KISS Fans In Tokyo Form Massive Line To Buy Merchandise Seven Hours Before Show (Video)

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KISS has uploaded video footage of fans lining up to buy the band's merchandise seven hours before the legendary rockers are due to perform at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Wednesday (December 11) as part of the Japanese leg of KISS's "End Of The Road" tour. Check out the clip below. KISS has reportedly licensed over 3,000 items with the group's iconic likeness, including T-shirts, earrings, condoms, sleeping bags and lunchboxes, to name just a few. From KISS dolls to KISS guitars, KISS ice creams to KISS make-up, KISS is widely considered to be the world's most merchandised band. In addition to producing the Kiss Kasket so that KISS fans can be buried in the image of their favorite rock act, they have released Kiss Kondoms which enable them to take your money whether you are coming or going. In a 2015 interview with Australia's 4KQ radio station, singer/guitarist Paul Stanley stated about KISS's reputation as the most merchandised act in history: "Interestingly, when we first started out, we were kind of thought to be heretics, so to speak, because instead of just being a rock band, we wanted to be more and we wanted to give our fans more, and lo and behold, other bands saw not only that it was proper to give your fans the things they want, but all of a sudden, other bands saw the potential to make money out of it, and they followed suit." The "officially licensed story" of KISS's merchandising heyday, "Kiss: The Hottest Brand In The Land", was released this past summer. The 10×10-inch coffee table book features 390 photo pages of "everything released," including KISS lunch boxes, KISS clothing, KISS comic books, KISS trash cans, KISS belt buckles, KISS action figures, as well as rare items from fans' personal collections around the world. KISS kicked off its Japanese tour on December 8 at Xebio Arena in Sendai. The show was KISS's first as a four-piece since the band was forced to cancel its tour of Australia and New Zealand after Stanley was diagnosed with a bad case of the flu. KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Singer (on and off since 1991). Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

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