Earlier this month, iconic rockers KISS shared more details on their 3-day Las Vegas event which is also set to include two performances from the band, acoustic and electric, both sans makeup.
The event was originally billed as “KISS Army Storms Vegas” but was changed to “KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas.” Frontman Paul Stanley appeared recently on “Artist Friendly With Joel Madden” and explained the decision to rebrand.
“It’s the hotel. It’s everything everybody has expected in the Kruises,” he said. “And we’ve sold out these cruises for, I think, 11 years. So Gene and I just got involved and rolled up our sleeves, because nobody can do us better than we can. And we felt very much that certain things were missing. And that’s what we’ve kind of re-christened this experience.”
Performances/appearances will include former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing the music of Ratt, Sebastian Bach, Quiet Riot, Black ’N Blue, School Of Rock, and KISS tribute bands Mr. Speed, KISS Nation and the Chris Jericho-fronted Kuarantine. Comedian Craig Gass and DJ Noiz will also be a part of the event.
KISS has also announced a Q&A session with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and manager Doc McGhee. Other panelists will include KISS producer Bob Erin, KISS photographer Lynn Goldsmith and KISS Army founders Bill Starkey and Jay Evans.
“It’s gonna be awesome,” Stanley said. “And we’re gonna play all the songs that we normally play, but I’ll be more like this (without any makeup) than I am… The KISS gear is hung up and that will stay in the bat cave. Look, I’ve always thought that you can get the biggest production and put on a big show and a band still sucks. A band that’s no good is still no good with all the trappings. And you could take a car, an old beat-up car without an engine and paint it any color you want, it may look beautiful, but it ain’t going anywhere. So, I’ve always thought that the band at its core has always been a kick-ass band.”
“I grew up going to the… I saw Hendrix twice in New York,” he continued. “Unbelievable. It was life changing. And that was at a college and at the Fillmore East. And I saw Zeppelin. I saw The Who, all these bands, in ’69. Derek and the Dominos, Humble Pie — you name ’em, I saw all these bands. And that’s what I wanted to be. Yeah, we dressed it up, but it comes down to people committed to the music, people on stage preaching what they believe.””
Stanley’s fill interview can be viewed below.
