A look behind the makeup of KISS 

The legendary rock band Kiss, without their usual makeup and studded leather, perform for a small audience at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora Sunday afternoon before the band\'s concert at RiverEdge Park.

The legendary rock band Kiss, without their usual makeup and studded leather, perform for a small audience at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora Sunday afternoon before the band\'s concert at RiverEdge Park. (Denise Crosby/The Beacon-News)

Nothing against Mother Nature and that totally cool solar eclipse she gifted America with this week. But I suspect there are more than a few who would put the Kiss concert at RiverEdge Park in Aurora Sunday right up there with those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

As one fan was overheard saying after the high-octane performance by the iconic band, "Aurora will never be the same."

While Kiss may not be as high on the bucket list as the celestial marvel the country was exposed to on Monday, there\'s no doubt this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band that\'s been wowing audiences for more than four decades is indeed a force of nature. And I had a chance to meet all four musicians — sans makeup, studded black leather and pyrotechnics — at the Paramount Theatre before the big concert, when they played an acoustical set that showed their far tamer and certainly more approachable side.

This comparatively staid performance was scheduled to last only 20 minutes, but the band continued to play beyond an hour, with band member Paul Stanley commenting multiple times on the beauty of the Paramount Theater in between songs.

At the Paramount Theatre on Sunday afternoon, Kiss band member Paul Stanley signs an autograph for Nick Galgano of Napervlle, while his cousin Ryan Featherstone and sister Bella Galgano wait their turn.

At the Paramount Theatre on Sunday afternoon, Kiss band member Paul Stanley signs an autograph for Nick Galgano of Napervlle, while his cousin Ryan Featherstone and sister Bella Galgano wait their turn. (Denise Crosby/The Beacon-News)

"What do they do here … Broadway shows?" he asked at one point, obviously in awe of the ornate interior he faced while looking out over the audience. "This place is unbelievable."

The rock legends seemed to truly enjoy their stop in Aurora on the band\'s worldwide tour, and in fact, had plans to give away a mortgage-free home to a wounded veteran as part of the evening concert at RiverEdge. The band\'s commitment to veterans and the military goes back quite a few years, including a feature performance in the 2004 "Rockin\' the Corps" concert, co-produced by Sugar Grove resident Jim Gibson, that was one of the biggest military fundraisers of all time.

In the end, the giveaway Sunday evening did not occur, as there was a scheduling conflict with the corporate sponsors, according to a Paramount official. And the home, I was told, will be given away instead on Sept. 28 at a Kiss concert in Fayetteville, Ark.

But Stanley was unaware of the conflict when I got the chance to sit down with him for a one-on-one- interview after the acoustical performance to talk about the band\'s patriotic penchant. Any chance they have to promote patriotism and support for our military they gladly take, Stanley told me.

"Freedom is a word we take for granted far too often," said the soft-spoken musician whose down-to-earth persona is a far cry from the manic Starchild fans see on stage.

And because of the band\'s success, he added, Kiss is fortunate to literally have a worldwide platform from which to promote his for patriotism.

"It\'s not politics that keep us safe … it\'s our military," he rightly noted. And without these men and women "putting themselves in harm\'s way," there would be no freedom for any of us.

It was obvious Stanley takes this seriously. And personally. His own mother fled to Amsterdam from Nazi Germany as Hitler rose to power, only to "have to leave behind everything she owned" to escape yet again, this time landing in New York City where Stanley, whose birth name is Stanley Bert Eisen, was raised.

"Charity is not an option. It is an obligation," he said, noting that, while individual circumstances can dictate our capabilities of giving back, each and every American "should do all we can."

"This is all hollow," he said, indicating the stage, the fans … and of course the money and the fame that comes with it, "unless you give back."

While the new home giveaway did not happen at RiverEdge Park, patriotism still took center stage at the Sunday evening concert. As it does for all shows, Kiss brought out a local color guard, who Stanley described as "our honorary roadies." On Sunday, it was Aurora Legion Post 89 under the spotlight, along with Desert Storm veteran and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who gave Kiss the keys to the city before Stanley led the crowd in the "Pledge of Allegiance."

Among the guests at both the afternoon and packed evening concert was Rich Galgano of Naperville, whose company Windy City Wire raised more than $36,000 for a wounded warriors project that Kiss contributed more than $300,000 to back in 2010.

Galgano, who said he\'s been a Kiss fan since age 7, continues to be in awe of the band, not just because of their music but because of how they use their celebrity to promote a cause so many others in the industry tend to ignore or shun.

"It\'s not just empty words," he said. "This is that important to them."

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