Ace Frehley's replacement started out as a mega-fan

By Danny Sigelman

Like most KISS fans, I remember the exact moment they came into my consciousness. That moment is all too vivid. My second-grade classmate, Jim Brown, and I were sitting together with a girl in our class at one of those fake Formica tables listening to storybook records.

Jim waited long enough for the teacher to leave us at the table when he pulled out his own bag of the good stuff, his KISS records. Yanking "Peter and the Wolf" from the turntable, he dropped the needle on the first one. It had a cover with a close-up photo of this demon face, staring at me with black and white make-up and red eyes. It was the Gene Simmons solo record. I couldn't stop staring at the picture of him with blood trickling through his teeth. Watching the label in shock as it spun around, I had never heard anything like that before. I looked across the table at the girl who was sitting with us. She looked terrified. I was hooked.

Right up there with all the great Minnesota traditions - agriculture, politics, and straight-up excess - the band who was once accused of being satanic some 30-plus years ago, KISS, will be headlining the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair as part of their "Hottest Show on Earth" tour this Saturday. From his hotel room in Uncasville, Connecticut, Tommy Thayer talked to me about one of our favorite bands, KISS.

Starting out as a fan himself since the late '70s, he's been lucky enough to actually be a part of a long lineage of guitar players in the band. Tommy got an extra notch in his spacebelt last year after finally writing and recording with KISS on last year's fairly excellent Sonic Boom, their first release since he joined and the band's first in more than a decade.

"First time I ever saw KISS was in Circus magazine, and I saw Gene Simmons with his tongue and I thought it looked amazing," Thayer recalls, beaming with joy and pride. "In 1974 I asked my parents if they'd get me a record for Christmas. What KISS represented and what they looked like, they were the coolest thing going; theatrical, loud, rock and roll, flamboyant with things blowing up, great songs and great music."

As any fan would dream of, Tommy now flies around the world with the band and music he loves, adding his own chops and style as the character "Spaceman," a role that entailed no easy moonboots to fill since Tommy replaced original guitarist Ace Frehley almost a decade ago.

"I've always been a fan of his and this has been an honor for me," Thayer says. "My first KISS show was in early 1976 in Portland at the Memorial Coliseum. There was a Southern rock group called Point Blanke opening, this was on the Alive tour and at that point it was the highlight of my life."

KISS have always maintained an infectious spirit and high energy from their fans that seems to get stronger as time goes on. Those that are still into it at this point are crazier than ever. "The great thing with KISS these days is not only do you have the KISS faithful for years and years, but parents now bringing their kids," Thayer says. "It's a very all-American kind of feeling and people love it, and KISS fits perfectly into that, of course. It's really almost a religious experience for some people, and it gets kind of crazy."

Twin brothers Paul and Mark Bringardner were only six years old in 1979 when their father took them to their first KISS concert at the Mecca Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an experience that set them on the path of musical obsession to this day. The two brothers continue to live and breathe rock and roll the way Gene breathes fire. From the smallest local bands that they love and support to the big arena and outdoor concerts, it's not unlikely to see Paul and Mark in the front row banging their heads or sneaking up onstage after a performance to grab the band's set list. The two have an inspiring enthusiasm about music and make it a part of their life as much as possible and, as for many, KISS was their gateway drug.

Travelling far and wide to see their favorite legendary performers, the self-proclaimed "Rock Twins" let me into "the vault" of their massive record collection and let me fondle their KISS memorabilia. Along with autographed records by Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and country singer Ferlin Husky, the two proudly show off their signed KISS "Dynasty" tour book and the very same t-shirt (that they'd eventually grow into) from their first show way back when.

As we sit listening to a rare German pressing of the Killers LP, almost in unison the two tell the story of the night their lives were changed forever. "My Dad took us with his friend Jim Finn, who played keyboards in the Castaways," says Mark.

Standing on their shoulders near the front row, Paul remembers bumming out a little. "I remember my Dad pointing out the hook and wire on Ace's guitar that made it fly, sort of ruining the magic."

