“You wanted the best? You got the best!”
Such was the introduction to every show by the legendary rock band KISS for the decades since its formation in 1973.
After endless touring, the band – Paul Stanley (guitar), Gene Simmons (bass), Tommy Thayer (lead guitar), and Marc Singer (drums) – played what it swore was its last show Dec. 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The tribute band KISSNation may only have 15 years under its belt, but it too vows to give the best show possible to fans of the original band. Those folks can judge for themselves when the New Yorkers perform at the Allen Theatre, 36 E. Main St., Annville, on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12 and 13.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. each night. Tickets are $35 and are available at www.allentheatre.com or by calling 717-867-4766. The shows will be filmed for later use.
KISSNation is Billy May (as Stanley), Ruby Rinekso (as original guitarist Ace Frehley), Joe Anastasi (as Simmons), and Allen Rolleri (as original drummer Peter Criss).
May explained how the band started and why in an email to LebTown.
“I had always played in original bands,” May wrote. “The band I was in at the time was breaking up. We were on a small record label that wanted to do a follow-up record, but on a much smaller budget. It was time to do a brutal assessment of where we stood in the music industry at the time and decide what was best.
“There wasn’t that much of a market for what we were offering at the time, so moving forward with a smaller budget didn’t seem to make sense. I had always been in bands my entire life, so once I went on hiatus from playing original music, it seemed like a fun idea and a good excuse to still get on stage paying tribute to my favorite band.”
He’s been a KISS fan for so long, he said, that he “can’t recall the first time I discovered (them) because I was too young to have developed long-term memory yet.”
“There is literally not a time in my life where I don’t remember being a KISS fan,” he wrote. “A lot of my fondest childhood memories related to KISS in one way or another. I think a lot of people feel that way and that’s part of what keeps KISS as popular as they are.”
He became KISSNation’s Starchild when the band needed a singer.
“I had a reputation for having a similar voice to Paul Stanley,” he said. “They gave me a call and the rest is … well … KISStory!”
It’s not just the voice, May says. He identifies with Stanley the most of any of the members – and when you think about it, he has two jobs to do, both portraying Paul Stanley and portraying Stanley’s alter ego, just as the other members must assume the Demon (and Simmons), the Space Ace (and Frehley), and the Catman (and Criss).
“I think people are naturally attracted to what they can relate to,” he wrote. “For me, as much as I love all the members of the band, the only one that I feel comfortable portraying is Paul. I think part of that is because of a natural similarity and part of that is because of the influence he’s had on me.
“It’s clear that I’m in character as Paul, but it all comes naturally to me. If it didn’t, I don’t think I would be able to do this. I’m not trying at all. I just do what I do,” he added.
KISSNation does material from every KISS era, from classic ’70s tracks like “Detroit Rock City” and “Rock ’n’ Roll All Nite” to ’80s ones like “Lick It Up,” and includes songs from both the makeup and no-makeup periods.
May wrote about some of his favorite tracks, noting that “my favorite songs and my favorite songs to play live aren’t always the same thing.”
“I love ’70’s classics like ‘Detroit Rock City’ and ‘Hotter Than Hell,’” he wrote. “Those are always fun to play live, too. ‘Heaven’s on Fire’ is a great ’80’s song that we always have in the show.
“But with a catalog as vast as KISS has, it’s hard to sneak in personal favorites like ‘Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me,’ from Paul’s solo (album) or something like ‘Modern Day Delilah,’ from one of their more recent albums. Ultimately it’s not about what my personal favorites are, but more about what songs generally go over well with the audience. Obviously, it’s always nice when the two overlap, though!” he added.
The band has worked with KISS itself on things like appearances for toy lines and promotions, like Simmons’ autobiography and Silvertone Guitars, which produces Stanley’s guitar line. May explained how those have come about.
“Each situation is unique, but generally what happens is there’s a third-party licensee that’s working on a KISS project and they’re looking for unique ways to promote whatever it is they’re doing,” he wrote. “So sometimes they might use a tribute band to help with their event or product.”
May believes KISS means what it says this time: that it will never tour again.
“All good things come to an end sometime, and I think it’s just too physically demanding for them to continue,” he wrote. “Doing a show like theirs is a lot different than just doing a standard concert.”
He thinks ultimately their greatest contribution to music – despite the derision of critics and their continued exclusion from the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame – is greater than any such recognition.
“I think they made a lot of people very happy over the years,” he wrote. “They had a positive impact on millions of lives. What could be a greater contribution to anything than that?”
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