BY CHRIS SWEENEY

HEAVY metal lords KISS had a blast in Scotland last night... when their spectacular pyrotechnics shot flames 40 FEET into the air.

The legendary rock 'n' roll warriors - done up in their trademark warpaint - ripped the roof off Glasgow's SECC on their mega Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour.

And the rockers turned the huge arena into a giant cauldron as 10,000 sweaty punters sweltered in front of their awesome show. The superstar group appeared on a steel bridge which swooped over drummer ERIC SINGER, then on to to the massive stage as they thundered out Morning Day Delilah.

It was their first Scots gig since 1992 and frontman PAUL STANLEY, 58, screamed: "It's been a long time since we were in Scotland and y'all better be ready.

"Man, it's an honour to be here. We are gonna get this place so hot that they're going to have to call out the fire department."

Crazy axe-lord GENE SIMMONS despite being 60, coughed up BLOOD, which covered his face while he cranked out I Love It Loud.

The outrageous rockers, who've shifted over 100 million albums, thundered out tracks from their glittering 37-year career including Crazy Crazy Nights. And guitarist TOMMY THAYER joined the other two for some sychronised dance moves.

Two hours of insane stunts and deafening rock music - just another day at the office for Kiss.

More video from last night's show! Enjoy these fan-filmed clips of "Deuce," "Say Yeah" and "I Was Made for Lovin' You!"

By Eamon Sweeney

A group of entrepreneurial geniuses outside the O2 are painting faces for a fiver.

They're doing a roaring trade, in stark contrast to the almost-deserted burger and hot-dog stands. I haven't witnessed such enterprise on the way to a gig since a bunch of bright sparks flogged fake eyebrows at Oasis's first appearance at Slane in 1995.

Kiss inspire a unique devotion. In an age when most bands look almost exactly like their audience, they're a blast of old-fashioned outrageousness.

The make-up also comes in handy in helping to conceal how much they've aged, but they're also one of those rare groups where it really doesn't matter if they're 19 or 90.

Kiss are about bright lights, flying guitars, fake blood, breathing fire and a relentless barrage of ear-piercing fireworks. Oh, they also manage to play some songs.

The flamboyant four boast huge hits from the 70s ('Rock 'n' Roll All Night'), 80s ('Crazy Crazy Nights') and 90s ('God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You'). Tellingly, no recent material has enjoyed the same iconic anthem status.

They sound amazing, look bonkers and put all the bombastic fun back into rock 'n' roll.

Here's KISS on the cover of News of the World's A-Listed magazine!

Read the full article here.

Check out these great photos of the KISS tour jet, with the plane's crew, Tommy, Eric, Paul and Gene!

Photos by Spiro Papadatos for KISSonline.

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

Check out these great KISS Nike sneakers spotted in the window of Fred Segal Feet in Los Angeles!

Check out these fan-filmed clips of "Crazy, Crazy Nights," "I Love it Loud" and "Detroit Rock City" live from tonight's Scotland show!

ROCK GODS REVEAL ALL AHEAD OF THEIR FIRST GIG IN SCOTLAND FOR 20 YEARS

By Tim Barr, 09/05/2010

"DON'T touch my a**," warns Gene Simmons.

He's in no imminent danger. A-Listed is a shade over 6ft but, even without his platform boots, America's most legendary rocker is a good few inches taller.

And standing side by side with his towering presence, you get the distinct impression that, if anyone's going to be molested, it won't be him.

A hand the size of a bear's paw, and just as heavy, drops on A-Listed's shoulder.

Suddenly, in the space of a stalled heartbeat, it snakes from shoulder to throat as he grabs A-Listed in a playful stranglehold.

"I'm 230lbs. I could never have joined The Rolling Stones," he grins. "They're HALF my size."

The God Of Thunder, it turns out, has a wicked sense of humour.

A-Listed is backstage with Kiss as their brilliant Sonic Boom Tour rolls into Europe.

Around us, the greatest rock'n'roll show of all-time is being assembled.