Eventually moving to the Twin Cities for college, the two have grown up together in the front row, backstage, and in and around the Minneapolis music scene. They work part-time jobs in between concerts most days, teaching, serving, or working as an overnight DJ on LOVE105, where you can hear Paul's sexy voice on Sunday nights. When it comes to the music scene, there's often a lot of too-cool-for-the-room-ness that keeps people from totally going nuts at a rock show. These thoughts never cross the Bringardners' minds. "It's called geeking out, because we known way more than we should about all this stuff," they say.

The Rock Twins, Tommy Thayer, and the rest of KISS will be looking more than cool this SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, when the "Hottest Tour on Earth" blows up the MINNESOTA STATE FAIR BANDSTAND.

I'll remember the 2010 Indiana State Fair as presenting the best lineup of Grandstand concerts since I began writing about Indianapolis music in 1998.

As I mentioned in my recap of Friday's Sugarland show, a mix of musical styles deserves a credit. So, with an eye on autumn, here are five superlatives based on shows I covered at this year's fair:

Best guitar solo: Although fans of Ace Frehley may be in denial, Tommy Thayer of KISS truly rocked the Grandstand. Thayer paid accomplished homage to Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Boston's Tom Scholz during an extended solo. Visually, this segment of the show featured fireworks "shot" from his guitar, a rising platform to correspond with drummer Eric Singer's elevated work and a perfectly executed trick in which a hook snatched Thayer's instrument to the rafters.

Other "Best Of's" included: Best maturation (Rascal Flatts); Best foreshadowing (Drake); Best cover song (Keith Urban); Best song ("Stay" by Sugarland).

From KISSONLINE

Check out these photos of Lady Gaga and KISS/Tommy taken backstage before tonight's show at PNC Center in Holmdel!

Lady Gaga loves KISS!

Photo by Dean Snowden for KISSonline.

If you thought this summer has been hot, just wait until Sunday night, when the self-proclaimed "hottest band in the land," KISS, brings its "Hottest Show on Earth" tour to the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain.

Lead guitarist Tommy Thayer says that moniker isn't just lip service. A KISS concert involves more pyro than a firefighters training school.

Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain

In 2002, the Oregon-born guitarist inhabited the band's Spaceman persona full time, after the departure of original guitarist Ace Frehley. They're big platform shoes to fill, but Thayer wears them proudly, especially when playing and singing Frehley's signature tune, "Shock Me," from the 1977 album "Love Gun."

"The reason I'm performing that still is because people know the song. And it's a good number for me to do as the Spaceman," Thayer says, acknowledging the fact that some of the KISS Army might consider the number sacred ground. "People say, 'Well, that's an Ace song!' And we remind them, 'No, it's a KISS song.' Everybody needs to remember that. So I proudly play 'Shock Me.' "

And therein lies the superpower of KISS, made up now of original members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Thayer and drummer Eric Singer (who permanently replaced original skinsman Peter Criss in 2003): The whole has become greater than its parts. Regardless of who is underneath the iconic makeup of the Demon, the Starchild, the Spaceman and the Catman, the KISS machine rolls on.

"KISS is a timeless entity. Strangely and uniquely that is so. There is no other band like it," Thayer says. "The appeal of KISS is that you can see that it still works the way that it always did. New fans come in, and they see this band with this makeup, this incredible stage show and these incredible outfits that kicks butt on stage. That's undeniable."

As is the band's influence in crafting what has become the modern-day concert spectacle. Without KISS, arguably, there would be no Lady Gaga. From Simmons breathing fire to Stanley flying over the crowd, or Thayer and Singer's fiery musical face-off, the show is driven by many jaw-dropping set pieces.

" 'Shock Me' segues into my guitar solo, which is this kind of on-stage duel with Eric, our drummer," Thayer says. "We do some playing back and forth, and we end up blasting each other with rockets. It's a new shtick that we're quite proud of."

