In the late 1990s, Canada’s Kittie came seemingly out of nowhere to rock the world. Sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander went from being everyday teens to rock and metal superstars, defying the odds and winning over a massive following around the globe. Over 20 years later, they’re still rocking in the studio and on stage, holding nothing back; anyone wondering if women can rock as hard, as loud, and aggressive as the boys will find their answer with the Sisters Lander. Their much delayed seventh studio album, FIRE, is slated for release in June; it’ll be their first studio release since 2011’s I’VE FAILED YOU.
Kittie was one of many bands in Las Vegas this past weekend for the Sick New World festival, which attracted acts and fans alike from all corners of the globe; nearly everywhere I went in Vegas over the weekend was dominated by people clearly visiting Sin City to attend the event. While I unfortunately missed the event and the performance, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Morgan and Mercedes Lander, Kittie’s founders, would be doing an in-store meet and greet at Club Tattoo in the Planet Hollywood Hotel/Casino to promote the new non-alcoholic KittiePIG beverage.
I will admit that my familiarity with Kittie is somewhat limited; the song “Brackish” was played relentlessly on the radio when I was in high school, but I’d somewhat forgotten them/moved on following those years. My interest was rekindled a few years ago when Canadian filmmaker Rob McCallum (MISSING MOM, NINTENDO QUEST) made the KITTIE: ORIGINS/EVOLUTIONS documentary, opening me up to the group’s internal struggles and whirlwind successes and backlash alike, much of which I had no idea about!
Along with one of my music scene friends, I ventured to Planet Hollywood this past Sunday morning, hoping to meet the girls and get my copy of the aforementioned documentary autographed. The event was slated to run from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, with the girls moving to a bar in another part of Planet Hollywood’s Miracle Mile Shops from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Sadly, Planet Hollywood is another one of the venues in Vegas that now charges an arm and a leg for parking in their garage; it cost $25 just to park for the two-and-a-half hours we were inside the resort! I thought by getting there early I’d be able to avoid any potential crowds; I had no idea what to expect, or what kind of a following Kittie had in Vegas.
We were met with a massive line, around the corner, having packed the hallway of the Miracle Mile Shops a good 45 minutes before the event even started! While I certainly don’t like dealing with crowds, I was still pleased to see that this many people were willing to go out on a Sunday morning in Vegas to support musicians. In a day and age not to mention a city where entertainment options are a dime a dozen, seeing so many rockers, young and old alike, coming out to show their love of a band is fantastic.
The line eventually reached inside of the tattoo shop where the event was taking place, with a spot in line where people could buy shirts and the KittiePIG beverage if they wanted to get these first edition cans autographed. The line was moving quite slow (and behind me it wasn’t even getting any shorter), and after over an hour we finally reached the front with the Lander Sisters…
…and this was a pleasant surprise in all the best ways. One of the best things about this event was that there weren’t any rude security staff shoving people through the line or placing limits on what people could/couldn’t get signed. I saw many people with albums and other memorabilia, and the sisters were extremely accommodating and friendly to everyone who passed through. I even got a few compliments on my battle jacket! As a respectful fan, I did try to keep my encounter fairly brief so as not to hold up the line any longer. There were posters for the event being provided that the girls were happy to sign as well, so I walked away with one of those and, of course, my documentary disc autographed. Following my encounter, I heard some of the event staff say they’d need to move things along faster since, with only about half an hour remaining until they were supposed to head to the bar in another section of the Miracle Mile Shops, they STILL had a line out the door around the corner of the tattoo shop!
That fandom for Kittie is still this rampant and widespread, even way out here in Sin City, definitely pleases me. This many people packing a spot in Vegas to meet and support some of their rock heroes is truly amazing, and it was a relaxed, laid-back event, and of course the girls were very accommodating, welcoming, friendly, and supportive of their fans. It was a fantastic event all around, and I’m definitely excited for the release of FIRE later this year!
