Latest news with #SturgisMotorcycleRally
Fox News
10-08-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
World's largest motorcycle rally kicks off in Sturgis, South Dakota
Automotive expert Mike Caudill showcases a series of motorcycles as the 85th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally kicks off in South Dakota.
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gene Simmons brings revelry to Buffalo Chip concert at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
STURGIS – It's hard to accept that 'The Demon' in KISS is not immortal. The towering Gene Simmons prowled the stage for nearly a half-century, managing to beguile crowds with his wicked tongue, raspy scream and staged blood boiling out of his mouth as if he was dying right in front of fans. He looked like a nightmare and performed like a dream, but 'open your eyes, baby,' Simmons says, having shaken off a decades-long hangover and a kink in his neck from the 30-pound dragon armor he donned. Now, at an Aug. 3 performance for thousands of bikers at the 85th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, Simmons is witty, thoughtful and affectionate with a side of raunch. 'This is much easier now,' he says of his one-man show as The Gene Simmons band. 'It makes me feel good.' Fans say Gene Simmons 'introduced me to music' Touring as part of the American rock band KISS, Simmons says 'it was a traveling city,' with private jets, multiple double-decker buses, 20 tractor trailers, five miles of cable and more than 60 people to help set the stage for one show. 'When I was a kid, there was always that mote,' he said earlier in the week while hanging out with his five dogs in one of his houses on the West Coast. His favorite metal bands Sly and the Family Stone and Loving Spoonful were untouchable, 'where the enemy is coming right up to the castle but he can't get in because it's surrounded by alligator-filled waters. 'With my solo band, the draw bridge is down and anybody can come into the castle with me and have lots of fun," he said. More from the rally: Welcome to The Buffalo Chip: Sturgis rally 'headquarters' hosts rockers, campers. On Aug. 3 at The Buffalo Chip, he welcomed all 10 contestants from a bikini contest earlier that night — still in swimwear and that's all — to sing along with him. There were no pyrotechnics to turn anyone who came on stage 'into shish kabobs,' and Simmons' two guitarists Brent Wood and Jason Walker joined the girls on the same mic, like it was karaoke night in a small-town bar. He asked the crowd what they wanted to hear, sang covers from Motörhead and often hung his sunglasses on his black T-shirt collar so he could wipe his sweaty jowls. Then he quieted down the crowd to honor the late Ozzy Osbourne, only for them to rev their engines in respect. 'KISS introduced me to music,' said Blake Griffin, who with his fiancée, Hannah Hotchkiss, stood in the best seat in the house that night, hanging over the Wolfman Jack Stage at the Chip and bouncing in place like he was about to enter a boxing ring, his adrenaline unhinged. He was wearing a cut-off KISS T-shirt he bought in 2008 when he last saw them perform and had a tattoo of The Demon on his lower left shin. This was his first time seeing Simmons on stage alone. 'He loves Gene Simmons more than anything,' Hotchkiss says of Griffin. 'I'm so happy he gets to experience this.' More from the rally: Motorcross daredevil Colby Raha soars into history with record-breaking motorcycle jump Gene Simmons and a redefining of rock shows Simmons turned KISS into an omnipresent brand. Even if you had never listened to 'Rock and Roll All Night,' 'Beth' or 'Shout it Out Loud,' you knew their makeup and most definitely saw someone dressed like them for Halloween. 'All that legacy stuff is self-aggrandizing,' said Simmons, 75. 'The only thing I ever hoped for, and that the band ever hoped for, was to raise the level of quality in a concert experience. 'With the advent of better technology, we decided to put all the money we made back into the show, and, yeah, that included flying off the stage and some pyrotechnics.' Their daredevil approach redefined rock shows, 'broke the barrier for what a band is supposed to be,' he said, and built a legacy for Simmons whether he wanted it or not. Gloria and Graham Thompson traveled 1,500 miles from the Florida panhandle to weave through Needles Highway during the day and hit every show at the rally at night. They didn't even mind that it was Simmons without The Demon persona. They came for the nostalgia. 'We're just old people enjoying our old age,' Graham said. They parked their hog right in the front row for Simmons and had not moved since 6 that night. (Simmons came on around 10:30 p.m.) 'And we love it,' he said. The KISS brand lives on Last year, music investment firm Pophouse Entertainment purchased the KISS brand, including its entire music catalogue and trademarks. Simmons said he's excited for the $300 million acquisition because now there will be Broadway shows, documentaries, comic books and 'a chance to spread my wings and do whatever I want.' Simmons also runs a chain of Rock & Brews restaurants and casinos, of which he started with KISS bandmates, and co-founded his own film production company in 2023 with producer Gary Hamilton. Simmons/Hamilton Productions has already finished their first horror film, 'Deep Waters,' slated for a release later this year about an airplane that crashes into shark-infested waters. The thriller persona will never completely die. Today, Simmons' face is on wines and vodkas, Harley-Davidsons and motor bikes, condoms and Tumblers, lunch boxes and even your own casket, if you wish. But he's no demon. He's just the perverted grandfather who can still rock out in the garage with you. He'll purse his lips, thrust his hips, grab his crotch, tap his metal boots that curl, then give you an endearing wink like he was in on the prank all along. 'We're all here just to have a good time,' he said.
