How Kiss Got Closer to Their Fans

Kiss fans have grown to expect what Gene Simmons describes as a “gathering of the tribes” at the Kiss Kruise, which first set sail in 2011 and has happened on a semi-annual basis since then.

But the masked legends had a chance to test out the concept more than a decade prior to that when they hit the road to meet fans and perform stripped down acoustically-based sets at the first official Kiss conventions. They did a series of dates overseas in Australia in February of that year and brought it to America in June. The American dates kicked off in June at the Burbank Hotel in Los Angeles, with former drummer Peter Criss joining in on the fun for two songs. Dates continued through the summer and eventually wrapped up in August in Pittsburgh.

The acoustic gigs showed a side of Kiss that most fans had never seen. The set lists had an off-the-cuff feeling and featured a lot of deep cuts from the band’s catalog and it was more casual in other ways too. “It was fun, especially for us, because you’re right up close with the fans,” Simmons recalled, while speaking to UCR earlier this year. “In the middle of the songs, you can engage in a conversation or [answer a] question and you don’t have to worry about sets or lighting or any of that.”

Watch Kiss Perform in Detroit in 1995

The jam with Criss foreshadowed a full reunion that took place for MTV Unplugged  that year with the drummer and also guitarist Ace Frehley reuniting with Simmons and Paul Stanley to play a selection of songs together. It was the first time the original four had performed together since 1979. As we know now, a proper reunion tour followed and did big business.

READ MORE: When Kiss Reunited on ‘MTV Unplugged’

But the experience of doing the convention gigs left an important mark that they’d come back to in time. “The Kiss conventions begat the Kiss Kruises,” Simmons confirms. “We decided to do that, in essence, to get closer to the fans. Because when you’re up on that stage, whether you’re playing a stadium or arena, you know, there’s all that energy going off the stage, visual and sound and all that. And even though there’s lots of energy coming from the fans up there, it’s not as personal, because there’s a lot a lot of them.”

Why the Kiss Conventions Were Important

Former guitarist Bruce Kulick highlights an additional layer of importance behind those early Kiss conventions in 1995. “There’s not many bands that could do this,” he points out during a separate conversation. “I’ve been to Beatles conventions, and as much as the Who or Led Zeppelin or AC/DC  are gigantic, I don’t really hear about a lot of conventions or anything like that with bands like that. We know that Kiss is so unique, and, of course, the makeup, and then all the products. But there is some passion connected to it that people want to come together and celebrate it. That’s [also why] the right conventions have carried on through the years.”

“The Kiss Kruises — and there were 13 years of that — really gave us a chance to get closer and get to know the fans from 34 different countries, I might add,” Simmons concludes. “You get a much more personal experience from that, instead of just showing off. And there’s nothing wrong with showing off. I like doing that too, but it’s a different experience for us and the fans. The [upcoming] Kiss Army [event] in Las Vegas is going to be like that too.”

How They’ll Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Kiss Conventions and More

A wide variety of events are on tap for Kiss Kruise Land-Locked in Vegas, which is set for this weekend (Nov. 14-16) at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Simmons will reunite with Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer for two “Unmasked” Kiss concerts as part of the festivities. Kulick confirms that he’ll sit in with his old bandmates for their second performance as well.

The event is being held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kiss Army, and the 30th anniversary of the first Kiss fan convention. In addition to performances from Kiss, Kulick, Sebastian Bach, Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini of Ratt, Quiet Riot and more, there will be exclusive activities and Q&A sessions with Simmons, Stanley, Thayer and the band’s longtime manager Doc McGhee.

READ MORE: Kiss Shares Plans For Vegas Weekend

Watch Kiss Announce Land-Locked in Vegas