Paul Stanley Speaks On Oshawa KISS ShowGene Simmons, the fire-breathing front man of KISS, gave a tongue-lashing to the media and to some extent the band's Oshawa fans yesterday, but fellow guitarist Paul Stanley was playing a different tune.
"I'm really pissed off at the media for creating this nonsense," Simmons told The Canadian Press yesterday, suggesting that the press had spoiled the surprise the band had in store for Oshawa – KISS was going to reward the city with the launch their new Sonic Boom album in October.
"Respectfully, the fans aren't qualified to understand how things are done ... (they) don't know how things work," Simmons said.
KISS fans in Oshawa were outraged earlier this week when they heard the city was not one of the band's dates on its current tour.
Oshawa had won an online voting competition to determine whose hometown would be included in the band's "Kiss Alive 35" tour.
Stanley was a little more understanding than his band mate.
"You may hear a slightly different story from Gene, but so be it," he told the Star from Los Angeles.
"The media was carrying the dissent and upset feeling of the fans. They weren't creating anything, they were reporting it. Don't blame the messenger."
Stanley said a "comedy of errors" led to Oshawa being left off the tour when an incomplete schedule was announced.
"The size of the production turned out to require a larger venue," KISS spokesman Erik Stein told the Star on Monday. "In this case, that turned out to be the Air Canada Centre."
This, according to the band, was not really the case.
Stanley said Oshawa was actually going to be on next leg of the tour, which hadn't been announced yet. The outcry from Oshawa's KISS fans compelled the band to make a change and play there sooner.
"Oct. 7 was not originally deemed the day we were playing Oshawa," Stanley said. But "to sooth everybody's hurt feelings and concerns" KISS decided to launch their new album in the KISS-loving city.
"The fans were understandably upset, but no harm meant, and certainly no slight," Stanley said. "It was clearly announced that Oshawa was the number one city, so it would be insanity to not play it."
With files from The Canadian Press
