Technical difficulties at KISS Show

Despite technical difficulties involving mechanical parts of the show (GENE SIMMONS' flying rig didn't descend fully to the stage, PAUL STANLEY's left him suspended over the audience rather than transporting him to mid-arena, and the "Black Diamond" disco ball didn't spin), KISS' concert at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California was terrific--musically tight, fun, energetic, and a great way to bid farewell. The packed house included many fans in KISS outfits and or makeup, and one couple in full-on wedding attire who clearly came to the concert straight from church. Also in attendance were BRET MICHAELS, ERIC SINGER and his GLAMNATION cohorts RYAN ROXIE, TEDDY Z, and STEFAN ADIKA (their next show is May 6 at Club Makeup at Hollywood's El Rey Theater), and BLAS ELIAS, who's been in L.A. filming Metal God (which will get a title change). Opening act SKID ROW had a calamity of another sort: SNAKE SABO was wheeling around backstage in a wheelchair, his right leg in a cast up to his knee, the result of an accident in Las Vegas two nights before. Arriving in Las Vegas early for Friday's concert, Sabo was having fun at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino until he went to the men's room and slipped in a puddle of vomit, breaking his ankle in three places. He had surgery on Friday and was unable to perform on Friday night, but did make it to the stage on Saturday at the Pond, using crutches and sitting on a stool to play. Skid Row, with new singer JOHNNY SOLINGER, sounded great in their short (half hour) but rocking set. They'll be playing occasional headlining shows on days off during the KISS tour, including one this Wednesday, March 22, in Santa Ana, California. DAMN YANKEES is back! Portrait Records has finally greenlighted the project after a long delay, but with a few changes. Joining Jack Blades and Ted Nugent will be Damon Johnson of BROTHER CANE on guitar and vocals and none other than Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy. Tommy Shaw had made himself unavailable for the band after taking the dominating role in Styx last year. Tommy remains on great terms with the band and three of the songs written with Jack Blades for the album should still make the final cut. He said he will make time to appear on the record. Damon is said to be a killer replacement for Shaw and will sing and play guitar in his place, both on the record and on tour. He has already written two tracks with Jack Blades for the album - "We Are The Ones" and "Even Though". In adding Kelly Keagy the band will have four lead singers and four songwriters, a combination that should produce one classic record. Recording of the album should commence soon, with a release planned for later this year. IRON MAIDEN has announced Brave New World as the title of its forthcoming album, and "The Wickerman" will be the first single. The band's European tour will commence on June 2 in Strasbourg, France, running through July 23 in Barcelona, Spain. Mercury Japan are re-releasing JOHN SYKES' "Chapter One Best Of" release. This time they are losing the crappy cardboard packaging that accompanied the first release and along with a proper jewel case are adding a couple of bonus tracks.. Meanwhile John has started mixing his new solo album, tentatively titled Nuclear Cowboy. Release is scheduled for late May/June. NIKKI SIXX posted at motleycrue.com that he and his MÖTLEY CRÜE cohorts are gearing up to record New Tattoo in Los Angeles with producer MIKE CLINK in two weeks. He described the sound as "Raw and loud packed with hooks. This album gives off the smell and feel of sex." He gave a tracklist, but cautioned that it might change: "Dragstrip Superstar," "Hollywood Ending," "God Drives A U.F.O.," "Punched In The Teeth By Love," "Treat Me Like The Dog I Am," "Timebomb," "American Zero," "White Punks On Dope," "First Band On The Moon," "Hell On High Heels," "Pornostar," and "I'm A Fake (Just Like You)." "A few of these songs are older titles with new music put to them," he noted. The band's Maximum Rock 2000 summer tour "is gonna be a blast to go see," he promised. Sixx, whose side project 58's debut Diet for a New America comes out May 16, received a suspended jail sentence and 18 months' probation after pleading no contest to assault charges stemming from a 1997 concert in Greensboro, North Carolina. Anyone that sees a new XYZ album listed - beware! It is a new Japanese hard rock act calling themselves XYZ, identical in name to the classic late 80's American hard rockers. Some online retailers are not making the difference obvious. BON JOVI, who just shot a video for first Crush single "It's My Life," even though the album isn't due out until June 13, will be on ROSIE O'DONNELL's show on April 28 (a week after JON BON JOVI's movie U-571 comes out) and appear on DAVID LETTERMAN's Late Show on the same day the album is released. On June 16, the band will perform in New York's Rockefeller Center on The Today Show. Bon Jovi plans to tour Japan and Europe before launching a U.S. trek in the fall. QUEENSRYCHE will chat with fans at www.queensryche.com on March 22, and RIKKI ROCKETT will cyberchat at www.stickhead.com on April 10 at 7 PM PT. AC/DC will be the subject of a VH1 Behind the Music this spring. Before he joined JUDAS PRIEST, vocalist RIPPER OWENS sang in WINTER's BANE, and Century Media plans to reissue this hard-to-find album, Heart of a Killer, on April 10. It will be released as a special double disc with new artwork and a bonus CD featuring live and demo material.