Of course, it wasn't the blends that brought hundreds to Broadway at the Beach, but the chance
at a glimpse, maybe an autograph, of the guys behind it: KISS.
Band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons - minus the trademark makeup - caused chaos by
their mere presence at the first coffeehouse to bear the band's name.
"Myrtle Beach has always been a party center," said Stanley, grasping a KISS Coffeehouse cup for
the national TV cameras filming. "This was the best place to get it started. Myrtle Beach is ground zero. ... We're bringing coffee to a whole 'nother generation."
The rockers have become known for slapping their brand on everything from coffins to coasters since their heyday in the 1970s. There are action figures, bobble heads, a jigsaw puzzle - even lip balm.
But coffee?
"You can live to rock, but you have to eat to live. If anything falls on the floor, you'll want to 'Lick It Up,'" said Stanley, playing off one of the band's songs.
Myrtle Beach has the only KISS Coffeehouse, which poured its first French KISS Vanilla on Saturday. Stanley and Simmons stopped by Tuesday night to christen it, pose for photos with fans
and promote the band's latest merchandising venture.
"You may as well look good drinking it," said Simmons, donning shades and frequently watching
footage of the band in concert on supersized screens inside the coffeehouse.
The pair didn't bring their guitars, and the outrageous black-and-silver boots and capes that
brought them so much fame were in glass cases instead of on their backs. Didn't matter, though.
Hundreds of fans - many ranking members in the fan club known as the KISS Army, several
showing off their latest KISS tattoos - came from New Jersey, Michigan and even Poland for the chance to shake hands with the guys who played the tunes that created such devotion.
They lined up as early as 8:30 a.m. for the grand opening party that started nearly 12 hours later. They sat through downpours, clutched cameras and took days off work just to see half the band.
"Once you see them, it is like an aura. It takes over," said Rob Frasure of Conway, who walked around with the back cut out of his shirt to show off his new KISS tattoo.
The line of fans snaked from the coffeehouse near Celebrity Square well past Hard Rock Cafe. Officials said that devotion will help ensure the coffeehouse's success.
"Anything that keeps KISS in the public eye," said Patrick Power of Greenville. "We are going to be here for KISS."
The Truss family of North Myrtle Beach was among the few who got to walk through the coffeehouse with the famous rockers inside.
"I've watched them since I was 14 years old. It's like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Randy Truss said. "This seems like it is out of the norm for KISS, but coffee reaches everybody."
© 2006 The Sun News
