Photo: Danny North/NME
Kiss bassist Gene Simmons will be singing the US National Anthem this weekend at London’s Wembley Stadium for the NFL International Series game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
Simmons will sing ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ before the 6pm [BST] kick-off on Sunday September 29. He has previously sung the US National Anthem at last year’s Oakland Raiders’ home game against the San Diego Chargers, reports Antimusic.
Speaking about his impending performance at the American Football game, Simmons commented: “I’m excited to be touching down in London to sing our US National Anthem at the Vikings-Steelers game. I always love playing a role in these types of high-action, fast-paced games, not to mention returning to the UK and performing in front of some the best fans in the world!”
Gene Simmons recently rated Miley Cyrus‘s tongue-wagging display at the MTV VMAs last month, calling it “a girl’s version”. Cyrus stuck out her tongue provocatively on numerous occasions during her now infamous medley with Robin Thicke at the awards bash – a performance which also saw her point at Thicke’s crotch with a foam finger and “twerk” against the front of his trousers. Cyrus’s exploits became a hot topic online and drew criticism from a leading US parents’ group and the inventor of the foam finger, who claimed that the singer had “degraded” an “icon”.
Simmons, who is known for showing off the full length of his seven-inch tongue on stage and in publicity photos, has said to Rolling Stone of her antics: “It was OK, but that’s a girl’s version. It’s like girls’ basketball. It’s as good as girls can get at basketball. But you can’t play with the guys.”