News

I've got really mixed feelings about this, whist it's something that should've happened years ago, most KISS fans have already turned their back on the shambles that is the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Are they just included to shut us up for a while? Maybe I'm just being cynical, but there is a bitter taste in my mouth (although I will still vote anyway ;-) ...

From Rolling Stone:
"The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 are in, and the list includes Nirvana, Kiss, the Replacements and Hall and Oates. The rest of this year's hopefuls are the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, LL Cool J, N.W.A, Link Wray, the Meters, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, Yes and the Zombies. The top vote-getters will be inducted in April at a ceremony in New York City.
"

You can vote for KISS over at the Rolling Stone website.

Here's what we have all been waiting to hear, Gene has mentioned in a recent interview with Classic Rock that KISS will be touring the UK in spring 2014. Whist we heard similar rumours about a year ago, this is still very promising:

"..there are rumours of a Kiss doing a spring tour of the UK in 2014.
'That’s true. And as an avowed Anglophile I can’t wait. But the UK is a very strange place; it really is like the Hobbit world, a magical kingdom. The Europeans call you European but the English don’t. You’re a very small island surrounded by water. You didn’t invent rock’n’roll or blues or jazz, but you strange little people with your strange foods and odd colloquialisms created the music that rules the world – The Beatles, the Stones, The Who, Zeppelin ad infinitum – and you continue to do so.' "

Full interview

For those who watched SoccerAM at the weekend you may have seen Gene put his gum on Helen Chamberlain's notes and tell her to ebay it! Well guess what, it's now available on ebay and all the money will go to The Charity Street League!

You can bid here: KISS Gene Simmons Gum

Here's a couple of stills taken by us during the NFL footage, one of Gene singing and another of Gene with Colin Murray. YouTube footage of the performance can also be found below.

Here's a collection of pictures from Gene's appearances on SoccerAM and Sunday Brunch this weekend - after both shows 'Gene Simmons' was #1 trend on Twitter in the UK! Gene singing the US national anthem will be on later today on Channel 4.

Gene will be a guest on Sunday Brunch this Sunday on C4 (starts 9:30AM). He will also be on Rock & Roll Football on Absolute Radio on Saturday, the full schedule is as follows:-

Friday:
Talk Sport 3.00pm

Saturday:
Soccer AM 10.00am
Absolute Radio

Sunday:
Sunday Brunch (C4) 9:30AM
NFL at Wembley Stadium (C4)

Gene Simmons will be in the UK this weekend to sing the US National Anthem at Wembley Stadium for the Steelers/Vikings game (Channel 4 Sunday). He will also be making the following media appearances:-

• Soccer AM - Sky 1/Sky Sports 1 - Saturday 10PM
• H&J show - TalkSPORT radio - sometime between 1-4PM

From NFL UK:

Rock legend and media mogul Gene Simmons co-founder and lead singer of KISS, will perform the US national anthem at the NFL International Series game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday September 29.

Simmons will sing "The Star Spangled Banner" prior to kickoff of the seventh NFL regular-season game to be played in the United Kingdom. He previously performed it at the Oakland Raiders’ home game against the San Diego Chargers in 2012.

Simmons, who co-founded Kiss four decades ago, said:  "I’m excited to be touching down in London to sing our US National Anthem at the Vikings-Steelers game. I always love playing a role in these types of high-action, fast-paced games, not to mention returning to the UK and performing in front of some the best fans in the world!"

Kiss have sold more than 100 million CDs and DVDs worldwide and continue to sell out stadia around the globe. In 2012, they released their 20th studio album, "Monster", which made the top three of the Billboard charts within its first week. Simmons is well-known to UK television viewers for his eight series of "Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels", as well as the two series-long "Gene Simmons’ Rock School", which aired on Channel 4.

Simmons was also recently announced as the co-owner of the LA Kiss, which will begin play in the Arena Football League in 2014.

"We are very excited to have Gene playing such an important role in our game," said Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFLUK. "He is one of the most recognisable personalities in the world and has an incredible track record in the music business. We are proud to have him involved and I know the fans will get a real kick out of it."

The Steelers-Vikings game will kick off at 6:00 p.m. UK time (1:00 p.m. ET) and will be aired live in the UK on Channel 4, Sky Sports and Absolute Radio 90s and in the US on CBS.

The NFL will stage its second International Series game of 2013 on Sunday, October 27, when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the San Francisco 49ers.

Original article here.

Here's a video of Gene singing at a game last year:-

Backstage Auctions currently have a 'Rock & Roll Summer Classic' auction underway which has no less than 210 lots dedicated to KISS.

Among the items are hand-written lyrics to 'World Without Heroes', items from the estates of Peter Criss and Eric Carr, never-before-seen photos, an exceptionally rare 'Rock 'n Roll All Night' acetate and several unique recording reels.

The full list of items can be found here: http://www.backstageauctions.com/catalog/kiss/ac/0/765/

Also, there's a blog written specifically about the KISS contents in the auction.