Will McGuirk
NewsDurahamRegion
Photo by Laura Stanley

Halloween came early to Oshawa this year, 35 years in the making.

Dressed as a mashup of Transformers meets Josie and The Pussycats, KISS transformed the ice shed of the General Motors Centre into a full-on rock 'n' roll bonanza Wednesday night. The concert that was, then wasn't, then was, is now done. Mel Lastman once called in the army to help his city. Our civic fathers and mothers went one further, calling in the KISS Army to help what Macleans magazine called a sad and desperate city.

Well, we know better. Oshawa is not down. It's not out. It's merely resting its eyes, waiting for the right reason to get up and get its party on. KISS provided the reason. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and the two new guys are custom-made for this town, SHWA Rock City Baby. Get up out of your rocking chair grandma, KISS is in the house.

By Nick Patch

TORONTO - Kiss delivered on its promise to Oshawa, Ont., on Wednesday with a supersized show that spared no flair, flames or facepaint.

Even playing to 6,134 fans within the relatively cozy confines of Oshawa's General Motors Centre, the classic rockers seemed to manage to pull off every extravagant stunt of their reliably over-the-top show.

And they didn't miss an opportunity to pay respect to Oshawa, the town that won the right to the concert by pouring votes into an online contest hosted by Kiss.

"We've been to Moncton, we've been to Sudbury, we've been to Saskatoon - we've never been to 'Shwa," singer-guitarist Paul Stanley bellowed from the stage, using a popular local nickname for the town that he would repeat again and again.

"Tonight, we change all that."

Here's KISS performing "Modern Day Delilah" and closing the show with "Detroit Rock City" on Jimmy Kimmel Live from Detroit's Cobo Arena!

After winning contest, recession-weary Oshawa finally feels rockers' love

After winning contest, recession-weary Oshawa finally feels rockers' love

It was the KISS of life Oshawa needed.

Thousands of music fans and regular folks revelling in the positive vibes turned out to welcome one of the biggest rock bands in the world to a city hungry for good news.

"There's bad news all over the country but this is terrific," beamed Joe Bosco, 76, outside the General Motors Centre where the concert took place Wednesday night.

As the show started, a giant Google map appeared on the screen and zoomed in on Oshawa.

After the second song, guitarist and singer Paul Stanley asked the crowd: "How ya doin', good people of 'shwa? So lemme ask you a question - did you really believe that we weren't coming to see you? No way!"

Part of KISS' performance at Detroit's Cobo Hall Arena will be seen on tonight's edition of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The show airs at 12:05/11:05c on ABC TV.

KISS is excited to announce five additional dates have been added to their North American Alive 35 Tour!

Stay tuned to KISSONLINE for on-sale information.

MARKET	VENUE	SHOW DATE
KANSAS CITY, MO	SPRINT CENTER	Thu, Dec. 10, 2009
TULSA, OK	BOK ARENA	Tue, Dec. 08, 2009
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA	MID-AMERICA CENTER	Fri, Dec. 11, 2009
PITTSBURGH, PA	MELLON ARENA	Sun, Dec. 13, 2009
SAULT STE. MARIE	ESSAR CENTRE	Tue, Dec. 15, 2009

As you've probably heard by now, it's been a rough week for David Letterman. If the remedy for his personal and professional turmoil is a lick on the ear from the unhumanly long tongue of Gene Simmons, he was in luck yesterday. Kiss were the musical guest last night on the Late Show, transforming the Ed Sullivan Theatre into Madison Square Garden for five minutes with a performance of their Sonic Boom single "Modern Day Delilah."

"Our next guests are here to blow the roof off the dump, ladies and gentlemen," Letterman told the Late Show audience while introducing Kiss, whose Sonic Boom hit Walmarts across the country yesterday. The potential Rock and Roll Hall of Famers seemingly packed their entire stage show - including the pyrotechnics behind drummer Eric Singer - onto Letterman's tiny set, resulting in one of the most exciting Late Show performances in recent memory. And then came the lick: Simmons' massive tongue surprised Letterman as the host went to greet the band following their performance.

In case you missed the Late Show performance, Kiss will be back on late-night tonight after midnight when they perform a pair of tracks on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The Kimmel performance was actually pre-recorded September 24th during a private warm-up show at Detroit's Cobo Arena, where 1,500 fans took part in a show that also doubled as a shoot for the "Modern Day Delilah" video.

Here's KISS performing "Modern Day Delilah" on David Letterman's Late Show!

'Gene Simmons Family Jewels," the A&E reality show starring the spidery, fire-breathing, tongue-dangling KISS bassist as a family man, is stuffed with slumber parties, home movies, teen girls saying, "Whatever," and (somewhat randomly) a depressed comedian Carrot Top at a bar. But it doesn't have Paul Stanley. "God knows, he's asked me enough times," says singer and guitarist Stanley, who co-founded the band with Simmons in 1972. "There's nothing that appeals to me less than creating a TV life, as opposed to living my private life. It's just not for me. I also don't like the idea of confusing what Gene does with what KISS does. It's better to keep 'em separate."

