Daily Archives: May 21, 2019

VINNIE VINCENT’s Latest Comeback Performance No Longer Advertised On His Web Site

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Blabbermouth

Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent‘s performance at the “Speedballjamm”, which was scheduled to take place next month at the S.I.R. Soundstage in Nashville, Tennessee, is no longer being advertised on his web site.

The “Appearances” section of VinnieVincent.com contains no mention of the June 7 event, but includes the following message: “Come see the legendary Vinnie Vincent in person! Vinnie will be appearing at a variety of events for musical performances, meet and greets, autograph sessions, photo ops, and more! Check the listings below for an appearance in your area!”

Vincent‘s “Speedballjamm” appearance was being billed as an intimate event, with only 60 VIP tickets being made available at the cost of $300 per ticket. The performance was supposed to see Vincent backed by his handpicked musicians, Mike Weeks and Chuck White.

Less than a week ago, fans reported via social media that fewer than a dozen tickets had been sold for the “Speedballjamm”.

A representative for S.I.R. confirmed to Ultimate Classic Rock that the show won’t be happening at the venue, explaining that it had been pulled from the schedule this morning and that its only involvement with the event was to rent the space to Vincent.

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Rocker Gene Simmons fights back tears at Pentagon talking about how late mother loved US: ‘America is the promised land’

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The Blaze

We’re all used to seeing rocker Gene Simmons dressed as a demon onstage with KISS, breathing fire and letting fake blood drip from his famous tongue.

But last week, Simmons visited the Pentagon and presented a far more subdued image — and offered words that just might earn him a few more fans.

Simmons was promoting military service as part of the Pentagon’s public relations push #Knowyourmil, McClatchy reported. But he also spoke about his mother who died recently at the age of 93 — and how she loved America.

“I’m a proud son of a concentration camp survivor of Nazi Germany,” Simmons began, stopping a number of times to compose himself as defense personnel listened in the Pentagon briefing room. “My mother was 14 when she was in the camps.”

A late-night revelation

Simmons — who was born in Israel — recalled that when his family first came to America, his mother worked six days a week and let him stay up late to watch TV with her. Simmons couldn’t understand much of what was said on the screen, but he remembered that when stations signed off at midnight, a U.S. flag filled the black-and-white screen — and the national anthem was played.

We’re all used to seeing rocker Gene Simmons dressed as a demon onstage with KISS, breathing fire and letting fake blood drip from his famous tongue.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesBut last week, Simmons visited the Pentagon and presented a far more subdued image — and offered words that just might earn him a few more fans.

 

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KISS frontman Gene Simmons delivers briefing at Pentagon podium that has not seen a spokesperson in almost a year

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CNN

New York (CNN Business)As the frontman of KISS, Gene Simmons occupies rarefied air — a rock star who entertains arenas filled with adoring fans. On Thursday, Simmons joined another exclusive club, conducting only the second on-camera press briefing at the Department of Defense in the last year.

The only other person to stand at the Pentagon Briefing Room podium over the past year? The movie star Gerard Butler, who was there last October to promote a new movie.
It’s just the latest sign of the Trump administration’s ongoing marginalization of the press briefing, long a conduit through which the president and the cabinet have communicated policies and priorities to the news media and the public.
Simmons was on hand Thursday to address Department of Defense personnel and meet with outreach officials as part of a Pentagon initiative to engage the broader public with regards to military activities. He also paid a visit to the White House later in the day.
The last time a press secretary briefed reporters on camera at the Pentagon was May 31, 2018. The White House press briefing, meanwhile, is in the midst of an unprecedented drought. Come Friday, it will have been 67 days since White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has held a press briefing.
“The White House hasn’t held press briefing in so long that the lectern in the briefing room is quite literally gathering dust,” CNN White House reporter Maegan Vazquez tweeted Wednesday, posting a photo of the particles that had collected on the lectern.