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expo will feature memorabilia, tribute bands and more and party

October 13, 2005 1:06 am

By EDIE GROSS

Twelve-year-old George DeCampo couldn't take his eyes off the KISS "Alive!" album cover.

His sister's boyfriend had left the record at their Prince George's County, Md., house, and the look of the band--decked out in signature white face paint and black spandex--mystified DeCampo.

"It was almost pornographic. It was hard to take your eyes off," recalled DeCampo, now 41. "I thought, 'Look at these guys. They're insane. Do they look like this 24/7?'

"I saw the cover, and I said, 'I've got to hear what this sounds like,'" he said. "After that, it just snowballed."

Three decades later, DeCampo, a guitarist and owner of a deejay business, has taken his childhood fascination to a whole new level, sponsoring the Baltimore/Washington KISS Expo.

The event, in its fifth year, brings KISS fans--some in full concert garb--together to sell and trade memorabilia, collect members' autographs, listen to tribute bands and reminisce about the rock band's heyday.

"There are fans out there who are bigger than I am. There are people out there who live and breathe this stuff," said DeCampo, who lives in Manchester, Md. "I just provide an outlet for them. It's a big KISS party."

This year's event, held Sunday at the Pikesville Hilton in Maryland, features face-painting, a museum with vintage costumes and other band items, and KISS karaoke, where fans can sing their favorite tunes backed by tribute band Love Gun.

Starting in 1973, KISS floored audiences with their onstage theatrics, including pyrotechnics, destruction of guitars and the likes of bass player Gene Simmons spitting blood and breathing fire.

Their white-faced likenesses were plastered on everything from action figures to ashtrays, prompting a healthy collectors market.

In 1995, the band, which had long since abandoned its makeup, launched the Worldwide KISS Convention Tour.

Each convention featured performances and Q&A sessions by KISS, music from cover bands and all manner of KISS merchandise spilling across vendors' tables.

Expos, like DeCampo's event, grew out of that effort, popping up in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Prior to the advent of eBay, attending an expo was the only way hard-core collectors could get their hands on choice KISS paraphernalia, DeCampo said.

Fans ran into each other year after year, and after a while, each expo became a reunion of sorts, he said.

"After attending for a few years, I felt like I knew enough people that I could do it myself," said DeCampo, who organized his first expo in 2001. "And for some ungodly reason, it worked."

Fredericksburg resident Will Johnson said he's hoping to buy some records at the expo. He's got about half the band's releases on vinyl but wants to round out his collection.

A fan since he was about 10, Johnson, now 27, said his zeal for KISS was cemented when he attended his first concert in 1996 at the MCI Center.

"They put on a show, it's all about the fans. They're spitting blood, breathing fire, flying up in the air, shooting rockets out of their guitars it's just one thing after another," he said. "The whole time you're wondering what they're going to do next. It just ruined me for any other concerts."

The expos are a tad calmer than your average KISS concert, DeCampo said. In fact, they've become a family event.

"Let's face it--everybody who's a die-hard KISS fan is grown now with kids," said DeCampo, the father of two. "There's one family that's been coming for the last four years, and the whole family dresses up--mom, dad and two kids. It's great to see them. There's so much spirit."

Past expos have attracted between 500 and 600 KISS fans, some from out of the country, said DeCampo. Vendors usually fill 30 to 50 tables with wares.

"The spirit of the whole thing is incredible," he said. "No nudity, no brawling, no fighting. Just a bunch of people who grew up with KISS."

To reach EDIE GROSS:540/374-5428 egross@freelancestar.com