The following is a Valentine’s Day update from KISS:
Love is in the air… and so is the sound of pure rock & roll! Whether you’re spending Valentine’s Day with your Starchild, your Demon, or just cranking up the tunes solo, one thing’s for sure — you never forget your first KISS!
And speaking of firsts, we’re turning it up to 11 with our SECOND fan-curated official KISS playlist, now LIVE! This time, it’s crafted by none other than lifelong KISS fan Lori—but most of you know her as The Rose Girl! A fan whose love for KISS runs deep, and this playlist proves it!
The Rose Girl playlist, “You Never Forget Your First KISS”, is packed with tracks that bring back those unforgettable moments—whether it was your first KISS concert, first album, or the first time you cranked KISS at full volume!
Dive into Lori’s playlist and let us know: Did she capture the feeling of that first unforgettable KISS? What songs take you back to where it all began? Turn it up and listen to the playlist.
Listen on Spotify. Listen on YouTube.
But hold on—it gets even sweeter! Lori isn’t just any fan… she recently tied the knot with another die-hard KISS fan, all thanks to the band that brought them together! If that’s not rock & roll romance, what is? We sat down with Lori for an exclusive interview to talk about her KISS journey, the inspiration behind her playlist, and her ultimate Valentine’s Day KISS song. Check it out below.
KEEP ROCKIN’ & KEEP KISSIN’:
Name: Lori Georgevich
Age: 53
Location: Saddle Brook, NJ
Occupation: Teacher
Q: What’s the story behind the selection of songs for your curated playlist?
Lori: “I started listening to KISS as a middle schooler. During that time, you experience “first love”. As I grew up, I experienced high school crushes, boyfriends in college, marriage, divorce, and remarriage. People experience various ranges of emotions and KISS has songs that relate to all of them. Whether it be new relationships, broken or strained relationships, and other types of ‘love” that KISS sang about! For example, one song made me think about a boy I liked in high school, another one made me remember a college boyfriend and another about dating after breaking up with that boy in college, getting married years ago, divorcing, and finally becoming remarried to an amazing guy!!
“There was a KISS song for every period of my life! I think most people when hearing a list of love songs will think about the same types of emotions. I’m hoping to convey that message with the list of songs I chose.”
Q: What’s your first KISS memory?
Lori: “My very first memory of KISS was in 6th grade. My friend had a Trapper Keeper notebook with a sticker of the band in makeup. I remember saying to her, “OMG what is THAT?” By the next year, I saw a picture of KISS without makeup, and I was “in love with the boys with long hair and pretty faces.”
Q: Is there any song in your playlist you have an extra special connection to?
Lori: “I feel that ‘Rock N Roll All Nite’ is very special to me because when KISS performs that song live, I always give roses to Paul. It makes me feel part of the show! I get butterflies when I hear it because it brings back memories associated with the concerts, and trying to get up to the front to give Paul his roses!”
Q: What is your favorite memory tied to a KISS love song?
Lori: “Around 1989, I remember watching the video for ‘Forever’ on television and hoping that I would feel those feelings of love with someone one day. I felt those feelings when I married my husband, Russell.”
Q: What’s the most unforgettable thing you’ve experienced as a KISS fan?
Lori: “I was outside the tent of an acoustic outdoor sound check in Pittsburgh in August of 2014. Paul exited the tent, saw me, and thanked me for giving him roses at a show a few days prior. I told him that I also had roses to give him that night. He then said, ‘Well, it wouldn’t be a KISS show unless you were giving me roses!'”
Q: What’s your favorite piece of KISS merchandise or memorabilia that you own? What’s the special story behind it?
Lori: “At the Jones Beach concert in 2000, I made it up to the front row. My actual tickets were in the back of the venue. Back then, after Paul would smash his guitar, he would give the two pieces to fans in the front row. I was lucky enough to get the smashed body of the guitar!”
Q: If you could go back in time to any KISS concert, which one would it be, and why?
Lori: “A concert I didn’t attend, but I would want to go back to KISS at MSG 1977. I can only imagine what that show was like. The energy, the costumes, lights, smoke, theatrics, etc. I have heard the stories from fans who attended that show. I have seen KISS shows with all members, but the first show at MSG would be a dream come true!