Thayer and the rest of the group also are thrilled by the reception for "Sonic Boom," KISS's first studio album since 1998's "Psycho Circus."

"The response to the album has been really phenomenal. Even the critics liked it, and they can be tough on KISS sometimes. But in this case, it's been great reviews, which has kind of stunned Gene and Paul," Thayer says. "It's great to get that kind of positive feedback. And the fans love it, which is most important."

Sonic Boom also is the first KISS record to fully showcase Thayer's talents. He contributed some guitar to "Psycho Circus," but Sonic Boom marks his studio debut as a full-fledged member.

"It was really my first opportunity to shine. I was able to interject a little bit more Tommy Thayer into it and make it a little bit more mine, which is a big step," he says. "But at the same time, we wanted to make a KISS record that sounded like a classic KISS record. Not in a retro way, but in a true-to-form way of what KISS really is. I think we accomplished that."

Thayer says three "Boom" tunes are in the current set list, and one even has the coveted spot of opening the show. Still, he reveals his favorite "oldie" to play is "100,000 Years," from the band's 1974 self-titled debut.

"It's a great song that features the lead guitar a lot. It's almost a jam song."

And Thayer admits he is conscious of how Frehley originally played the tune when he's performing it on stage.

"When I play a classic KISS song, I want to play it as true to form as I can. I'm a big believer that when a band plays live, it's really important to play the song the way it was originally written and recorded," he says. "I don't like it when guys come out and start throwing their whole new twist on things. It's not what people really want to hear. They want to hear it the way it's supposed to be."

For some concertgoers, however, the way they'll hear it Sunday will be the way "it's supposed to be," simply because they have nothing else to compare it to.

"There's a huge resurgence right now with all these new fans coming out - young kids and teenagers," Thayer says. "It's a whole new generation."

In other words, fans who are about to experience their very first KISS.

From "The Oregonian"

By Peter Ames Carlin

When we talk about Gene Simmons, we talk about the fire-breathing, blood-spitting founder of Kiss, whose kabuki-painted, comic book heavy metal has been familiar to head-banging kids (and their tormented parents) for nearly 40 years.

And so much more. The leering Lothario with his self-proclaimed thousands of conquests. The misogynist boor whose verbal harassment of National Public Radio's Terry Gross is one of the most notorious public broadcasting moments ever. The gleeful modern Barnum who summarizes his contempt for rock-for-art's sake by declaring that he "never wanted to be in a rock n' roll band, I wanted to be in a rock n' roll brand."

Or maybe he's the pussycat father in "Gene Simmons' Family Jewels," the documentary-style sitcom about the family he has with longtime companion (and 1982 Playboy playmate of the year) Shannon Tweed.

Simmons is all that and even more. And last weekend he was right here in Aloha, headlining Pacific University's fourth annual Legends Golf Classic, a high-dollar, star-studded fundraiser for the school's athletic programs.

Not because Simmons, or any member of his clan, has a connection to the school, either. That would be too predictable. This is all about Kiss guitarist - and Washington County native - Tommy Thayer. He didn't attend the school either but is nevertheless a member of Pacific's board of trustees, the one whose showbiz connections, along with his public-spiritedness and his unbelievably nice demeanor (call him the Homecoming King, it totally fits) make him one of the school's most potent fundraisers and attention-getters.

Much of this is due to the Legends golf tourney, which weaves golf, rock n' roll, pro sports and well-to-do Oregonians into a two-day event that is both a quick sellout and a huge fundraising tool for Pacific.

And here's how it all went down.

SUNDAY

It's 3 p.m., more than two hours until the festivities start. No matter, the camera crew for A&E's "Gene Simmons' Family Jewels" is already in tight formation on the Reserve's deck, capturing the apparently casual late lunch being enjoyed by Simmons, Tweed, Thayer and his wife, Amber. Hard to know what they're talking about (don't even ask to go out there, you can't), so let's think instead about Thayer.

