He's been around the world, but Kiss frontman Gene Simmons always finds his way back to Detroit Rock City.

"Everybody thinks of us as a New York band but, truly, it was Detroit that opened up their arms for us. When we were playing thousand seaters in the rest of the country, we actually sold out three days at Cobo," he says.

Now, decades later, his venue is much smaller and his collection of music is much bigger. During his most recent visit to Detroit, he caught up with fans at the John Varvatos store in Detroit as he promoted some never-before-heard music.

It's part of the Gene Simmons vault -- what he calls the largest box set of all time. It weighs in at 40 lbs. Inside, 50 years. Hundreds of photos. Eleven cds with 167 never-before-released tracks, including three songs Simmons recorded with Bob Dylan.

"For me, this is the second vault event anywhere in America. For me it's homecoming," he says of being in Detroit.

If you buy the vault, you also get an intimate evening with Gene Simmons and a one-on-one conversation.


"I've got to do this for me; this is my bucket list. Before this journey is over i want to meet the fans who made my life possible," he says. Dozens showed up at the John Varvatos store Saturday night with posters and other collectibles for an evening that won't soon be forgotten.

Gene Simmons is taking the vault experience to fans all over the world, from Detroit to Miami to Japan.

The vault experience costs $2,000. You can find more information at www.genesimmonsvault.com.