“However, a show I did attend that I’d do anything to relive is KISS’s final show at MSG on December 2nd, 2023. Emotions were so high that whole week, and it went by in a flash. Friends I made over the past 40 years were all together to experience one last show from the hottest band in the world. I was in Gene’s pit with my friend Sandra. It was surreal and ended too soon. During ‘God of Thunder’, I looked at Paul, who was standing against Sammy the Serpent, and made a heart shape with my hands with tears streaming down my cheeks, and he mouthed to me, ‘Thank you.’ I couldn’t breathe! I was not going to see Gene, Paul, Eric, & Tommy perform in makeup ever again. I felt a part of me died. I grew up with KISS. Their songs helped me through high school, college, marriage, divorce, and the marriage to my now husband, Russell!”
Q: Tell us more about The Rose Girl
Lori: “As a child, I took part in gymnastics. At the recital, my parents gave me red roses for what they said was a job well done! After seeing KISS in concert in the 80s, I wanted to give Paul Stanley roses for the same reason. To me, it was an unofficial part of the KISS show. I was honored to have done it for almost 40 years. There’s nothing more special than that!
“Many years ago, I made myself a shirt that said ROSE GIRL on it and wore it to a few shows. When I became friends with Russell, my now-husband, he would take me backstage and hang out with the band. THEN, I became “THE ROSE GIRL”.
“Some of the KISS crew in years past would see me and go, ‘Oh, Rose Girl is here!’ In fact, when I asked if it was OK to go up to the front to give Paul the roses, they would always say, ‘Of course love.’ In most recent years, Ryan, who was head of security, would take me to the head of venue security and say, ‘Lori is a guest of the band and will be giving Paul roses during RARAN and she is allowed to do it!’ My friend, Matt Porter, the first curator of the KISS Fan Curated Playlist, called me “Paul Stanley’s Personal Florist,” and I thought that was awesome.”
Q: A bird whispered in my ear that you had a KISS-themed wedding! Is that true? Tell us more about it!
Lori: “As my husband and I met because of our joint love for KISS, it was only fitting to have a KISS-themed wedding! The guests at our reception weren’t all family – many of them we met through KISS. Eric Singer even attended, as well as Loretta Caravello, sister of Eric Carr.
“Our wedding invites were actual real vinyl records with an incorporated photo of KISS, our seating chart was guitar-pick shaped with KISS font, and I had KISS cookies made for our dessert Viennese table, and of course – a KISS cake! I had a single red rose in my and my twin girls’ bouquets. Our “First Dance” was a re-recorded Bryan Adams song sung by Eric Singer, titled “Heaven.” We even had a photo booth with KISS props! Finally, the last song of the reception was Rock And Roll All Nite, in which I threw out red roses to guests on the dance floor.”
Q: You Never Forget Your First KISS. What Is Your First KISS?
Lori: “It’s true! A girl never forgets her first KISS! To a KISS fan though, it doesn’t mean what you think. Dressed in my ivory Spandex pants on March 29, 1985, I was on my way to the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford to experience my first KISS with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr, and Bruce Kulick, for the Animalize concert! It was my first time attending a concert. The fifteen-minute ride from my house felt like an eternity. I was in awe of fans wearing KISS makeup, costumes, and t-shirts. Ever since, I’ve had an obsession with animal prints. I even have a piece of Eric Carr’s Animalize black drum skin from that tour.
“The roar of the audience when KISS rose up from behind the drumkit was deafening, even in the nosebleed section. Between Gene breathing fire, Paul gyrating on stage, Eric’s ferocious drum playing, and Bruce’s guitar riffs, I was in awe of these four Rock Gods. Hearing my favorite songs, ‘Under the Gun’ and ‘Young & Wasted’, live sounded even better than the hundreds of times I played the cassette on my mini boom box. I knew that I wanted to see this band as many times as I could. Even though that was the last night of the tour, I looked forward to seeing what was next in store for my new favorite band, KISS. I could have never imagined how my life would be transformed by this band, meeting friends because of KISS, seeing the band in concert for almost 40 years, hanging out backstage, working at conventions for the Carr Family, getting to know Eric Singer, and to become married to a KISS fan, due to my FIRST KISS!”
