As we reported here yesterday, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is ranked third in the contest to determine which North American cities will be included in the upcoming KISS tour. City Council's support for a KISS concert at the Essar Centre appeared to be "unanimous." However Ward 2 Councillor Susan Myers is "strongly opposed. I would be sick at heart to see this kind of performance come to our city," she adds. "Can we not offer our citizens something that is joyful and uplifting vs. sick and revolting as so clearly depicted in this YouTube video (below) of Gene Simmons' farewell tour?"

Frank Dobrovnik from the Saultstar.com has issued the following update on the story:

This wasn't exactly the kind of publicity Terry Sheehan was looking to generate.

City council passed the Ward 2 city councillor's "fun" resolution Monday to get behind a local online push to get KISS to play Sault Ste. Marie. It generated headlines, including on the band's homepage, Kissonline.com, and CBC Radio, except with the emphasis on a lone councillor's opposition to the city hosting the makeup-clad, high-heel-wearing, fire-breathing rockers.

"I thought, Let's give it a little push and get Saultites, former Saultites and friends of the Sault to vote," said Sheehan Wednesday, of a tour later this year that is promised to be mapped out according to fan votes. "It was just a fun thing to do."

The wording of the resolution indicated something a little different, reading in part that, whereas the Essar Centre has hosted some "awesome" bands, people are encouraged to vote for the Sault to host, in language taken straight from the KISS website, "the hottest band in the world."

After the Essar Centre sent out a plea last week, Sault Ste. Marie catapulted to the third-most voted-for city, behind Winnipeg and Oshawa, Ont.

Sheehan's wardmate, Susan Myers, opposed the resolution, apparently on moral grounds. Myers responded to constituents who contacted her by referring them to a YouTube clip of bassist Gene Simmons spitting out a mouthful of blood. "As an elected official it is indeed my responsibility to make decisions that will bring good to our community. An individual whose act includes pouring out mouthfuls of blood does not fall into that category at any price," her response read.

Sheehan chuckles at the notion the familiar shtick of the 35-year-old band can shock anyone anymore, and that fans "see them for what they are" nowadays: probably the most successful brand in the history of music.

Simmons is one half of the marketing agency Simmons Abramson, which has racked up more than 2,500 licences plastered with the KISS or Simmons brand, for everything from condoms to caskets.

"KISS, if you know the band, are as much a marketing icon as a rock icon. Gene Simmons is probably one of the most business-savvy people around," Sheehan said.

Read more here.