McMaster declares KISS Day, rocks with legendary band at Columbia show
Before it is Valentine’s Day in South Carolina, it was KISS Day.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster presented the legendary rock band with a proclamation honoring the rock band KISS at the group’s Tuesday concert in Columbia’s Colonial Life Arena.
McMaster officially declared Feb. 11, 2020, as KISS Day in South Carolina.
Along with his wife, Peggy, the governor gave the group a framed copy of the proclamation backstage before the show, KISS tweeted.
The Columbia concert is the only scheduled stop in South Carolina on the band’s current “End of the Road Tour.”
KISS, members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and said the farewell tour is “devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans,” The State reported.
The proclamation from McMaster honored the group for those accomplishments.
“Rock and roll music is an inextricable part of America’s shared cultural fabric; and since 1974 members of the rock band KISS have traveled the world serving as preeminent American ambassadors of rock and roll,” read the proclamation, shared on Twitter by the governor’s chief of staff, Trey Walker.
KISS “continues to reverberate throughout the world’s musical landscape; and the ‘End of the Road’ world tour marks the last KISS live concert performance to be held in the State of South Carolina,” the proclamation continued.
On KISS Day, McMaster encouraged “all South Carolinians to rock and roll all night in recognition of the contributions and achievements of KISS and recognize the role that members of the hall of fame band have played in introducing the world to a uniquely American brand of music,” according to the proclamation.
The McMasters were pictured with KISS before the show, as the members of the band wore their trademark face paint and costumes, including platform boots that had them towering over South Carolina’s first couple.
Not only did McMaster honor the group before their show, he attended the concert.
It wouldn’t be fair to call McMaster’s seat front row, since he and his wife were spotted standing at the foot of the stage during the concert by Free Times reporter Chris Trainor, who shared a photo of the governor on Twitter.
Another photo shared by Walker showed McMaster with a red-stained shirt beaming with a smile standing next to KISS’ Gene Simmons.
Over the years, KISS has built a legion of fans with the members’ makeup-covered onstage personas, elaborate live performances and rocking songs such as “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Love Gun,” “Beth,” “I Was Made For Loving You,” “Shout It Out Loud,” and “Lick It Up,” among others.
The band said the tour will come to a close on July 21, 2021, at an arena in New York.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 10:02 AM.
