KISS' Gene Simmons to headline music festival in Braman
By Jimmie Tramel / Tulsa World
Gene Simmons of KISS is coming back to a little town in north central Oklahoma. This time, he�s performing.
On Jan. 12, Simmons and band mate Paul Stanley traveled to Braman to announce they are partnering with the Kaw Nation to bring a Rock & Brews Casino Resort to Kay County.
On Monday, it was announced that Simmons will return to Braman to headline an all-day outdoor music festival at Southwind Casino. The festival will take place Thursday, April 6. Simmons� performance will begin at 7:30 p.m.
�I cannot wait to perform for my devoted fans here in Oklahoma, where I�m always greeted with a warm welcome,� Simmons said in the press release. �I�m also thrilled to play on the future site of the Rock & Brews Casino Resort.�
The press release described the event as a �day-long celebration of music, food and fun for all ages.�
The festival will take place rain or shine and will include food trucks, a beer tent and hourly performances by various rock acts. Among performers are Drowning Pool, Taddy Porter, BC and the Big Rig, Nicnos and Jenny Wood. Doors will open at 1 p.m., and performances begin at 2 p.m.
A �Queen of Rock� Pageant will take place at 7 p.m., just before Simmons takes the stage.
General admission tickets are $35. Reserved seats are $50 and are eligible for an upgrade to meet Simmons for an additional $100. Tickets can be purchased at southwindcasino.com. Tickets will come with a Match Play valid one time only to be used at the casino from April 7-30 and a free appetizer to be redeemed at the Rock & Brews restaurant in Oklahoma City.
Simmons and Stanley are among partners in the Rock & Brews restaurant brand, and they are making their first venture into the casino resort business.
�You don�t know how big � this is going to become,� Simmons said while in Braman in January. �You�ve got to remember, Las Vegas was desert once upon a time. Now, 44 million people come into Las Vegas every year. If we get 1/100th of that coming here, it�s going to be an explosion.�
According to a fact sheet distributed when plans for the casino were announced, the casino resort will include a 250-room hotel with a spa and fitness center, a 77,528-square-foot casino, a bingo hall, a conference center, four �luxury� retail stores, a travel plaza/truck stop and a 1,500-seat event center.
�It isn�t just going to be a fancy place where rock stars and beautiful women and gaming is going to go on,� Simmons said in January.
�It�s actually going to substantially increase everybody�s life quality in and around the area. People are going to come here from all over the world.�
