2024.08.04 gene simmons band @ tivoli, utrecht

On this saterday Gene Simmons and his band would perform at Tivoli Musiccenter in Utrecht. As it happened i was in charge of the renovation crew that worked on the venue during the week. This meant i had access to all the areas in the building including stage, dressingrooms and everywhere backstage. At the same time we, as construction crew, were instructed not to interact with the artists or their crew. Tivoli has seven stages. There was an interesting act there every single day. For me as a collector i found it extremely difficult to walk passed a artist without having them sign a few things. I couldn't resist every once in a while so i got Seasick Steve, The Mission, Dandy Warhols, Loyce Garner and some others. The one i absolutely wanted to meet however was my childhood hero mr. Gene Simmons from KISS. He would play Tivoli on saterday which meant that the construction crew and the bosses wouldn't be there. So my friend Edward and i drove in in the morning and roamed around and in  the building. Mind you: this wasn't allowed but it was GENE SIMMONS !!!!!

We saw the band do their soundcheck and waited for Gene. He shows up an hour for the show with an extremely rude and agressive PA. i  heard later from my friend Gustav, who is the concert dj for Paard in The Hague, that this guy is an absolute menace and certified asshole. We couldn't talk to Gene because he was being sheltered by this guy. We asked Gene if he could at least sign one picture which he did.. We both already had some items signed by him and other Kiss members but we really wanted a selfie. That request was rejected. He also said that we could make a lot of money with that signed picture.

That kinda threw me off. I don't need to make $20 on a non certified photo. If i had worked those hours i would have made a little bit more than that. Too bad he thinks we did this for the money.

So in conclusion: a very small reward for a very big effort.

Such is the life of an autograph collector. It's like fishing: you prepare all your gear, make plans, do everything you can and then at the end of the day you go home with an empty bucket.