For a man who has spent the past 37 years wearing demonic black-and-white makeup and singing "Love Gun" wearing leather pants and no shirt, Stanley, 57, is pointedly serious on the phone. Asked about Casablanca Records, the '70s disco label that broke KISS and was known for its executives' copious cocaine use and excessive behavior, Stanley says he spent little time there. Asked about Ace Frehley, the fellow band founder who spends much of his newfound solo career bashing KISS as sellouts in the press, Stanley says he's just glad the guitarist is clean and sober. Asked what he wants for Christmas, Stanley delivers a mini-lecture about supporting the American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

By Ian Drew

Still rock 'n' rolling all night after 35 years together, KISS just released their 19th studio album, Sonic Boom. Founding members Gene Simmons, 60, and Paul Stanley, 57, open up wide for US.

Q. Do you ever get tired of wearing your stage costumes?

SIMMONS: No, it's our war paint.

Q. Gene, what do your kids [Nick, 20, and Sophie, 17] think of you?

SIMMONS: That their dad's cool! He spits fire and throws up blood.

Q. Taylor Swift dressed up like you guys on stage recently. Thoughts?

STANLEY: She's a phenomenon. It's terrific. We influence so many.

Q. Worst idea for merchandise?

STANLEY: Unfortunately, the KISS ice cream. It all melted!

By Martin Howell

It's been a long time since KISS last released an album, the somewhat patchy "Psycho Circus," but they're finally ready to unleash the formidable "Sonic Boom" on the world. Martin Howell had a chat with the Starchild himself, Paul Stanley, to get the lowdown on the album.

I have to admit that I was a little unsure whether or not KISS would be able to return to their former glories. Their last album was a decade ago and whilst it had its moments, it certainly didn't recall their glory years. Then after a "farewell" tour that saw the end of the original line-up, two new guys were drafted in to wear the costumes and make-up. But a few years on the road and the new line-up was settled enough to hit the studio. The resulting "Sonic Boom" will hit an unsuspecting public shortly, and truth be told, it's a bit of a monster, a real return to the glory days of the late 70s.

Oshawa hasn't just been KISSed. The city has been seized in a lip-lock that's set it on fire.

Chilly winds couldn't cool the passion of KISS fans eagerly awaiting Wednesday night's concert by the rock group at the General Motors Centre.

"I am going to be the favourite mom in Oshawa tonight!" shrieked Debbie Craig as she scored three last-minute tickets at the box office.

All 5,600 tickets sold out within 10 minutes weeks ago but a block of 20 seats suddenly opened up this afternoon as the stage was being set up.

"They're huge fans," Craig said of her sons, aged 13 and 15. "Woo hoo!"

The band had initially left Oshawa off their list of stops on this fall's tour, despite the city winning an online contest to host the band. The apparent snub of the recession-hammered city hit the airwaves, TV screens and headlines.

Craig Ferguson discusses KISS during his monologue during last night's Late Late Show!

The self-proclaimed hottest band in the world, the painted, stacked boot-sporting heroes who got your reviewer into the world of rock n' roll aged 12, are back.

No, seriously, they're REALLY back. 35 years young, the band have miraculously recaptured the spirit, heart, and sound of classic KISS. Guitarist Tommy Thayer sounds more like predecessor Ace Frehley in his heyday than, well, Ace Frehley does.

Demon Gene Simmons, as well as trademark sleazy vocals, produces his best bass work in years while Starchild Paul Stanley still has the voice and the pen for a massive chorus.

Sonic Boom is the classic sound of a legendary band rocking out and loving it. Who expected that from KISS 2009?

By James McNair

KISS "Sonic Boom" - their first studio album in 11 years.

Astonishingly, Sonic Boom finds our preposterous, yet ever-entertaining rockers remembering they were a band before they were a brand. Dispensing with outside songwriters, linchpins Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have knuckled down alongside Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer to make a rock n' roll record with mid-70s KISS albums as their vindicated yardstick.

Danger Us, an unlikely tale of TNT-like sexual chemistry betwixt rocker and unnamed rock chick, is about as subtle as things get, but on the early-Zep-like I'm An Animal and short, poppy Never Enough, KISS re-harnesses the appealing swagger that originally lay beneath the greasepaint.

All that said, in the U.S., Sonic Boom is going to maximum impact retailer Walmart alongside "other KISS products."

By Martin Howell

It's been a few years since "Psycho Circus," and just when you thought KISS were going to just carry on doing greatest hits tours, along comes a new album. This time around it's the Gene and Paul show, plus Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

One of the problems with "Psycho Circus" was that the band were trying hard to recreate the past glories of the original line-up, and it kind of fell a little flat. On this album they're under no such pressure, so of course they've nailed it.

Opener "Modern Day Delilah" is a good indicator of the sound of the album. It's a great KISS track with a cool vocal from Paul, but it's far from being the best track on the album.

Offerings like "Never Enough" and "Yes I Know (Nobody's Perfect)" really evoke the sound of KISS' early years. Gene has described the sound as being "Rock 'N Roll Over" meets "Love Gun," and I have to say he's pretty close on songs like these.

"Stand" has a big sing-along chorus that should go down well live, kind of like "God Gave Rock 'N Roll To You" but with more muscle. This one also gives Gene and Paul a chance to sing together.

I have to admit that I had some doubts as to whether or not KISS could pull this off. With no new material since 1998, things weren't looking good. But this album is a tremendous return to form. Vocally, Paul gives one hell of a performance, as does everyone else. An unexpected but very welcome triumph.