band made a grand entrance by helicopter as they arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to kick off their run of gigs in the city, but they left their hundreds of devotees waiting in the desert heat.

After finally arriving more than an hour behind schedule, the group was booed by fans, who were left covered in dust from the helicopter landing. Many were unable to see their idols’ entrance due to a large truck parked outside the venue.

An onlooker tells Wenn, “Kiss arrived for night one at the Hard Rock Hotel via helicopter. In full make-up. They were an hour late and it was so badly laid out that fans couldn’t see a thing. And got covered in dust… The security positioned fans in a decent way, but then they parked the van right in front of 60 per cent of the people who had been waiting nearly two hours for a good view. There was much booing (sic)… A lot of unhappy people with tired feet.”

However, the band went on to perform a spectacular first night show to kick off the residency, and during the encore, they reinforced their support of the U.S. military by presenting a retired solider with a mortgage-free home in Las Vegas.

Former Staff Sergeant John Hosea received the keys in a special presentation ceremony on stage as part of a joint venture with the Project Rebuild charity and the Military Warriors Support Foundation.

Speaking after the show, Kiss frontman Paul Stanley confirmed to a Wenn source that he is having a “good time” and enjoying the Las Vegas stint so far.