Gene Simmons was recently in Adelaide, as part of the Gene Simmons Vault tour. I had an amazing time, as a guest of a Vault buyer (my husband). For the details, keep reading; but first, the 20 things I learned just being near this guy for the best part of a day.
20 Things I learned from Gene Simmons just by being near him for a day
- Decide on & wear a uniform. It makes life easy, sure, but it becomes part of your brand.
- Ideas are nothing until you go to the detail.
- Pay 110% attention to every person you talk to. No matter what. In this case, it made the 5 minutes with Gene feel like a lot more. He was present with every single person.
- Paying focused attention conserves your energy.
- Put on an amazing show, no matter what you feel like, no matter what the “show” is.
- Back up your team mates. Even if you kicked them out of your band because they did too many drugs.
- Be thankful.
- Be honest and say no if no is the answer. (Don’t bullshit people.)
- Get paid for every single thing that you do.
- You are important.
- All things worth doing take *time*. Lots and lots of time.
- Make wise decisions about how you spend every minute of today’s 24 hours.
- Never rush, even if the environment you’re in is rushed.
- Be smart about contracts and trademarks.
- Working with professionals makes everything easier. Even when your mate doesn’t remember his own songs.
- You’re never too small to have other people carry your stuff.
- You’re never too big to carry your own stuff.
- Success comes from unexpected places.
- Listen
- Know your place, know your team members’ places, respect needs and places. Extrapolate this to inputs and outputs; know your own inputs and outputs, and know the needs of those either side of you.
I’m sure there are more than 20. But 20 is a good list.
So, what is the Vault Experience?
You can learn about the Vault and the details here. Gene was here with his solo band, and with Ace Frehley.
In Adelaide, here’s what we experienced:
- Admission for soundcheck. Gene wasn’t there (he flew in from Canada at 4 pm.) But Ace Frehley was. Gene’s band is seriously talented.
- The show itself, front row (of course). Both of us got to sing on stage with Gene & band – at separate times; girls for one song, boys for another.
- Most of a day hanging out in a private party at the Hilton Hotel in Adelaide from 1 pm – 5 pm, at which we:
- Had a private Q&A with Gene and Ace
- Hung out with other fans, and made new friends
- Could spend time chatting with Ace throughout the day, and the band when they turned up later
- Spent 5 minutes with Gene, talking to him and getting things signed, including the Vault itself + more
- Had pro photos taken.
I didn’t buy the Vault; my husband did. (He’s a much bigger fan than me.) But I am still a fan of Gene… just more of his knowledge than his music. Even if his music does also kick arse.
It only happened if you have pictures!
Here you go; here’s a set of cool pics. You can see all fan photos at the Gene Simmons Vault.
