Metal Bands, KISS & Mötley Crüe Announce 'The Tour'
CONCORD (CBSSF/KROQ) - "You know, you may say that it doesn't look like classic rock 'n roll in the sense of what Elvis did, but all we've ever been, both bands I think, is Elvis on steroids," said KISS guitarist Paul Stanley at a press conference this afternoon (March 20) at the Hollywood Roosevelt to announce the co-headlining tour with KISS and Mötley Crüe.
The Tour makes a stop at The Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord on August 16, 2012
"It's Elvis through a Marshall Amplifier. We're there. We're celebrating life. We're celebrating all the things that life gives you…the freedom it gives you," broke down the guitarist, sincerity showing through his stage make-up. "And we're out there to say thank you to the fans."
Co-headlining a show with Motley Crue dubbed simply The Tour, Stanley went on to say that they "never forget" seeing bands that let them down, but they want to "make sure nobody's let down."
"That's why it's called The Tour," explained Stanley. "You see The Tour–you'll be deafened, blinded, you'll leave there stumbling out."
The Tour, which consists of a 40-plus date national tour starting July 20th in Virginia, will feature the same "bombastic" stage theatrics, pyrotechnics, and hard rock swagger that one might suspect at a KISS or Motley Crüe show.
However, Mötley Crüe drummer, Tommy Lee, wouldn't divulge any show secrets.
"Of course we have a lot of surprises," said the drummer coyly. "We're kind of known for those things. There's a lot of things we can't mention, of course. I think without giving away too much, I think everyone will just know to expect the unbelievable, the unexpected as usual."
The infamous Gene Simmons of KISS stuck out his iconic tongue and retorted, "We're actually in the middle of giving scientists the chance to do a 3D version of Tommy's sex video–which is going to be opening the show. It's going to poke out your eye…you'll see that c**k coming right at your face."
Following in Simmons' lead and insouciant as ever, Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars answered a question about his "health conditions" as bare-faced as possible.
"I could probably give you three words," said the 60-year-old rock star. "I don't care. As long as I can play, I don't care."
When it comes to such "multi-generational" bands as Motley Crue and KISS, age isn't a number with their audience. When the span of KISS' career was pointed out, Stanley replied,"I think, for us, KISS has turned into a tribal thing.
" What we're trying to do is the largest secret society..It's like this big cult where if you look across and you see your neighbor or your brother, it's like thumbs up, we're all in this together.
" "What we're trying to do is the largest secret society," Stanley elucidated. "It's like this big cult where if you look across and you see your neighbor or your brother, it's like thumbs up, we're all in this together."
"Yeah, it's multi-generational," Stanley continued. "It's like a rite of passage. What was great twenty years ago, thirty years ago, forty years ago is great today and people want to share it with their kids and show them what the real deal is about. A lot people out there can sell millions of albums, but they can't sell a phone-booth and that's because they don't know how to entertain."
"We are entertainers and proud of it."
This ability to entertain even inspired their tour mates. Motley Crue bassist, Nikki Sixx, confessed to having a KISS poster up in his room,
"I'll be honest with you," Sixx admitted. "Growing up…I had a KISS poster, an Aerosmith poster, and Sweet on the wall. For me to go out there and do this together is an honor…I think it's a perfect match. It could be a match made in hell…but it's a perfect match."
Simmons agreed that the co-headling tour is a "perfect match."
"Both Motley and KISS are united in one crusade," Simmons said. "We're sick and tired of girls getting up there with dancers and karaoke tapes in back of them."
" No karaoke singers allowed. No fake bullsh*t. Leave that to the Rihanna's and anyone who ends their name with an 'A.'
" "What you're going to hear onstage is live music," continued Simmons. "All the bombs are real. All the music is real. The guys you're seeing onstage playing their instruments are playing their instruments. No karaoke singers allowed. No fake bullsh*t. Leave that to the Rihanna's and anyone who ends their name with an 'A.'"
KISS and Motley Crue's tour will undoubtedly be raw, unbridled rock 'n roll. Exactly what made them famous before technology and diluted media reputation stepped in and created "stars."
In the words of Stanley: "We're not going to be preaching about saving the whales. We're not going to be talking about toxic sludge. We're up there to rock 'n roll."
"Everyone deserves a night off and that's what this is."
KISS AND Motley Crue: The Tour
Jul 20-Bristow, VA at Jiffy Lube Live
Jul 21-Virginia Beach, VA at Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
Jul 22-Raleigh, NC at Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Jul 24-Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Jul 25-Charlotte, NC at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul 27-West Palm Beach, FL at Cruzan Amphitheater
Jul 28-Tampa, FL at 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
Jul 31-Pelham, AL at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Aug 3-Houston, TX at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 4-Dallas, TX at Gexa Energy Pavillion
Aug 7-Albuquerque, NM at Hard Rock Casino Presents The Pavilion
Aug 8-Englewood, CO at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Aug 10-Phoenix, AZ at Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
Aug 11-Las Vegas, NV at Mandalay Bay Arts Center
Aug 12-Chula Vista, CA at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug 14-Irvine, CA at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 16 - Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Aug 18-Auburn, WA at White River Amphitheatre
Aug 19-Ridgefield, WA at Sleep Country Amphitheater
Aug 24-Grand Junction, CO at Rock Jam
Aug 26-Tulsa, OK at BOK Center (on-sale 3/30)
Aug 27-Maryland Heights, MO at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug 29-Minneapolis, MN at Minnesota State Fair (on-sale 3/31)
Aug 31-Cincinnati, OH at Riverbend MusicCenter
Sep 1-Noblesville, IN at Klipsch Music Center
Sep 2-Pittsburgh, PA at First Niagra Pavilion
Sep 4-Nashville, TN at Bridgestone Arena
Sep 5-Clarkston, MI at DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sep 7-Tinley Park, IL at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sep 8-East Troy, WI at Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Sep 11-Allegan, MI at Allegan County Fair (on-sale 5/5)
Sep 12-Cleveland, OH at Blossom Music Center
Sep 13-Toronto, ON at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Sep 15-Darien Center, NY at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Sep 16-Mansfield, MA at Comcast Center
Sep 18-Scranton, PA at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Sep 19-Camden, NJ at Susquehanna Bank Center
Sep 21-Holmdel, NJ PNC at Bank Arts Center
Sep 22-Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Sep 23-Hartford, CT at Comcast Theatre
Tickets for the tour go on sale beginning Friday, March 23rd at LiveNation.com and both bands will have fan club pre-sales beginning Wednesday, March 21st at 10am.
