Video: Brazilian Jet Pilot Spots Life-Threatening KISS Tribute Balloon at 20,000 Feet
If there’s any band that pulls off the stunts of cartoon death metallers Dethklok in real life, it’s probably KISS. The facepainted hard rockers are totally shameless in their promotional tactics, and their fans are loyal and rabid to the point of causing extreme physical harm and property damage. Case in point, a Brazilian jet pilot recently posted a video of a KISS tribute balloon he spotted at 20,000 feet that is apparently incredibly dangerous for pilots around South America.
As reported by Blabbermouth, this clip of a balloon carrying a flag of Gene Simmons‘ face is originally from a Brazilian flight crew member, and was taken on April 29th. The balloon was undoubtedly released at one of KISS’ recent three Brazilian shows. The video was later shared by Scott Bateman, a C130, BN2, 747 and A350 pilot who runs lifestyle/flight site called The Layover, who wrote the following message to accompany it:
“These are tribute balloons that are regularly seen in #Brazil and across S America. They pose a real risk to #aircraft and #WePilots need to keep a sharp lookout. I recently avoided one over #SaoPaulo area at 20k. @grahamsturgeon has also seen one. Why?”
Simmons himself later reposted it, of course, bragging about how awesome it was. Who cares if a jet crashes in Brazil, right, Gene?
Check out the video below. Meanwhile, fans should get tickets and speculate whether or not Ace will show up for one of the dates included below — but please, leave the tribute balloons at home:
Sep. 09 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 10 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 12 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 17 – Ridgefield, WA @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater [tickets]
Sep. 18 – George, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 21 – Boise, ID @ ExtraMile Arena [tickets]
Sep. 22 – West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 23 – Sparks, NV @ Nugget Event Center [tickets]
Sep. 25 – Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre [tickets]
Sep. 26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion [tickets]
Sep. 28 – Hidalgo, TX @ Payne Arena [tickets]
Sep. 29 – Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
Oct. 01 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena [tickets]
Oct. 02 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center [tickets]
Oct. 05 – Biloxi, MI @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum [tickets]
Oct. 06 – Lafayette, LA @ Lafayette Cajundome [tickets]
Oct. 08 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iThink Financial Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 09 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre [tickets]
Oct. 10 – Atlanta, GA @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood* [tickets]
Oct. 13 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake* [tickets]
Oct. 15 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre* [tickets]
Oct. 16 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre* [tickets]
Oct. 17 – Dayton, OH @ Wright State University Nutter Center* [tickets]
