Kiss of life for old van

Sal and Joanne Mileto, and their family, will drive the Ford Transit van, which is adorned with paintings of Kiss band members, to the concert.

The van has done its fair share of travelling around Collie, appearing in several Christmas pageants, but tonight's trip promises to be a real highlight.

It has taken three weeks for Mr Mileto and his sons to get the van going after it had been stored in the family garage for years.

"We pulled it out, and thought it might have been too far gone," Mr Mileto said.

The van is a relic of his former days as a member of rock and roll band The Mortals.

It was painted so the family could attend the Kiss farewell tour in 2001.

The van attracted the notice of Kiss when it was parked in front of where they were staying.

"Eric Singer, the drummer, said 'the van looks great'," Sal recalled.

Band members then invited Mr Mileto's sons, Brennan and Bryce, into their limo to get autographs and Mr Mileto also had a photo taken backstage with them during their Alive/35 World Tour.

"They were great, they treated you with respect, they're really for the fans," Mr Mileto said.

He has been a Kiss fan since age 14 when he watched the music video Rock and Roll All Night.

He said Kiss had persisted despite critics claiming they would have a limited life span.

"They followed their dream, they stuck to it," Mr Mileto said.

He used this as encouragement for his musically talented sons who are making a name for themselves as Sisters Doll.

Joanne Mileto said the family knew where the Kiss band members were staying and planned to wait outside to show their support.

"We'll try and stalk them and see them at the hotel," she said.

Sage Mileto,10, was too young to know much about Kiss's previous concerts, but is excited by the prospect of watching one of his favourite bands perform.

Older brother Brennan Mileto will fly to Melbourne to attend a meet-and-greet session with Kiss bassist and front man Gene Simmons.