 MELBOURNE, Australia (KISS Official Website) - Kiss will perform an one off concert in Melbourne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on February 28 at Telstra Dome. At a media conference to announce the event Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss confirmed the event as a one-off for the world after members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed orchestrated versions of 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and 'I Was Made For Loving You' for the gathered throng. The show is expected to include the original Kiss line-up and while Peter Criss made the trip to talk up the show, Ace Frehley was nowhere to be seen. "Ace isn't here" said Paul Stanley. "We are hoping he will be here at this spectacular concert. As you know we are here to announce that on February 28 we will unleash a Symphonic Sonic Boom, the likes of which the world has never heard before. We will be playing with the Melbourne Symphony or they will be playing with is. And as rumour would have it we are expecting Mozart and Beethoven to rise from the dead and dance with us". Gene Simmons had a fairly convincing argument for the return of the band after their 2000 Farewell Tour. "Once upon a time I was a 12 year old boy and promised I would pull out" he said to a round of applause from the audience. "This is going to be one special event. We are here because we have heard so much about the Melbourne Symphony. The best of the best deserves the best. Melbourne has always been wonderful to us these last 30 years. We probably have a few children running around. The least we can do is come back and embrace you all". Paul says the show will be done in parts. "What we are going to do is a concert in three parts. You will see a lot of violins and to a lot of violence" he said. "The plan as we see it now is we will start off with a Kiss show as you expect it with a lot of great tunes. Then we will go for an unplugged segment, playing some tunes taking it down a bit bringing out a quartet or a quintet. After that we will take a little break and then everyone can put their seatbelts on and the onslaught will begin. Their will be lobotomies for all".  The announcement is particularly pleasing for Kiss fans as it includes the return of Peter Criss who didn't quite make end of the last Kiss tour due to his on going battle with drugs. "I couldn't resist this. This is really cool" Peter said. "The cat man had to come back" Gene continued "If you remember cats have nine lives and Peter still has a few left".
For fans who can't afford the trip to Australia on Feb 28 to see the show it will be on pay-per-view. "That is the idea" says Paul Stanley. "That is the idea to make it available for everybody. Obviously to see it in the flesh will be the ultimate and to see it in pay-per-view will be incredible. Everybody will want some sort of memento of this momentous occasion so we will try and make as many formats of this available." Kiss Symphony happens February 28, 2003 at Telstra Dome in Melbourne, Australia.
Tickets go on sale Friday November 1.
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