The post KISS Share Fan-Made Valentine’s Playlist “You Never Forget Your First KISS” + Q&A With “The Rose Girl” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
Love is in the air… and so is the sound of pure rock & roll! Whether you’re spending Valentine’s Day with your Starchild, your Demon, or just cranking up the tunes solo, one thing’s for sure — you never forget your first KISS!
And speaking of firsts, we’re turning it up to 11 with our SECOND fan-curated official KISS playlist, now LIVE! This time, it’s crafted by none other than lifelong KISS fan Lori—but most of you know her as The Rose Girl! A fan whose love for KISS runs deep, and this playlist proves it!
The Rose Girl playlist, “You Never Forget Your First KISS”, is packed with tracks that bring back those unforgettable moments—whether it was your first KISS concert, first album, or the first time you cranked KISS at full volume!
Dive into Lori’s playlist and let us know: Did she capture the feeling of that first unforgettable KISS? What songs take you back to where it all began? Turn it up and listen to the playlist.
Listen on Spotify. Listen on YouTube.
But hold on—it gets even sweeter! Lori isn’t just any fan… she recently tied the knot with another die-hard KISS fan, all thanks to the band that brought them together! If that’s not rock & roll romance, what is? We sat down with Lori for an exclusive interview to talk about her KISS journey, the inspiration behind her playlist, and her ultimate Valentine’s Day KISS song. Check it out below.
KEEP ROCKIN’ & KEEP KISSIN’:
Name: Lori Georgevich
Age: 53
Location: Saddle Brook, NJ
Occupation: Teacher
Q: What’s the story behind the selection of songs for your curated playlist?
Lori: “I started listening to KISS as a middle schooler. During that time, you experience “first love”. As I grew up, I experienced high school crushes, boyfriends in college, marriage, divorce, and remarriage. People experience various ranges of emotions and KISS has songs that relate to all of them. Whether it be new relationships, broken or strained relationships, and other types of ‘love” that KISS sang about! For example, one song made me think about a boy I liked in high school, another one made me remember a college boyfriend and another about dating after breaking up with that boy in college, getting married years ago, divorcing, and finally becoming remarried to an amazing guy!!
“There was a KISS song for every period of my life! I think most people when hearing a list of love songs will think about the same types of emotions. I’m hoping to convey that message with the list of songs I chose.”
Q: What’s your first KISS memory?
Lori: “My very first memory of KISS was in 6th grade. My friend had a Trapper Keeper notebook with a sticker of the band in makeup. I remember saying to her, “OMG what is THAT?” By the next year, I saw a picture of KISS without makeup, and I was “in love with the boys with long hair and pretty faces.”
Q: Is there any song in your playlist you have an extra special connection to?
Lori: “I feel that ‘Rock N Roll All Nite’ is very special to me because when KISS performs that song live, I always give roses to Paul. It makes me feel part of the show! I get butterflies when I hear it because it brings back memories associated with the concerts, and trying to get up to the front to give Paul his roses!”
Q: What is your favorite memory tied to a KISS love song?
Lori: “Around 1989, I remember watching the video for ‘Forever’ on television and hoping that I would feel those feelings of love with someone one day. I felt those feelings when I married my husband, Russell.”
Q: What’s the most unforgettable thing you’ve experienced as a KISS fan?
Lori: “I was outside the tent of an acoustic outdoor sound check in Pittsburgh in August of 2014. Paul exited the tent, saw me, and thanked me for giving him roses at a show a few days prior. I told him that I also had roses to give him that night. He then said, ‘Well, it wouldn’t be a KISS show unless you were giving me roses!'”
Q: What’s your favorite piece of KISS merchandise or memorabilia that you own? What’s the special story behind it?
Lori: “At the Jones Beach concert in 2000, I made it up to the front row. My actual tickets were in the back of the venue. Back then, after Paul would smash his guitar, he would give the two pieces to fans in the front row. I was lucky enough to get the smashed body of the guitar!”
Q: If you could go back in time to any KISS concert, which one would it be, and why?
Lori: “A concert I didn’t attend, but I would want to go back to KISS at MSG 1977. I can only imagine what that show was like. The energy, the costumes, lights, smoke, theatrics, etc. I have heard the stories from fans who attended that show. I have seen KISS shows with all members, but the first show at MSG would be a dream come true!