The suburban son of a military officer-turned-entrepreneur, Thayer fell in love with rock n' roll as a middle-schooler, got a guitar (a blue Fender Mustang) soon after and that was that. A procession of garage bands led to Black & Blue, a metal band successful enough to score a major label deal and nearly a decade on the cusp of big-time success that never quite happened. Already friendly with Simmons (Black & Blue opened shows for Kiss) Thayer joined the Kiss organization as a kind of apprentice. He played on demo recordings. He fetched coffee. He worked as a road manager.

"I had the work ethic to be there on time every day and do whatever it takes," he says later. "Now I can proudly say that I've been in the top spot, as lead guitarist, for eight years."

Thayer's clear-eyed, goal-centric attitude is perfectly matched to Simmons' old-world industrialist perspective, and the older man (who is 60, 10 years Thayer's senior) gazes at Thayer with the paternal pride of an entrepreneur who already knows his company will be in excellent hands when he leaves.

"I could certainly play a role in Kiss' next generation," Thayer says. "It'd be a natural thing."

3:30 p.m.: Down in the pavilion, one of those huge white function tents that come wired for lights and sound, an all-star band (of sorts) prepares for the acoustic concert that will follow tonight's auction. Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees) leads the group, with contributions from Thayer, ex-Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine and a few others. They'll do songs from everyone's repertoire, (imagine an acoustic "25 or 6 to 4" and "Sister Christian") plus the Beatles, Stones, etc.

"Wait for the whap-boom before the tag," Blades instructs. They all know exactly what he's talking about. Meanwhile, "celebrity liaise" Lydia Ewing stands nearby, wielding multiple phones and handheld devices to make sure all the musicians and professional athletes are not only where they need to be, but as happy as they deserve to be. It's a breeze, she says, particularly compared with the years she spent performing similar tasks for the Clinton administration. So when Ewing's phone erupts with news that Kiss manager Doc McGhee's wife has arrived, unexpectedly, with a hotel-verboten lapdog, Ewing barely shrugs.

5:30 p.m.: Now come the attendees. The first car turns out to be not just a limo, but a Hummer stretch limo, glossy and black, which disgorges half a dozen middle-aged couples, divided evenly between nicely coifed women in light summery gowns and guys in khakis, designer bowling shirts and wrap-around shades. All stride past Pacific's event photographers without breaking stride, not because they're personally famous but because in the age of 24/7 celebrity media, everyone knows how to fend off the paparazzi.

6 p.m.: Auction items: Rounds of golf with celebrity guests from Simmons to ex-Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti, every musician in sight, a herd of retired jocks (NFL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA, LPGA) and actor Clint Howard, who has been in a ton of movies, not all of them directed by his brother, Ron. Plus the usual high-end auction prizes: vacations; Amber Thayer's designer jewelry; Willamette Valley wines; on and on. And there's the open bars and the circulating platters of free drinks. Do you suppose there's a relationship between a person's alcohol consumption and an impulsive decision to bid $10,000-plus for a guitar autographed by ex-Eagle Don Felder? How about a registered (No. 4256) Pete Rose-signed baseball?

6:20 p.m.: It's Pacific president Lesley M. Hallick, who was the provost at OHSU for 20 years before taking Pacific's top job last year. She's also a trained microbiologist and spends her downtime raising cattle on a ranch in Scappoose. Now her job involves chatting with Simmons, which Hallick admits strikes her as a "surprising" turn of events.

"I'm not really a Kiss expert," she admits. "I'm more a folk music fan. But I'm learning. And Gene is a lot of fun."

6:55 p.m.: Simmons enters the pavilion tent after everyone is seated. He's wearing lizard-skin (it appears) cowboy boots, designer jeans, a pinstripe jacket and dark shades. And his hair all but defies description. It's definitely thick and inky-black, textured in a way that seems contrary to its natural inclinations.

7 p.m.: Dinner is served, along with opening remarks from emcee Lisa Guerrero, who you may know from "Monday Night Football," "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" or her current gig on "Inside Edition." She's smart and funny and full of unapologetic jokes about the tidal wave of alcohol sweeping through the tent. The whole night, she decrees, is a drinking game: "Whenever anyone asks for money, you take a drink." The audience, which clearly requires no such prompting, howls.

