KISS
KISS can be booked through this site. KISS entertainment booking site. KISS
is available for public concerts and events. KISS can be booked for
private events and KISS can be booked for corporate events and
meetings through this KISS booking page.
Unlike most middle agents that would mark
up the performance or appearance fee for KISS, we act as YOUR agent in
securing KISS at the best possible price. We go over the rider for
KISS and work directly with KISS or the responsible agent for
KISS to secure the talent for your event. We become YOUR agent,
representing YOU, the buyer.
In fact, in most cases we can negotiate for
the acquisition of KISS for international dates and newer promoters
providing you meet professional requirements.
KISS Biography
Rooted in the campy theatrics of Alice Cooper and the sleazy
hard rock of glam rockers the New York Dolls, Kiss became a favorite of
American teenagers in the '70s. Most kids were infatuated with the look
of Kiss, not their music. Decked out in outrageously flamboyant
costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show
featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting, and
fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands of kids. But
Kiss' music shouldn't be dismissed -- it was a commercially potent mix
of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock driven by sleek hooks and ballads
powered by loud guitars, cloying melodies, and sweeping strings. It was
a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop-metal
that dominated rock in the late '80s. Kiss was the brainchild of Gene
Simmons (bass, vocals) and Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, vocals), former
members of the New York-based hard rock band Wicked Lester; the duo
brought in drummer Peter Criss through his ad in Rolling Stone and
guitarist Ace Frehley responded to an advertisement in The Village
Voice. Even at their first Manhattan concert in 1973, the group's
approach was quite theatrical; Flipside producer Bill Aucoin offered
the band a management deal after the show. Two weeks later, the band
was signed to Neil Bogart's fledgling record label, Casablanca. Kiss
released their self-titled debut in February of 1974; it peaked at
number 87 on the U.S. charts. By April of 1975, the group had released
three albums and had toured America constantly, building up a sizable
fan base. Culled from those numerous concerts, Alive! (released in the
fall of 1975) made the band rock & roll superstars; it climbed into
the Top Ten and its accompanying single, Rock 'N' Roll All Nite, made
it to number 12. Their follow-up, Destroyer, was released in March of
1976 and became the group's first platinum album; it also featured
their first Top Ten single, Peter Criss' power ballad Beth. A 1977
Gallup poll named Kiss the most popular band in America. Kiss mania was
in full swing and thousands of pieces of merchandise hit the
marketplace. The group had two comic books released by Marvel, pinball
machines, makeup and masks, board games, and a live-action TV movie,
Kiss Meet the Phantom of the Park. The group was never seen in public
without wearing their makeup and their popularity was growing by leaps
and bounds; the membership of the Kiss Army, the band's fan club, was
now in the six figures. Even such enormous popularity had its limits,
and the band reached them in 1978, when all four members released solo
albums on the same day in October. Simmons' record was the most
successful, reaching number 22 on the charts, yet all of them made it
into the Top 50. Dynasty, released in 1979, continued their streak of
platinum albums, yet it was their last recorded with the original
lineup -- Criss left in 1980. Kiss Unmasked, released in the summer of
1980, was recorded with session drummer Anton Fig; Criss' permanent
replacement, Eric Carr, joined the band in time for their 1980 world
tour. Kiss Unmasked was their first record since Destroyer to fail to
go platinum, and 1981's Music From the Elder, their first album
recorded with Carr, didn't even go gold -- it couldn't even climb past
number 75 on the charts. Ace Frehley left the band after its release;
he was replaced by Vinnie Vincent in 1982. Vincent's first album with
the group, 1982's Creatures of the Night, fared better than Music From
the Elder, yet it couldn't make it past number 45 on the charts.
Sensing it was time for a change, Kiss dispensed with their makeup for
1983's Lick It Up. The publicity worked, as the album became their
first platinum record in four years. Animalize, released the following
year, was just as successful, and the group had recaptured their niche.
Vincent left after Animalize and was replaced by Mark St. John; St.
John was soon taken ill with Reiter's Syndrome and left the band. Bruce
Kulick became Kiss' new lead guitarist in 1984. For the rest of the
decade, Kiss turned out a series of best-selling albums, culminating in
the early 1990 hit ballad Forever, which was their biggest single
since Beth. Kiss was scheduled to record a new album with their old
producer, Bob Ezrin, in 1990 when Eric Carr became severely ill with
cancer; he died in November of 1991 at the age of 41. Kiss replaced him
with Eric Singer and recorded Revenge (1992), their first album since
1989; it was a Top Ten hit and went gold. Kiss followed it with the
release of Alive III the following year; it performed respectably, but
not up to the standards of their two previous live records. In 1996,
the original lineup of Kiss -- featuring Simmons, Stanley, Frehley, and
Criss -- reunited to perform an international tour, complete with their
notorious makeup and special effects. The tour was one of the most
successful of 1996, and in 1998 the reunited group issued Psycho
Circus. While the ensuing tour in support of Psycho Circus was a
success, sales of Kiss' reunion album weren't as stellar as
anticipated. Reminiscent of the band's late-'70s unfocused period, few
tracks on Psycho Circus featured all four members playing together
(most tracks were supplemented with session musicians), as the band
seemed more interested in flooding the marketplace with merchandise yet
again instead of making the music their top priority. With rumors
running rampant that the Psycho Circus Tour would be their last, the
quartet announced in the spring of 2000 that they would be launching a
U.S. farewell tour in the summer, which became one of the year's top
concert draws. But on the eve of a Japanese and Australian tour in
early 2001, Peter Criss suddenly left the band once again, supposedly
discontent with his salary. Taking his place was previous Kiss drummer
Eric Singer, who in a controversial move among some longtime fans,
donned Criss' cat-man makeup (since Simmons and Stanley own both
Frehley and Criss' makeup designs, there was no threat of a lawsuit) as
the farewell tour continued. With the band scheduled to call it a day
supposedly by late 2001, a mammoth career-encompassing box set was set
for later in the year, while the summer saw perhaps the most
over-the-top piece of Kiss merchandise yet -- the Kiss Kasket. The
group was relatively quiet through the rest of the year, but 2002
started with a bang as Gene Simmons turned in an entertaining and
controversial interview on NPR where he criticized the organization and
berated host Terry Gross with sexual comments and condescending
answers. He was promoting his autobiography at the time, which also
caused dissent in the Kiss camp because of the inflammatory remarks
made towards Ace Frehley. Frehley was quite angry at the situation,
leading to his no-showing of an American Bandstand anniversary show.
His place was taken by a wig-wearing Tommy Thayer, but no one was
fooled and the band looked especially awful while pretending to play
their instruments during the pre-recorded track. The appearance was an
embarrassment for the group and for their fans, but Simmons was quick
to dismiss the performance as another in a long series of
money-oriented decisions. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Greg Prato,
All Music Guide
Written by Stephen Thomas Erlewine