Concert Reports

Rock ‘n Roll doesn’t get any bigger than this! KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE... On the same stage... On the same night. This spectacle of spectacles announced today, KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE are uniting to launch THE TOUR of 2012. The summer's biggest, baddest rock tour will level 40+ cities nationwide starting July 20th.

 All Photos: Kevin Estrada www.KevinEstrada.com

blog: www.kevinestrada.wordpress.com

KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE held a press conference today (Tuesday, March 20) at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California to officially announce details of their co-headlining 2012 North American summer tour, simply dubbed "The Tour". The trek — which will see KISS closing the show each night — will kick off on July 20 in Bristow, Virginia and will run through September 23 in Hartford, Connecticut. The Live Nation-promoted tour will go on sale beginning Friday, March 23 at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. The KISS Army fan club pre-sales begin Wednesday, March 21 at 10 a.m.

Said MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx: "Growing up, I had a KISS poster, AEROSMITH poster and SWEET on the wall, and for me to go out and do this together, it's an honor. I know what KISS is about — I've been watching them for years — and I think it's a perfect, perfect match. Maybe a match made in hell, in some places in America they may think, but it's a perfect match and it's gonna be all night long — hits, bombs, girls, topless a few. MÖTLEY CRÜE and KISS — I can't wait to experience it myself."

Added KISS frontman Paul Stanley: "Nikki and I have been in touch with each other and just going, 'This is awesome.' This is something we're all really fired up about. It's double what either one of us could do, so exponentially it's that much bigger. Whatever either band is capable of doing, you do it double on one night. It's out of the park, man. We're gonna level each city, literally."

With combined album sales of almost 200 million, KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE are more than just iconic; they remain today as the dominant powerhouses of rock music tallying 30+ chart-topping hits, countless sold out tours and awards and accolades from around the world. Known for their elaborate and spectacular stage shows, each band plans to give fans the ultimate summer concert experience with the most impressive lighting and sound production ever and their signature over-the-top pyrotechnics. This is the first time KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE will share a stage since 1982.

KISS consists of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. MÖTLEY CRÜE consists of Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee.  

These veterans of the music business are still at the height of their popularity. KISS is the juggernaut of them all, with 3,000 licensed merchandise products, including the KISS golf course in Las Vegas and a new album. KISS has broken box office records set by The Beatles and Elvis. MÖTLEY CRÜE is the first rock band in history to have just completed an epic sold-out Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The band is best known for continuing to reinvent not only their live show (with mind blowing elements such as Tommy Lee’s 360 drum roller coaster) and music (brand new song due out this spring), but remain on the cutting edge via social media interaction. MÖTLEY CRÜE’s New York Times bestselling book The Dirt is currently being adapted into a major motion picture. Last month, the band was featured in one of the highest rated Super Bowl ads of all time for the KIA Optima.  

For tickets & VIP packages, including opportunities to meet KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE, please visit www.KISSonline.com or www.Motley.com

KISS AND MÖTLEY CRÜE THE TOUR:

Jul 20 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Jul 21 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
Jul 22 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Jul 24 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Jul 25 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul 27 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheater
Jul 28 Tampa, FL 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
Jul 31 Pelham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Aug 3 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 4 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavillion
Aug 7 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Casino Presents The Pavilion
Aug 8 Englewood, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Aug 10 Phoenix, AZ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
Aug 11 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Arts Center
Aug 12 Chula Vista, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug 14 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 16 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Aug 18 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre
Aug 19 Ridgefield, WA Sleep Country Amphitheater
Aug 24 Grand Junction, CO Rock Jam
Aug 26 Tulsa, OK BOK Center (on-sale 3/30)
Aug 27 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 29 Minneapolis, MN Minnesota State Fair (on-sale 3/31)
Aug 31 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sep 1 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
Sep 2 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion
Sep 4 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sep 5 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sep 7 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sep 8 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Sep 11 Allegan, MI Allegan County Fair (on-sale 5/5)
Sep 12 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
Sep 13 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Sep 15 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Sep 16 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Sep 18 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Sep 19 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Sep 21 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sep 22 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Sep 23 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre

Stanley told The Pulse Of Radio that his band has never thrown a slow pitch opening act simply to make KISS look better. "I've never been a fan of bands who take on weak support to make them look good, or because they're not sure that they're up to the task," he said. "I always think that if you put on the great acts before us, then we go out there and have to prove why we deserve to be the headliner."

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun about the upcoming tour, "It's going to be really cool because KISS is bringing their full stage show, and MÖTLEY will be bringing our full stage show, so you are going to see two huge headliners at the same time. It's going to be one of the biggest tours of the summer, if not the biggest."

MÖTLEY CRÜE recently entered drummer Tommy Lee's studio called The Atrium in Calabasas, California to begin recording a new song that will be released to coincide with the band's upcoming tour.

KISS has completed recording its new album, "Monster", for a summer release. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "It's A Long Way Down", "Back To The Stone Age", "Shout Mercy", "Out Of This World", "Wall Of Sound" and "Hell Or Hallelujah".

Visit www.KissOnline.com and www.Motley.com for Ticket info  

« Back to Concert Reports