8 p.m.: Everybody loves Thayer. His "spirit and incredible generosity," his willingness to circulate through the tent, distributing handshakes, hugs and smiles-for-the-cellphone-cam with unending cheer. He's eager to chat but later. "Definitely, I'm psyched to do it. Now just hang out, have some fun, enjoy yourself, OK?"

10 p.m.: "The Oregonian, The Oregonian, The Oregonian." This is Simmons talking. He first heard the paper's name in 1974, he explains, and always hated it. "Who came up with that? What were they thinking, that everyone had to know precisely where they were located? I think it's time to re-brand."

MONDAY

12:30 p.m.: Another day, another mass of cameras, microphones and reporters gathered around Simmons. A double ring this time, with local news cameras shooting in front and A&E's cameras capturing the scene from just beyond. Random phrases float up. "The backbone of what America is all about," Simmons says. "No excuse for whining." When time runs out, Simmons calls a halt. "Nice to see you!" he chirps."Now, get out!'"

1 p.m.: Simmons has never picked up a golf club, so the A&E cameras know exactly what they're after: awkwardness, good-natured humiliation and a flash or two of progress. He provides plenty of the former, then by the fourth tee shows a glimmer of the latter in a drive that lands surprisingly close to the distant green. Dan Dutton, the former CEO of Stimson Lumber, has taken on the role of alpha-golfer, telling the others when to hit and where to aim, and is duly impressed. "You're really gettin' it!' he proclaims.

3 p.m.: Thayer, on the other hand, is a natural leader of his own foursome. Not just because that's his name on the tournament, but also because he can nail soaring drives and sink tricky, 30-foot putts, while making the whole affair look breezy and, really, no hassle at all. "Let's go for it, guys!" he calls at one point. Then, later: "Another birdie! And a beautiful day, what else can we ask for?"

Pacific University certainly scored with its unlikely trustee, just as Simmons' informal apprenticeship program reaped a fine new rock n' roll executive. No wonder they fit so easily with the corporate executives, lawyers, stockbrokers and other big-money college donors. They're all playing the same game, spinning the wheels of commerce in their own particular ways.

"He's an intelligent person, not that guy you see with the painted face," Dutton says approvingly of the man he'd coached through his first 18 holes. "That Kiss brand is one of the more high-profile brands in the country. He's a very successful businessman, so to have him take the time to come out was fantastic."

Turns out, there's more than one way to party every day.

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FOREST GROVE (Aug. 4, 2010) - Perfect weather, a star-studded field of celebrities and two days of entertainment, music and golf, has translated into another huge success for the Pacific University Legends Golf Classic.

Hosted by KISS guitarist and Beaverton native Tommy Thayer, the fourth annual tournament grossed over $425,000 to benefit Pacific University's 21-sport NCAA Division III athletics program. For the first time, the event was a sell out with over 400 people attending the Sunday dinner, auction and concert, and 185 people participating in the Monday golf tournament. The event was held at The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club in Aloha.

Pacific University Trustee Bill Stoller, left, poses with KISS guitarist and Pacific Trustee Tommy Thayer, Cathy Stoller and KISS co-founder Gene Simmons. The Epiphone Les Paul standard guitar, signed by all four members of KISS, sold for $15,000 as part of the live auction at the 2010 Pacific University Legends Golf Classic on Sunday, Aug. 1. Photo by John Wiley Howington

"I sincerely thank everyone involved for making the 2010 Legends Golf Classic a huge win for Pacific University," Thayer said. "Legends continues to become bigger ever year and 2010 tops them all. We will continue to make a difference in the lives of Pacific University's student-athletes."

KISS co-founder Gene Simmons joined Thayer as the featured celebrity at this year's tournament. Simmons filmed an episode of his reality television show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, at the event, focusing on his first-ever attempt at playing golf. The episode is schedule to air early this fall on the A&E Network.

