April 15, 2004 / 525 reads
2.5 tons of greasepaint... 4,362 gallons of fake blood... 3,400 smashed guitars, tons of explosives and lights... and enough platform boots stacked end to end to circle the globe... for more than thirty years, “The Greatest Rock ‘N' Rock Show on Earth" has played more than 3,500 concerts in front of 78 million fans around the world. And it's not over yet. You wanted the best, you got the best!! VH1 Classic presents KISS - back this summer with a new show, new stage and a set list featuring rarely heard gems from the entire KISS catalog along with more fire, more screaming guitars and more spectacle than ever with their ROCK THE NATION tour. And if that isn't enough, POISON, the most glam of all the glam-rock bands will be joining KISS for the tour that is sure to put the sweat back into Summer!! It all begins in San Antonio, TX on June 10.
Purveyors of decadence and excess since the Seventies, KISS invented stadium rock with their sci-fi Kabuki costumes, explosive theatrics and, of course, their garish make-up. In their extensive world tours, they've attracted the most rabid fans: The KISS Army. KISS rocked 800 million viewers at Super Bowl XXXIII (while managing to stay fully clothed), breathed fire into the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and welcomed the New Year with a bang at Times Square for four consecutive years.
None of the pyrotechnics and make-up would matter without the music: Destroyer, Rock and Roll All Over, Love Gun and Alive became the soundtracks for teenage rebellion. They have recorded more gold records than any other American band in history and have sold more than 80 million albums worldwide. Now in their third decade of musical mayhem, KISS is as vital as ever. Their 1997 release, Psycho-Circus, climbed the charts and nabbed a Grammy nomination. They started 2003 by performing live with the prestigious Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (all donned in KISS make-up) before a sold-out crowd of over 40,000 fans at Australia's Telstra Dome. The performance was recorded and released on the certified gold KISS SYMPHONY - ALIVE IV CD (KISS Records/Sanctuary Music Group) and on the double-platinum DVD, KISS SYMPHONY, which debuted at No.1. The year 2003 culminated for KISS with their co-headline tour with Aerosmith, which stands out as one of the most successful tours of the 21st century.
POISON exploded out of the LA club scene and onto the national stage, and Bret, Bobby, C.C. and Rikki never looked back. With a string of multi-platinum records and Top Ten hits that included "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Something To Believe In," "Unskinny Bop," "Nothin' But A Good Time," "Talk Dirty To Me," "Your Mama Don't Dance," etc., Poison went on to sell over 20 million records, and garnered a solid fan base around the world. Throughout the band's many ups and downs, as shown VH1's "Behind The Music" episode, which was seen by over five million viewers the weekend it premiered, fans who flock to their sold-out shows year after year have come to expect an exciting, high energy show in true Poison tradition. Says lead singer Bret Michaels, “Throughout our entire career, we have been headlining, but I look at the opportunity to go on the road with KISS as a complete honor. Poison's set will be nothing but hits, a balls-to-the-wall, all thriller-no filler, stage show."
Tickets for ROCK THE NATION with KISS and POISON go on sale beginning on April 24, 2004. For show and ticketing information, check your local listing or log onto www.cc.com.
