Fourth batch of KISS Day stuff

Can't forget drummer Eric Singer!




And the big finale to a great day!




Thanks again to everyone and to www.kissonline.com, kissfansite.yuku.com, kissasylum.com and any other websites out there that have reposted my stuff.

What a day and what a great time!

Third batch of KISS Day stuff

Yet more KISS Rock and Roll Day in South Dakota from Sturgis, August 4, 2008.

Paul Stanley in action.




And lead guitarist Tommy Thayer.

KISS Rock and Roll Day, Sturgis, South Dakota

ALRIGHT STURGIS!!! YOU WANTED THE BEST, YOU GOT THE BEST! THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD! KISS!!!



What they are saying is the largest crowd in the history of the Glencoe Campground's Rock'n the Rally amphitheater made Monday, August 4, 2008 a special one for KISS and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. A reported 40 to 50,000 fans saw South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds and Sturgis Mayor Maury LaRue present the band with a proclamation making it KISS Rock and Roll Day in South Dakota.

Here are (left to right) Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley, Governor Rounds, and Eric Singer backstage before the show.



Eric Singer had fun adjusting the Governor's vest so that only Eric's picture on the shirt underneath showed.



And here they are onstage.




The Governor's proclamation saluted the band for their support of the military, which Paul Stanley reinforced near the end of the show. He dedicated the concert to all men and women serving in Armed Forces overseas and called America the "greatest country in the world."

Being backstage with the band was a surreal experience. The Rock'n the Rally facilities include small houses as dressing rooms for the bands and we spent a large amount of time standing around in the house that KISS was using to apply makeup and costumes. Seeing the look on the Governor's face the first time Paul walked out in full costume towering over everyone else in the room was priceless. Seeing Gene Simmons in makeup and a bathrobe dismayed at the number of people in the house was hilarious. Watching the wardrobe gals carry bits and pieces of costumes through was strange. I never expected to see Gene's codpiece or armored arm bands without him in them.

Here's Tommy Thayer signing an autograph in the kitchen.



The show itself was nothing short of the awesome spectacle you expect from KISS. The band lowered from the light rig at the intro, Eric's drum riser raised and lowered with smoke billowing out of it along with platforms for Gene and Tommy, Paul flew to the back of the audience to do "Love Gun," Gene flew to the top of the lights for "I Love It Loud," and so much confetti filled the air during "Rock and Roll All Nite" that at times it was hard to see the stage. Fire breathing, guitar-smashing, and fireworks they should have been able to see over at the Kid Rock concert across the road - it was all there. I was told it included $100,000 worth of pyrotechnics and fireworks.

Here are some photos.











I want to thank Doc McGhee and Melissa Madden at McGhee Entertainment, Cile Montgomery at Rozone Productions/Giant Media, Gary Lippold at Glencoe, Pepper Massey at the Sturgis Motorcyle Rally, Mayor Maury LaRue, Governor Mike Rounds, Mitch Krebs, Mike Mueller, Joe Hamm, and of course, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer, Eric Singer for making this wild idea I had into reality. Also, all the members of our team at South Dakota Tourism - Melissa Bump, Wanda Goodman and Scott Howard especially, that helped create something really cool and generate a lot of good publicity. Special thanks to my son Cody Coppess for sharing the day and night with me and putting up with a lot of logistical problem-solving through the whole thing.

We wanted the best, we got the best!

One more pic from backstage - Who did we run into but Kory Van Sickle from Kory and the Fireflies and his lovely wife Traci. So, here they are with KISS. Gene seemed to think Kory needed some help with his expression.

KISS coming to Sturgis Rally!

Okay, I'm going to claim responsibility for this one! I don't usually include direct ads for concerts here, but this one is special to me.



For about two years, the Glencoe Resort at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has included a "Vote for who you'd like to see at Rock'n' the Rally" feature on their website. I have filled KISS in all three choices on the ballot and emailed it in probably a couple hundred times. And guess what? My wish came true!!!



Find all the info and order tickets at www.rockntherally.com or www.kissonline.com.

And yes, my tickets are already on the way!

ZZ Top, Rapid City, SD

For several years in the early 90s Harley-Davidson put on a concert during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally at their rally headquarters in the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City. The concert seemed to alternate between ZZ Top and the Doobie Brothers. In 1994 it was ZZ Top.

This stage was huge and designed to look like an old-fashioned radio. At the front edge of the stage was a giant treadmill belt that went the full width. So from time to time Billy Gibbons and/or Dusty Hill would step on it and almost instantly be on the other side of the stage. It was a very clever and fun prop that I've never seen on any other stage.





For those of you who can't tell the ZZ Top guys apart, that's Billy above. Dusty has the little bit longer beard, and the guy behind the drums with no beard - his name is Frank Beard.

Joan Jett/Smashmouth, Sturgis Rally

More Joan Jett and the Blackhearts! This is August 8, 2007 at the Glencoe Campground's "Rockin the Rally" during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.
I saw Joan back in 1982 on the "I Love Rock'n'Roll" tour and she looked and sounded just as good 25 years later. This version of the Blackhearts band has been together for several years at this point and play really tight. If you like punk/hard rock, this is one of the originals.
Also, if you've ever seen Joan Jett, you've seen this guitar. She's been playing that same Gibson Melody Maker for as long as I know. It's gone from a nice white finish to covered with stickers, to the stickers being worn off from lots of hard use. Kind of like Willie Nelson's "Trigger" guitar that I've got some pictures of somewhere.









Opening the show that night was Smashmouth, who sounded pretty good as well. Here's one of their drummers.

Quiet Riot/Firehouse, Rapid City, SD

This was the 2003 version of the "Rock Never Stops" tour with Firehouse, Quiet Riot, Great White and Dokken at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 7, 2003. My friend Thad and I went to this show and to Sturgis the next day to watch "Kaptain" Robbie Knievel jump over 100 Harley-Davidsons for Harley's 100th Anniversary.

Firehouse (below) is one of Thad's favorites and we had fun talking with them before and after their set.



Quiet Riot (below) was even better than we expected them to be. If I remember right, this was their first tour with the classic lineup reunited. They seemed to be having a great time, despite the fact that there were probably less than 200 people at the show.





We stood around next to Great White's Jack Russell while he ate some chili fries at the concession stand, but couldn't think of anything to say to him. As Great White started their set a huge storm rolled in. By song #3, lightning was hitting all around the speedway and the wind was knocking the cymbal stands down and ripping the canvas "roof" off the stage. The band decided to quit and take cover. Thad and I didn't need to wait around for hours to see if the rest of the show ever happened, so we left. Never did hear if Dokken played.

Cheap Trick, Sturgis, SD

Cheap Trick at "Rock'n' the Rally" on August 10, 2006. This concert was held at the Glencoe Campground outside of Sturgis, SD during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. A huge video screen above the band made for some interesting images, like the one of Robin Zander about to be crushed by his own hand.