www.metal-rules.com Legendary U.S. band KISS started its long awaited European leg of the Monster tour in Friends Arena, Stockholm on 1’st of June. The band introduced in front of 30 000 fans, its new spectacular stage set called the...
www.metal-rules.com Legendary U.S. band KISS started its long awaited European leg of the Monster tour in Friends Arena, Stockholm on 1’st of June. The band introduced in front of 30 000 fans, its new spectacular stage set called the “Spider”. Two days later, KISS landed in Finland and played a sold out show in the Hartwall Arena. I met the band’s drummer, Eric Singer, the day after the gig at the hotel in Helsinki. Eric was really excited about the new tour and because of his very good mood we then had a long conversation about the Monster tour, the Spider, KISS fan-dom, the future of KISS, and various other topics. Read on! NEW STAGE SHOW Marko: First of all Eric, I have to say that the new Spider stage is amazing! Eric Singer: It’s going to get better. We are still working it out and it will take more, like maybe about eight or nine shows, until it’s ready. Marko: So you are going to add more elements and parts on it? Eric Singer: You’ll see, yeah we are. We didn’t get to rehearse, we tried to rehearse with it and the stuff wasn’t working. So, on the first day we only played music. First show was first time we were doing this thing. We came in that day to practice the beginning. So, it will get better. Paul and Doc saw the stage when they had built it, because they designed it, Paul designed it, but I did not see it until we came to Stockholm, I only saw… I didn’t physically see it with my own eyes until we came. I saw the videos when Paul first came, he sent me video clips showing me how it looks, how some things moves and things like this. I saw just a video clip where he went to the place where they built it and the way they designed it. So, he went there and my drum tech, the tech, that production man, they all went there. I didn’t go. I only saw it when we got here. And then my drum tech, he told me, “Here is how it’s going to look, your drum riser is going to be this big.” Because the crew put this together with Paul, Paul designed and the crew built it and then they tell them what we need. Like my drum tech for example would say, “Eric’s drum set is going to be this many pieces. If it’s this big, we need this size of drum riser. Because originally they want to make it smaller, I said, “No, I need it big because I have more than like 3-4 toms.” I have a lot of drums, I’ve got seven tom tom’s, so.MONSTER TOUR AND SET LIST TALK Marko: The album MONSTER was released in October 2012 and you been doing a few tours after that. I was going to ask, why it took so long until you now introduced this new stage? Eric Singer: The reason why was this. We were going to do the tour of the MONSTER, when the album came out, and then the opportunity to go on tour with Motley Crue together as a co-headline bill came up, the offer. And Gene and Paul and Doc and Motley Crue guys, everyone decided like….They thought was a cool thing and a good idea, they said, “Okay, let’s do that.” So, they decided to call it The Tour and instead of doing a KISS Monster tour they decided to do a co- headline special tour together and said “We will do a proper Monster tour later. We will go to new stage and do it for that.” So, that’s the reason it happened. Marko: So, this current one is the actual Monster tour? Eric Singer: So, this is now the Monster tour because. Like said, we did the Motley Crue thing. And then they asked us to go down to Australia with Motley Crue again, they wanted us to do I think more days here, but Motley Crue really decided they want to go do Canada. We came over here to do this instead and then will go to Canada. So, now was the time. Then they said, “Okay, now will go to new stage with new Monster tour.” And now it’s the Monster tour. Marko: On new set list, there are only two songs included from MONSTER. Isn’t this tour purpose to promote the new album? Eric Singer: Why, how many do you want? Marko: I would like to hear something like four to five new songs? Eric Sin