Thank you and goodnight London!
The first official Rock’n’Con Fan Event came to a close Sunday, June 10, at London Music Hall with organizers, attendees and participants all calling the weekend a tremendous success.
The festivities kicked off Friday with a VIP meet and greet with KISS co-founder and legendary drummer Peter Criss. Fans in attendance were treated to food and drink in the Jack Richardson London Music Hall of Fame where a special KISS exhibit was curated by Nick Panaseiko Sr. (from his personal collection) of the band’s rise to fame by way of their first Canadian appearances, which took place right here in London.
Peter welcomed everyone from the top of the winding staircase before sharing his personal story of being a breast cancer survivor. He also reminisced about his time with KISS in Canada and took the time to get personal with fans and sign autographs long into the night. True diehards brought upwards of 30 items each for Peter to autograph, and of the 75 VIP fans in attendance, some Canadian travellers trekked from Thunder Bay and Quebec, while international visitors travelled from as far away as Brazil and beyond. Two dedicated fans in particular even took a 72 hour round trip from South Africa to meet the icon himself.
KISS fanatics all praised Rock’n’Con as one of the best VIP experiences they had ever had, with many in attendance declaring while they’ve been to many rock star VIP events in the past, this Peter Criss experience was by far the best.
Meanwhile in Rum Runners the rockin’ began with performances by London’s own Legal Kill, and Hiroshima Hearts followed by a special, one time only reunion performance by St. Catherine’s punk rockers The Legendary Klopeks.
On Saturday morning, Rock’n’Con opened its doors for the first time ever to a long line-up; with droves of eager rockers ready to enter the convention. They were not disappointed as they entered London Music Hall, which was transformed into a rock ‘n’ roll paradise. Every square foot of the venue was covered with vendors selling all forms of music and memorabilia. Rare vinyl and CDs were easy to find and among the many collectibles were KISS action figures and masks from the 1970’s, a rare treat for fans to see. Clothing designers showcased their original garments and accessories, while album and concert poster artists displayed their impeccable collections of work.
Floating over top of the attendee chatter, the sound of drums and guitars would ring out from the stage where London Guitars had an array of vintage guitars on hand for fans to play. A highlight of the day was when GWAR’s monster guitarist strapped on an axe and rocked the entire venue with a killer solo.
Dee Snider and Lita Ford hung out in the upper level over-looking the show floor, while a constant line-up of fans greeted them throughout the day bringing along their albums, posters and old concerts tickets to be autographed while grabbing a photo to commemorate the moment.
Dee and Lita couldn’t help but check out the show floor and made their way through the crowd, checking out the vendors and stopping to chat with fans. Coincidently, early in the afternoon, Lita Ford happened by tattoo artist Dustin Parkes’ booth while he was tattooing her signature onto an admirer. Needless to say, the sight caught her attention, causing her to stop and share tattoo stories with the fan until the piece was done.
While on his walk about, Dee decided to jump on the house mic to give Londoners an education on how to properly ‘throw up the horns’ at a rock show, which in turn had the entire venue roaring with applause and laughter.
Saturday also included visits by Canadian rockers Jack Syperek of The Trews, and Brian Volmer of Helix, who stopped in to check out the show.
Meanwhile, Peter Criss was consumed by a line-up for the majority of each day of the convention as fans couldn’t pass up the chance to catch his first Canadian appearance in nearly 20 years, many with multiple items in tow for Peter to sign that would complete their collection of KISS band member signatures. Peter spent ample time with each fan exchanging salutations and telling stories. He did, however, manage to venture to the show floor for a short while where he engaged with fans and picked up a record from one of the vendors.
The Rum Runners stage was bustling all weekend long with panel discussions and Q&A sessions with the rock stars themselves. GWAR did their panel in full costume, while Dee Snider had fans on the edge of their seats and roaring with laughter at stories from the hay days of Twisted Sister. Teenager and multi-instrumentalist Owen Davey showed us first hand why he’s the youngest guitar player to ever be sponsored by major guitar company, while Danko Jones shared a very personal side of himself — a far cry from his radical on-stage demeanour — with readings from his new tell-all book I’ve Got Something to Say.
Many rockin’ experiences were had on the convention floor over both days, and new relationships were formed that will carry on right into the next year.
The ultimate highlight of the weekend was the Night of Legends concert featuring Dee Snider. If ever you wondered what it takes to be a legendary rocker, then look no further than the man himself. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, Dee electrified the audience and put forth a performance of earth shaking magnitude, throwing all of himself into every part of every song as he blew everyone away. The house band comprised of accomplished local musicians kept pace, and had the venue cheering all night as they rocked through songs with Lita Ford, Morgan Lander and Priya Panda.
The entire performance was one fans will not soon forget.
The set came to a close with all the singers joining Dee Snider on stage for a thunderous cover of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell that shook the venue to its core. All in all, it’s safe to say Rock’n’Con delivered the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll experience to fans, as promised. You can be sure that next year will be an epic event that gets the world’s attention.
Until next time, keep on rockin!
Photo Credit: Whitney South
More info – www.rockncon.com
