Are Kiss Coming Here? My Thoughts & Opinions: Plus, A LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!!

So, I know many of you guys have noticed that Kiss haven't scheduled a Sault Ste. Marie stop on the first leg of their tour. But before you all start sending Gene Simmons hate mail, I wanna clear the air a bit. Yes, we were led to believe they would be here this fall, that's when the tour was advertised to take place. And yes, the tour dates announced so far are from the fan-routed tour voting, this is clearly said in press releases. And yes, despite the hopes of Kiss Army soldiers in this town, there isn't a Sault stop on the tour. The closest shows are Kiss' two shows in Detroit on September 25th and 26th.

I'm not sure what the total outrage level is among Saultites over this, but over in Oshawa (who led the voting, but don't have a listed date either), they're already jumping the gun and assuming that they've been fucked over. Oshawa municipal politicians were told personally that Kiss were coming, but a band spokemsan said "a few situations" led to scheduling shows in neighboring areas instead of the specific city that led in voting. And so, Toronto and London, both neighbouring cities of Oshawa, have shows. So what happened in our case? It can't be the same situation, because there are no Kiss shows scheduled within 5 driving hours of here, and the next closest cities with bigger arenas (Sudbury and Traverse City) don't have a Kiss concert either.

So if that excuse doesn't apply to us, did Kiss just go back on their word? I really doubt it. We know from Brian Kelly's Sault Star article on Friday that details were being worked out and The Essar Center expected to find out a definite date by early September. So I don't think they just said "Ah no, we're not going there, screw Sault Ste. Marie", we definitely are/were in the plans. That same article mentioned that Kiss' pyrotechnics were a sticking point in the discussions of the show's planning, which could be a reason why the show isn't scheduled this fall, but nowhere else does it mention any real "trouble", per say, in organizing the show.

I do believe this show is in the works, or at least was. You wanna know why? Here's direct quotes from Kiss' press release, with certain parts emphasized:

"KISS Alive 35 North America marks the FIRST LEG of the world's first fan-routed tour ... The fans have spoken, the votes have been tabulated, and the waiting is over as Kiss unveils the FIRST MARKETS."

FIRST LEG. FIRST MARKETS. See that, the announced dates AREN'T THE ONLY DATES. As long as they meant what they wrote, then THERE ARE MORE SHOWS SCHEDULED!!! Now, that's not to say that's a complete explanation for why we don't have a 2009 show, but it should be at least some hope. Maybe they're waiting to work out any issues, maybe they're saving smaller cities for their own tour next year, maybe we just weren't in the definite plans for this year and were always in the second leg. We don't know, we have to see. I just felt I should clear the air on the whole Kiss situation, before anyone starts blowing a gasket over the fact there's no show booked. Be patient, something tells me one is coming. Stay tuned, this won't be the last we'll hear out of this story.

Alright, I just had to put in my words on that issue. Now, how can I close this post....oh yeah, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!! According to a post on The 705 Scene Forums, London hard rockers Ministry of Zen are returning to Sault Ste. Marie! You guys voted them as your favourite local metal show of the first half of 2009, and they're back for more! They will hit Coch's Corner once again on October 30th with locals Sense of Truth opening! Now, neither band have confirmed the show on their respective pages, but the concert's validity seems legit, as it's in a topic for the upcoming Coch's Corner listings! If I'm in town that weekend, I will absolutely be at this show! I will keep you guys posted on any news and updates on it as they come in!

So there you go, my opinion of the newest Kiss stuff, and a local concert alert! Concert previews tomorrow, and whatever else I can find! And read my post immediately below for news on that Kiss article from The Sault Star, some random band updates, and changes I made to the links section, including newly added local music forums! Stay tuned, and thanks everyone!