Earlier this month, the 80's glam metal band Kix announced they will be hanging it up this year. The announcement of their retirement as a group came on May 6 during a show in Maryland, where lead singer Steve Whiteman said "After 45 years of doing this. we're going to call it a career."

The Maryland-based hair band clarified that they didn't intend on hanging it up right after their May 6 show, but rather to finish ou their 2023 tour. The remaining dates on that tour included a total of 10 stops in places like Roanoke, Virginia, Cumberland, Maryland, and Pryor, Oklahoma. Their final scheduled tour stop was actually in Minnesota. Note that I said was. 

That final scheduled tour date they had booked was for the Grand Rocktember Music Festival at Grand Casino Hinckley. Rocktember is celebrating 10 years, including a two-day lineup boasting acts like Bret Michaels, Slaughter, Firehouse, Lita Ford, Queensrÿche, and Kix.

The group is scheduled to play on Friday, September 8, right before the night's finale, Queensrÿche. Sounds like a fun time, and a great way to end a career, right? Apparently not.

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Whiteman explained that his health and the health of drummer Jimmy Chalfant are "failing", leading to their retirement later this year. When commenting on the final show on the schedule, Whiteman didn't seem too impressed with the prospect of ending the band's career in Hinckley.

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He commented "We just decided we're gonna finish up these dates through the summer, and we were gonna end in Hinckley, Minnesota. And we thought, 'Who the f--k wants to end a career in Hinckley, Minnesota?' Whiteman continued "So we brainstormed, and we said, 'We wanna do one big final rock 'n' roll show in the area,' because you guys deserve it. No offense, Hinckley, but f--k that."

Wow, bro.

You had one legit top-20 hit with your song "Don't Close Your Eyes" back in 1989. Yes, you had some other bangers like "Blow My Fuse" and "Cold Blood", but c'mon, man.

To me, ending my career as part of a two-day festival dedicated to the era of your musical prime seems like a great way to go out.

Minnesota Redditors had some fun with the comments, ranging anywhere from "Hinckley has a rich history of getting roasted" to "I've been alive for almost 40 years and I have never heard of this band".  Another person mentioned "They're more known for their cereal", while a few other people made some punny comments related to some of their songs.

Now, in his defense, he was talking to a crowd in the band's home state and he did announce that they will be adding a final date after the Hinckley show in Maryland on September 17 as a homecoming/farewell. It makes sense to play to the hometown crowd and get them excited for a surprise grand finale to the band's career.

At the same time, did you really need to take a s--t on the show before your grand finale? I mean, you could have just said "Hey, we're adding one more show for the fans that helped us get our start" instead of "Who the bleep wants to end their career in Hinckley?" I assume he does know that the venue is still trying to sell tickets for people to come to see them in Minnesota, right?

Don't get me wrong, I'd still go. It sounds like a fun show all around. But it's probably a bad look to talk any shade of smack about an upcoming tour date, even if you're doing so to hype people up about a different show.

Anyway, enough of my rant. The full lineup for Rocktember looks pretty kickass! Here's the rundown of the festival lineup:

Friday, September 8:

  • Queensrÿche
  • Kix
  • Firehouse
  • Ted Poley
  • Resist & Bite
  • Tuff
  • Siin

Saturday, September 9:

  • Bret Michaels
  • Orianthi
  • Slaughter
  • Lita Ford
  • Vixen
  • Eric Martin with Trixter
  • Jetboy

The show will be held at the Grand Casino Hinckley Amphitheater, with options to buy tickets for either day, or both days, as well as on-site camping.

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