It was August 20, 2019. A normal summer day for me. I got out of bed around 9:30am and did my usual morning routine. After two hours of lounging around and playing with my dogs, I received a direct message on Twitter. It was from the company, doNYC. This organization is famous for giving away concert tickets to shows in and around the five boroughs. They also have tons of recommendations for things to do in NYC. (Check them out at donyc.com!).
Sometimes, doNYC has giveaways on their Twitter, giving more opportunities to their audience to win tickets to potentially sold out shows. I had been following doNYC on Twitter for awhile and saw this tweet on my timeline the night before KISS’s Brooklyn concert:
IMG: Camille Germo
To be honest, I just retweeted the giveaway tweet for the fun of it. I really didn’t think I was going to get anything out of it… Little did I know.
IMG Source: Camille Germo
Now, I usually only receive Twitter DMs just from my friends, so the fact that this message wasn’t from one of them caught my eye. Not gonna lie, part of me forgot that I retweeted doNYC’s giveaway. I was just sitting outside in my backyard when I received the blessed notification on my phone, immediately screaming when I put two and two together. I had won a pair of tickets to KISS’ Farewell concert at Barclays Center!
When it comes to concerts that I want to go to, I almost never have the budget, or memory, to buy tickets when I should have. It usually just leads me to being disappointed that I couldn’t go to an awesome show. It’s a terrible curse to have if you’re a big music fan. I grew up listening to KISS thanks to my dad, so he was the first person I called. He was absolutely ecstatic for me, but there were a couple things to consider: both of my parents were working that day, so I had no car to drive me to my destination. Also, my boyfriend was (sadly) working that night.
After asking around for a concert buddy and begging my parents to let me go to Brooklyn alone for a good chunk of my morning and afternoon, I finally got permission to go with my childhood friend, Zac!
IMG Source: Camille Germo
Zac kindly drove the both of us to Barclays Center, where we picked up our tickets at the will call booth. Then, we bought (expensive) popcorn and water.
The opening act was actually not a band, but a painter named David Garibaldi. You may know him from America’s Got Talent, where he displayed his speedy painting skills.
IMG: Source
Having a performance painter come on before the “hottest band in the world” was definitely a calm before a giant rock n’ roll storm. I had never been to a KISS show before this night, so I didn’t know what to expect apart from what I had seen via my laptop screen on YouTube.
KISS opened up their set with “Detroit Rock City” and their famous pyrotechnics and fireworks. I was brought to my feet and my jaw was on the floor, beat-for-beat and explosion-for-explosion. No matter how old their original members are, KISS never fails to create a show worthy of such appreciation. KISS shows are known for being a blueprint for fireworks, pyrotechnics, moving rigs, Gene Simmons spitting blood, Paul Stanley on a zipline, and an immense amount of showmanship on stage. There was never a dull moment. I remember looking around where I was standing and watching massive amounts of families around me. Every generation is touched by KISS, and it showed at my first and probably last concert of theirs. The night ended with their classic, “Rock n Roll All Nite” for an encore.
IMG Source: Camille Germo