More than a dozen massive artic trucks have disgorged tons of equipment as 44 permanent crew members - plus a squad of hired-in locals - rig the stage with hundreds of lights, pyrotechnics and special effects.

KISS @ LG Arena, Birmingham, 05-05-10

by Dave Musson

There are few better things to do on the eve of a general election than going to something that is a million miles away from politics. A concert by legendary hard-rockers KISS on their Sonic Boom over Europe tour is just the ticket. They may be cheesy, they be old, but boy does this band know how to entertain.

Right from the opener of Modern Day Delilah, the Birmingham crowd goes nuts for what is surely one of the best stage shows in rock. KISS have fire, rising platforms and giant video screens to go with their famous makeup and platform shoes, and when they’re on stage doing their thing, it's hard not to like them, or at the very least admire them.

The hits are all here including Calling Dr Love, Crazy Nights and God Gave Rock n Roll To You, meaning everyone in the close to sold-out arena went home happy. A live show by KISS is just as stupendous and bombastic as they have ever been and their energy on stage puts younger bands to shame. If you want heartfelt lyrics or witty metaphors from your music, this would have been hell, but if you just want to rock out and have a good time then KISS are the band for you. They may have doing this for decades, but on tonight's evidence there is plenty more to come from the black and white hellraisers.

View more photos from the show here.

Let's KISS and make up at the arena: A dip in the Gene pool

by David Dunn

AS KISS arrive, all flamethrowers blazing tomorrow, don't expect any modesty from the mighty Gene Simmons.

"I love the sound of my own voice," he admits at the start of our face to (make-up-free) face chat in a swanky London hotel.

But for the all the bravado and bombastic stage shows, the KISS bassist and lead singer is a big man with a big heart, not least when it comes to seeing the influx of new young fans in the crowd having caught the KISS bug, thanks partly to their long overdue album Sonic Boom.

"It's the kick of a lifetime and sometimes very emotional on stage," says Gene. "I know this sounds likes a soundbite, and I accept that criticism, but when I'm on stage I have a Jekyll and Hyde kind of thing.

"When I get up on stage it's full-on who I am at that time. I'm sweating like a pig even though I'm not out of breath, you're adrenaline kicks in, your heart's pumping, your chest cavity gets bigger.

"And when I look out into the audience and I see a five year-old kid in KISS make-up on the shoulders of his dad in the same make-up, it really affects me emotionally. I have cried on stage and when they see it, they cry.

"There's this band-fan connection. There is a KISS nation, a KISS Army."

KISS is Everywhere!

Here's Gene on the cover of The Star's entertainment section, "Time Out!"

Check out KISS fan Nick's great KISS Unmasked tattoos! Nick writes that he'll be attending the London shows later this week! We love to see your KISS tattoos, so keep them coming...

LETTERS

Check out these great Dublin KISS photos by Ramsey Cardy.

Check out his site http://www.shoottothrill.co.uk/

I had a blast at the Sheffield and Newcastle gig's and I still can't believe I had a Meet & Greet with KISS. I'm 40 years old now and a fan from when I was 7 years old. My first kiss lp was actually "KISS" and the rest followed.

Now I also manage the kiss tribute band KISS on the Rocks. So the meet & greet is really a great happening for every KISS fan, especially in my case, for years I wanted the signatures, of the original members tattooed on my arm.

Last year I had a meet and greet with Ace Frehley and he signed my arm and I got it tattooed the next day. Now I had the chance to get Gene and Paul to sign my arm, and luckily they did! They even took great pictures of the happening, and I'd love to share them with everybody .

On Sunday my arm was signed and on Monday I had to fly home to Holland, the next day the signatures where put in my skin forever at tattoo Mick's shop in Dordrecht.

So enjoy the pictures.

Cheers,
Hans(CrewTaTToo)van de Ven

KISS IS EVERYWHERE!

Here's scans of the Paul Stanley sections of the May Spanish Metal Hammer.

Thanks to Fernando Martinez and Javier Rueda for sending KISSonline the images.