“However, a show I did attend that I’d do anything to relive is KISS’s final show at MSG on December 2nd, 2023. Emotions were so high that whole week, and it went by in a flash. Friends I made over the past 40 years were all together to experience one last show from the hottest band in the world. I was in Gene’s pit with my friend Sandra. It was surreal and ended too soon. During ‘God of Thunder’, I looked at Paul, who was standing against Sammy the Serpent, and made a heart shape with my hands with tears streaming down my cheeks, and he mouthed to me, ‘Thank you.’ I couldn’t breathe! I was not going to see Gene, Paul, Eric, & Tommy perform in makeup ever again. I felt a part of me died. I grew up with KISS. Their songs helped me through high school, college, marriage, divorce, and the marriage to my now husband, Russell!”
Q: Tell us more about The Rose Girl
Lori: “As a child, I took part in gymnastics. At the recital, my parents gave me red roses for what they said was a job well done! After seeing KISS in concert in the 80s, I wanted to give Paul Stanley roses for the same reason. To me, it was an unofficial part of the KISS show. I was honored to have done it for almost 40 years. There’s nothing more special than that!
“Many years ago, I made myself a shirt that said ROSE GIRL on it and wore it to a few shows. When I became friends with Russell, my now-husband, he would take me backstage and hang out with the band. THEN, I became “THE ROSE GIRL”.
“Some of the KISS crew in years past would see me and go, ‘Oh, Rose Girl is here!’ In fact, when I asked if it was OK to go up to the front to give Paul the roses, they would always say, ‘Of course love.’ In most recent years, Ryan, who was head of security, would take me to the head of venue security and say, ‘Lori is a guest of the band and will be giving Paul roses during RARAN and she is allowed to do it!’ My friend, Matt Porter, the first curator of the KISS Fan Curated Playlist, called me “Paul Stanley’s Personal Florist,” and I thought that was awesome.”
Q: A bird whispered in my ear that you had a KISS-themed wedding! Is that true? Tell us more about it!
Lori: “As my husband and I met because of our joint love for KISS, it was only fitting to have a KISS-themed wedding! The guests at our reception weren’t all family – many of them we met through KISS. Eric Singer even attended, as well as Loretta Caravello, sister of Eric Carr.
“Our wedding invites were actual real vinyl records with an incorporated photo of KISS, our seating chart was guitar-pick shaped with KISS font, and I had KISS cookies made for our dessert Viennese table, and of course – a KISS cake! I had a single red rose in my and my twin girls’ bouquets. Our “First Dance” was a re-recorded Bryan Adams song sung by Eric Singer, titled “Heaven.” We even had a photo booth with KISS props! Finally, the last song of the reception was Rock And Roll All Nite, in which I threw out red roses to guests on the dance floor.”
Q: You Never Forget Your First KISS. What Is Your First KISS?
Lori: “It’s true! A girl never forgets her first KISS! To a KISS fan though, it doesn’t mean what you think. Dressed in my ivory Spandex pants on March 29, 1985, I was on my way to the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford to experience my first KISS with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Carr, and Bruce Kulick, for the Animalize concert! It was my first time attending a concert. The fifteen-minute ride from my house felt like an eternity. I was in awe of fans wearing KISS makeup, costumes, and t-shirts. Ever since, I’ve had an obsession with animal prints. I even have a piece of Eric Carr’s Animalize black drum skin from that tour.
“The roar of the audience when KISS rose up from behind the drumkit was deafening, even in the nosebleed section. Between Gene breathing fire, Paul gyrating on stage, Eric’s ferocious drum playing, and Bruce’s guitar riffs, I was in awe of these four Rock Gods. Hearing my favorite songs, ‘Under the Gun’ and ‘Young & Wasted’, live sounded even better than the hundreds of times I played the cassette on my mini boom box. I knew that I wanted to see this band as many times as I could. Even though that was the last night of the tour, I looked forward to seeing what was next in store for my new favorite band, KISS. I could have never imagined how my life would be transformed by this band, meeting friends because of KISS, seeing the band in concert for almost 40 years, hanging out backstage, working at conventions for the Carr Family, getting to know Eric Singer, and to become married to a KISS fan, due to my FIRST KISS!”
The post KISS Share Fan-Made Valentine’s Playlist “You Never Forget Your First KISS” + Q&A With “The Rose Girl” appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...
