Kiss bassist Gene Simmons made headlines earlier this year when he announced an ultra-exclusive tour package where fans could pay $12,495 to be his roadie for a day.
Naturally, some shrugged the stunt off as being a bit bonkers. Guitar World did the math and found out such an outlay was roughly equivalent to six months' worth of roadie wages (depending on the size of the job). But one Kiss mega fan has paid for the experience and says he can “die happy” as a result.
The opportunity was limited to one per show of Simmons’ 26-date US solo tour, but it reportedly took until the 13th date for any takers to emerge from the woodwork.
Retired correctional facility employee Dwayne Rosado was the one to shatter his piggyback, joining proceedings on May 5 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey, with his 13-year-old son in tow.
“You only live once, and I want to experience life. I’m not going to die with a lot of money. I’m going to die happy,” Rosado told the New York Times. “Nothing can beat tonight. It’s cemented in Kisstory now because it’s going to be on YouTube and everything else. So I’ll get to look back and see that moment forever.”
For approximately the price of a 2010-2016 Honda Civic or a month's long cruise, Rosado got the chance to haul gear, set up amps, oversee soundcheck, and, vitally, be introduced onto the stage by Simmons and join the God of Plunder for a good old sing-song.
“It felt awkward, because I have a whole crowd in front of me, and all I wanted to do is hug him,” Rosado said of his time on stage. “I didn’t care about anything else that was going on.”
At one point on stage together, which you can see in the above video, Simmons asks Rosado Jr. what he thinks of his father, and he responds, in a Kiss-like manner, with “the best dad ever!”
Apparently, there are a few other, erm, perks of the fan package. There’s also the small matter of having breakfast with Simmons on the day of the show – there’s no mention of whether it's continental or American – and each lucky customer will walk away with a bass Simmons had used during a Kiss rehearsal.
Simmons himself has defended the package after the news of the savings-demolishing experience found itself at the end of backlash online.
“When I was a kid and went to see shows, I was always curious, ‘What’s it like when they’re in a hotel? What’s it like when the stage is set up?” he says. “I decided, ‘You know what, nobody’s ever done it. Why not open the idea to be my personal roadie for the day?’
“You meet at the hotel where you have breakfast together. You ride with me to the gig. You can set up amplifiers and drums to your heart’s content.”
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