News Photo by Steve Schulwitz News reporter Steve Schulwitz, a longtime Kiss fan, was fortunate enough to grab this photo of the band at the grand opening of the Kiss Monster Mini-Golf Course in Las Vegas several years ago. Seen from left to right is Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer, Gene Simmons and Eric Singer.

I don’t think my cousins, Craig and Tim Modrzynski, know the major impact they had on my life and how a simple action they took many years ago, exposed me to something I cherish to this very day.

They introduced me to the rock band Kiss.

Tim and Craig were much more into rock music than I was as a boy, but I remember clearly the first time they put on Kiss’ “Alive II” while I was visiting. The large, fiery photo of the band’s stage in the double-album’s center drew me in, and the sound of the explosion during the intro to “Detroit Rock City” had me hooked.

And I still am.

And now, the band is saying that, though there have been “farewell tours” before, their current world tour is indeed their last.

I’m not overstating things when I say the album changed my life and opened up the door to many other rock bands for me to enjoy.

It was only a number of weeks after my introduction to Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace that I began my own record collection, memorized every Kiss lyric, guitar riff and drum fill. I also became quite good at mimicking the band’s signature stage moves in front of the mirror in by bedroom, toting one of my mom’s tennis rackets as a guitar.

I’m glad there are no videos of that.

It took many years for me to see the band in concert in their full face paint, but, since then, I have see them 18 times, many of them while I was wearing Paul Stanley’s iconic star-over-the-eye makeup, but my Kiss makeup-wearing days have long passed.

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to score media passes for the grand opening of the band’s Kiss Monster Mini-Golf in Las Vegas. I was on press row, snapping photos of my idols, and had a quick moment with each of the four members. Those photos are now some of my most valued possessions.

During the reception afterward, we had a brief encounter with Gene Simmons. He was likely conducting business at the time, but he took a quick second to acknowledge my wife and called her “baby doll.” He said a quick hello and apologized for needing to move on from us so quickly. It didn’t matter that the encounter was brief, because it became another memorable moment in my personal “Kisstory.”

A few weeks ago, I said goodbye to my favorite band in none other than Detroit Rock City. I was in the Motor City for the band’s End of the Road Tour. To say I was emotional would be an understatement, and I admit my wife, Andrea, had to slip me a tissue or two during parts of the show.

Goodbyes are never easy for me, and this was a night I had dreaded for many years. I knew weeks before the concert that containing my emotions would be nearly impossible, and I was right.

To open the show, the band descended from the rafters on platforms like superheroes, while jamming Detroit’s namesake song. It was accompanied by fire, sparks, lasers, high volume, and thunderous cheers. The classic Kiss logo was revealed as the band reached the stage floor. It was a spectacle, and the show never slowed down.

On a scale from one to 10, the show was a 100.

The clock was ticking, however, and after each song was crossed off the band’s set list, I knew the moment was drawing near that the band would say goodbye to my fellow fans and me. The realization that it would be the last time I would see them live was setting in. I began trembling when the final moment arrived, and was melancholy afterward.

I suspect, and am hopeful, another show in Detroit or elsewhere in Michigan will be announced before the final pyro blast booms, because of how early in the tour the Detroit stop was and because of the high demand for tickets.

If so, I will be there, without makeup but with a pocketful of tissue, to soak up one last goodbye. If there isn’t another show, then I still have a large cache of memories and music made during my Kiss fandom that I can draw from for the balance of my life.

I wanted the best and Kiss gave it to me, and I thank them for providing a soundtrack to my life.

They will be missed, but never forgotten.

Now, Tim and Craig, do yourselves a favor and take your families to see the final tour for yourselves.

You’ll thank me for it.

Steve Schulwitz covers Alpena County government and politics. He can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpeanews.com.