Simmons himself was a moneymaker for the University as the opportunity to play golf with him and KISS manager Doc McGhee raised $30,000 at the Sunday live auction. The opportunity to play golf with tournament host Thayer fetched $10,000.

Other highlights of the 2010 Pacific University Legends Golf Classic

• PGA Professional Tommy Armour III hit a hole-in-one on the par-3, 194-yard 11th hole on The Reserve's South Course.

• A field of 23 celebrities from the worlds of music, sports and golf participated in the tournament. Among those joining Thayer and Simmons were PGA professionals Tommy Masters and Jason Allred, LPGA pros Perry Swenson and Amber Prange, musicians Jack Blades, Ray Kennedy, Danny Seraphine and Johnny Lee, NFL standouts Neil Lomax and Leroy Irvin, MLB stars Scott Erickson, Chuck Finley and Chili Davis; actors Lisa Guerrero and Clint Howard and NASCAR legend Geoff Bodine.

• Lisa Guerrero hosted Sunday night's dinner and live auction, which grossed over $425,000 for the Pacific University athletics program. The auction was followed by a special concert featuring Thayer and Night Ranger front man Jack Blades.

• The tournament concluded with a golf ball drop from a helicopter, which flew overhead at the conclusion of the event. Participants had the chance to purchase golf balls, which were then dropped from a helicopter over The Reserve's driving range. The person whose ball landed closest to the pin won $2,500, which was promptly donated back to Pacific University.

• Tremendous media attention brought the tournament's excitement to the larger Portland area. The Legends Golf Classic was covered on-site by media sponsor KGW Newschannel 8, KPTV Fox 12 Oregon, the Forest Grove News-Times and The Oregonian. Extensive pre-tournament interviews were aired on the "Wheels At Work" show on media sponsor 95.5 The Game (KXTG-FM). The tournament also netted national media attention, which included appearances by Thayer on the Golf Channel's Grey Goose 19th Hole and on Sporting News Radio's Tim Brando Show.

Team winners in the tournament's three competitive flights

• Celebrity Flight: BP America (Michael Abenhoff, Kurt Eickmeyer, Mark Fontana, Brian Rehm, Scott Erickson)
• PGA Flight: Norton Group (Chad Norton, Charlie Norton, Jimmy Stephensen, Chris Yach, Perry Swenson)
• Boxer Flight: Golf Today (Eddy Goldenberg, Brett Johnson, Alan Skuba, Mike McColgan)

The planning has already begun for the fifth annual Legends Golf Classic, which will take place in August 2011. For more information, to view celebrity biographies or check out the media coverage of the event, please visit www.pacificlegendsgolf.com.

Kiss Legends Golf Tournament Keeps On Rockin!

The 4th Annual Tommy Thayer Legends Golf Classic benefiting Pacific University was recently held at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, Oregon. My son MJ and I were guests of Tommy Thayer. Tommy has his roots in Portland and is on the Board of Pacific University. The University was founded in 1849 and is one of the finest liberal arts, education and health profession universities in the country. There are 1485 undergraduates and 1728 graduate students. This year the tournament rocked and was bigger and better than ever. Celebrity's like Chili Davis, Tommy Armour, Geoff Bodine, Sean Fister, Gene Simmons and many others were treated like royalty for two days of golf and fun.

The tournament kicked off with a silent auction fueled by the famous Kiss Goodnight cocktails(Black Cherry Vodka and cranberry juice.) A 4 course sit down dinner featuring 2008 Desert Wind Ruah Bordeaux blend, 2009 Duck Pond Pinot Gris and 2005 Duck Pond Semillon Desert Wine was perfect with the entree grilled flat iron steak with parsley red skin potatoes, baby carrots and wild mushroom demi-glace. The emcee was acclaimed sportscaster and Monday Night football broadcaster Lisa Guerrero.

The live auction was full of energy and raised lots of money for the university. 3 people bought signed Kiss guitars for $15,000 each. Gene Simmons sweetened the purchase with invitations and back stage passes to a future Kiss concert.

