Scott Roos
Special to the Herald
Get ready to “shout it out loud” because, on Saturday, June 10, Winnipeg based KISS tribute act Last Kiss is coming to the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts.
The band is helmed by Justin Seguin, who plays the role of the “Starchild” aka Paul Stanley in Last KISS. A tribute band journeyman, Seguin also performs in Motley Crue, Judas Priest and Led Zeppelin tribute acts.
“It’s kind of like acting. Each time you go on stage as a different performer, you’re in the outfit, and you become that person. It’s just fun to be someone else every now and then,” explains Seguin in a telephone conversation with the Herald.
Seguin’s true passion is all things KISS, though. Seguin, 47, has been a fan of the band since he was four years old. It was when he first saw the 1978, made for TV, B-movie “KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park” that he was hooked. He’s been a lifelong fan of the band ever since, and helped to form Last Kiss in 2018.
“I stayed up late (to watch ‘Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park’). It was like midnight and when I saw them I was scared because I thought they looked scary. But I loved the outfits. And the music I liked and the whole era about it. I loved it,” Seguin remembers.
“I have a whole bunch of songs I really really enjoy. I love them all. They all bring me back whenever I hear them because when I was little my brother and I would play those records and be airbanding them and stuff. I would picture in my mind being on the stage and all that stuff. And now that (Last Kiss is) actually doing it, it’s great. It’s fun and we’re giving the audience that experience as well. They didn’t see KISS in their prime, so we are delivering that experience for them,” Seguin continues.
Last Kiss, will play two sets in Prince Albert. The first will be based around the repertoire of KISS’s legendary live album “Alive”. The band will take a quick break, change outfits, and then come back and play songs from the “Alive II” era. The Demon, Starchild, Space Ace and Catman, will be fully realized for this show and performed with as much accuracy and attention to detail as possible.
“We are the only KISS tribute that I’m aware of that does those two eras in one. I haven’t heard of any other KISS tributes that have done that or are doing that. They always stick to one era. We’re doing both in one night,” Seguin says.
They will also throw in some tracks from the non-makeup years like “Lick It Up” and “Heavens on Fire”. Disco stomper “I Was Made For Loving You” will make an appearance too but everything else will be true to the eras when KISS was in their prime. It should prove to be a great time.
“When you love what you’re doing, and I love doing these things, it’s like a masquerade. It’s like Halloween every time we have a show. I love dressing up. I love putting on the persona, putting on the voice, getting the crowd going. It’s an amazing experience,” Seguin concludes.
The Last Kiss starts at 7:30 p.m. on June 10. Tickets can be purchased for this show online here at https://www.earc.ca/shows.
