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KISS Expo In St. Louis Will be Tribute To MARK ST. JOHN

April 17, 2007

According to KissOnline.com, the first-ever St. Louis KISS Fan Expo will be a tribute to late KISS guitarist Mark St. John. Special guests Bruce Kulick and Mark's brother — Mike Norton — will celebrate the life of the former KISS guitarist.

The Expo will take place on Sunday June 24 from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. for VIP holders) at the Holiday Inn Southwest & Viking Conference Center 10709 Watson Rd. in St. Louis, MO. KISS Army founder Bill Starkey is also scheduled to appear at the event. Look for additional guests to be added in the coming weeks. KISS merchandise and collectibles will be on sale throughout the day. KissOnline.com will be attending the Expo and selling exclusive KissOnline.com merchandise.

For more information or to buy tickets for the St. Louis KISS Fan Expo, click here.

According to Greg Prato of Billboard.com, St. John (born Mark Norton in Hollywood, Calif.) was KISS' third official guitarist, having replaced Vinnie Vincent in 1984. By this point, KISS had done away with its trademark makeup and costumes, but the group was enjoying a career renaissance. The lone KISS album on which St. John appeared, "Animalize", re-established the group as one of the world's top arena metal bands. The album spawned the popular MTV video, "Heaven's on Fire" (the only KISS video to feature St. John).

St. John's flashy playing reflected the era's Van Halen-influenced rock guitarists, but it certainly helped spark the material on "Animalize", which many fans consider one of KISS' strongest non-makeup releases. However, right around the time KISS was to launch a worldwide tour in support of the album, St. John was diagnosed with a form of arthritis called Reiter's Syndrome, which caused his hands and arms to swell, and prevented him from playing guitar.

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