The highlight was a special concert with Tommy Thayer and friends. Jake Blades of the famous band Night Ranger, Danny Seraphine original drummer for Chicago, Johnny Lee Urban Cowboy fame and biggest hit Looking For Love, and Ray Kennedy famous song writer with Dave Mason, Brian Wilson and Fleetwood Mac entertained the crowd with lively music, dancing and fun. Former LA Ram Leroy Irvin and others joined this vibrant group on stage to help Tommy and crew do a few songs. Kiss favorite "Rock and Roll All Night Long" had everyone dancing and smiling into the wee hours with many "Goodnight Kisses."

Golf the next day was highlighted by a clinic with one of the top rated teaching professionals Tommy Masters. He is rated as one of Golf Magazine's top 100 instructors. Long drive Champion Sean Fister also hit some long bombs. He told us that he has hit the ball over 500 yards and can carry it 360 yards. A putting contest, lunch and cocktails preceded the 1:00 Shot gun that filled both the North and South courses at the Reserve. A brief opening ceremony featured Tommy and Gene wishing everyone good luck. Gene had the cameras follow him around for his Family Jewels program and has not played much golf before so it will be a very interesting future TV segment.

We got paired with some great golfers and good guys. Eddy Goldenberg and Alan Skuba from Palm Desert and Dr. Brett Johnson a local dentist. We had the good omen of starting out on lucky number 7. Having played in many of these kind of events, I know it was going to be a good day when Eddy nearly aced the par three number seven. We finished 15 under par and won the Pro-Am with each of us getting Callaway drivers. I was lucky and made a 50 foot putt on one hole to secure a one stroke victory. Alan Skuba is a long time manager with Big Horn in the desert and his long time friend Mack Wiebe rode along with us. Mack is the proud father of Senior Professional Mark Wiebe and had some good tips for Alan to lead us to victory. A final awards presentation was held and followed by a golf ball drop. 500 people bought a chance to win closest to the hole when a helicopter dropped the 500 balls on the putting green.

The weather was perfect and Pacific University benefited from very generous patrons. My partner Alan Skuba summarized the day when he said on our last hole, 'I can't believe we are on the last hole already. It is days like this that you never want to end." Tommy said he promises to make it even bigger next year. Great event Tommy! MJ and I are looking forward to "rockin" with you and Gene again next year!

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

By Joe Lang

Pacific University's 2010 Legends Golf Classic hosted by Tommy Thayer, August 1 and 2 at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club, is sold out, marking an unprecedented milestone in the event's history.

The sellout is the first in the event's four-year history, equating to a record attendance figure.

"We are very proud of the enormous response the 2010 Legends Golf Classic has received," KISS lead guitarist and Pacific Trustee Thayer said. "The early sellout clearly indicates that Legends and Pacific University have ascended to a new level of public awareness. Legends 2010 has already succeeded in many ways and the best is yet to come."

Among the list of celebrity participants are KISS founding member Gene Simmons and his partner Shannon Tweed. Producers from A&E's hit television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels will film portions of the event to chronicle golf novice Simmons' attempt at the sport.

Tommy will be on to discuss his hosting of the sold out Pacific University's 2010 Legends Golf Classic (www.pacificlegendsgolf.com) August 1 & 2 at the Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha, Oregon.

More than 400 patrons, celebrity guests and sponsors will attend the two-day event including KISS founding member Gene Simmons and his partner Shannon Tweed; PGA stars Rocco Mediate, Jason Allred and Tommy Masters; LPGA professionals Perry Swenson, Amber Prange and Angie Oberholser; NFL great Leroy Irvin; Major League Baseball stars Chili Davis, Scott Erickson and Chuck Finley; and many others.

Thayer, a member of Pacific University's Board of Trustees, has made Legends a success since its inception in 2007. Over its first three years, Legends has raised more than $400,000 for Pacific's 21-sport NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program, which will field a football team this fall for the first time in 19 years.