Kiss Cap Explosive "Letterman" Gig By Licking the Host

As you've probably heard by now, it's been a rough week for David Letterman. If the remedy for his personal and professional turmoil is a lick on the ear from the unhumanly long tongue of Gene Simmons, he was in luck yesterday. Kiss were the musical guest last night on the Late Show, transforming the Ed Sullivan Theatre into Madison Square Garden for five minutes with a performance of their Sonic Boom single "Modern Day Delilah."

"Our next guests are here to blow the roof off the dump, ladies and gentlemen," Letterman told the Late Show audience while introducing Kiss, whose Sonic Boom hit Walmarts across the country yesterday. The potential Rock and Roll Hall of Famers seemingly packed their entire stage show — including the pyrotechnics behind drummer Eric Singer — onto Letterman's tiny set, resulting in one of the most exciting Late Show performances in recent memory. And then came the lick: Simmons' massive tongue surprised Letterman as the host went to greet the band following their performance.

Take a look at our collection of Kiss photos.

In case you missed the Late Show performance, Kiss will be back on late-night tonight after midnight when they perform a pair of tracks on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. According to Blabbermouth, the Kimmel performance was actually pre-recorded September 24th during a private warm-up show at Detroit's Cobo Arena, where 1,500 fans took part in a show that also doubled as a shoot for the "Modern Day Delilah" video.

Related Stories:
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• Kiss Announce "Alive 35" Tour, Promise "Master's Class In Rock"

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Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

More Song Stories entries »

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