The world is still mourning the sudden loss of basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gia, and all the folks who died in the helicopter crash last month. With KISS playing the Staple Center last night (March 4th) – the home of Kobe's team, the Lakers – Paul Stanley took a moment to pay tribute to one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Wearing a #24 Kobe jersey, Stanley said this before breaking into their hit "Do You Love Me":
“We’re in the house that Kobe built. None of us would be here if this place wasn’t really like a memorial to somebody who was so much more than a basketball player, somebody who’s been a role model. And tonight, I think we dedicate this show not only to Kobe and his daughter Gigi, but to all the people who perished on that helicopter. So, let’s reach back to something from ‘Destroyer’. This song says, ‘Do You Love Me’.”
Watch the speech below. KISS have plenty of dates lined up this year.
March 06 — Oakland, Calif. @ Oracle Arena [Tickets]
March 09 — El Paso, Texas @ UTEP Don Haskins Center [Tickets]
March 10 — Lubbock, Texas @ United Supermarkets Arena [Tickets]
March 12 — Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center [Tickets]
March 14 — Lafayette, La. @ Lafayette Cajundome [Tickets]
March 15 — Biloxi, Miss. @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum [Tickets]
Aug. 28 — Burgettstown, Pa. @ KeyBank Pavilion [Tickets]
Aug. 29 — Atlantic City, N.J. @ Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall [Tickets]
Aug. 31 — Canandaigua, N.Y. @ Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center [Tickets]
Sept. 03 — Bangor, Maine @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion [Tickets]
Sept. 04 — Mansfield, Mass. @ Xfinity Center [Tickets]
Sept. 05 — Hartford, Ct. @ XFINITY Theatre [Tickets]
Sept. 08 — Atlanta, Ga. @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood [Tickets]
Sept. 09 — Raleigh, N.C. @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park [Tickets]
Sept. 11 — Clarkston, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre [Tickets]
Sept. 12 — Tinley Park, Ill. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL [Tickets]
Sept. 14 — Dayton, Ohio @ Wright State University Nutter Center [Tickets]
Sept. 15 — Milwaukee, Wis. @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater [Tickets]
Sept. 19 — George, Wash. @ Gorge Amphitheatre [Tickets]
Sept. 20 — Ridgefield, Wash. @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater [Tickets]
Sept. 22 — Boise, Idaho @ ExtraMile Arena [Tickets]
Sept. 24 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre [Tickets]
Sept. 27 — Chula Vista, Calif. @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre [Tickets]
Sept. 29 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Ak-Chin Pavilion [Tickets]
Oct. 01 — Austin, Texas @ Austin360 Amphitheater [Tickets]
Oct. 02 — Fort Worth, Texas @ Dickies Arena [Tickets]
[via MetalSucks]