Fox News
05-08-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Gov Rhoden says Trump's deals are 'just getting started'
Gov. Larry Rhoden joins 'Fox & Friends' from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to discuss the top issues facing South Dakota voters and President Donald Trump's trade deals.
USA Today
04-08-2025
- USA Today
Crash report: 1 dead, 17 injured during 1st weekend of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Of the non-fatal crashes, at least eight of 17 motorcycle-riding individuals were not wearing helmets, according to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. One man died and 17 more were injured during the first weekend of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, South Dakota officials said. A 58-year-old man lost control of his 2019 Harley Davidson while attempting to navigate a curve in the roadway on Saturday, August 2, and collided with three other motorcycles, according to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. The man died at the scene while the three other riders sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Officials have not released the names of those involved in the accident. The fatal crash occurred during the second day of the 85th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a weeklong event that garners more than 500,000 motorcycle riders and enthusiasts each year. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety recorded 14 additional non-fatal crashes during the rally's opening weekend, between 6 a.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 2 and 6 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 3. Of these non-fatal crashes, at least eight of the 17 individuals riding motorcycles were not wearing helmets, according to the news release. Ten were transported to nearby hospitals, and seven sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The Department of Public Safety did not provide the names and ages of the individuals. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
USA Today
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
She's 109 and still loves when the motorcycles roar at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA – At the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, it's not all bikinis and debauchery. Some just come to feel the omnipresent rumble, to wave to the bikers and to take in the smell of fried food and fuel. And they come back for it year after year (after year). This year's 85th annual rally is expected to bring in a record number of guests, surpassing 700,000 bikers who will crowd Main Street in Sturgis, South Dakota Aug. 1-10, filling the campgrounds, mingling at the Buffalo Chip, looping through the Black Hills and screaming along with ZZ Top, Gene Simmons, Nickelback, Jason Aldean and Marilyn Manson. Some of them may pass by the home of a local woman who won't make it this year, but has been a part of Sturgis lore since the beginning. 'Fascinated' by motorcycles since 1938 At 109 years old, Hazel (Bush) Baumberger is the oldest living South Dakotan and a longtime admirer of the rally. She was there for the first one in 1938, when she and her husband, Art, heard about dirt track races in the Black Hills and choked on dust for a few days. Local Indian Motorcycle dealer Clarence 'Pappy' Hoel founded the rally with nine stuntmen bikers in 1938. Before that, Sturgis hosted horse races in the 1870s. Hoel continued to evolve what began as the Black Hills Motor Classic, from racing and stunts to live music, bike shows and rides through the Black Hills. According to the City of Sturgis, demographics for the rally today hover around 62% male riders and 37% female, around ages 45 to 65. The city sees up to 20 times more traffic, especially during the second and third day of the rally, and top visitors come from New York, Texas, California, Wyoming and Colorado. Baumberger, though, doesn't own a motorcycle. She doesn't wear leather. And, no, she never made it to one of the infamous rock concerts at The Buffalo Chip outside of town. What to know about the rally: Bikers head west for Sturgis' milestone anniversary But you would've seen her on Lazelle Street, and she'd always don a rally T-shirt with a Harley-Davidson pin on her lapel. 'Motorcycles fascinated her,' said Sandra Griese, Baumberger's 79-year-old niece who still spends time her with 'Annie' every week. 'I don't even know why, but she loves the chrome, and she loves the noise," Griese said. And the rally came to love her. Hells Angels and temporary tattoos Baumberger was recently named the South Dakota Centenarian of the Year, a title she bestowed last year as well. She's the longest-serving member of the South Dakota Health Care Association's Century Club, and she's still a chatty and chipper resident at Peaceful Pines Senior Living in Fort Pierre, South Dakota. 'She manages to amaze us every day here,' said Jalen Bame, executive director of Peaceful Pines. Baumberger has been living there since it opened last year. But she has so many stories to tell, how could she idle? More: Donald Trump at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally? Sen. Mike Rounds extends the invite Her last visit to the rally was in 2015, when she rode in on the back of her great nephew's Harley-Davidson at 99 years old. 'It was the most wonderful day I ever had,' Griese recalled Baumberger saying then. But, oh, the other wonderful days she had. Her nephew Jim Bush lives in Sturgis and served as the city's police chief from 1990-2016, a safe guide for Baumberger through the chaos. On one of her annual trips to the rally, Bush told her the Hells Angels motorcycle club was riding through town, and she insisted on having a look. He drove her and her sister, Rose – a longtime travel companion – downtown and told them to stay on the sidewalk. 'But ... they wanted as close to those motorcycles as they could get,' Griese said. Her great niece, Michelle Kohn, said Baumberger was once asked if she would've gone on a ride with one of them had they offered. 'Hell, yeah!' Baumberger said. 'She's fearless,' said Kohn, who plans to attend the rally this year with her Honda Rebel. Her nephew, the former police chief, often threw her in the back of his police cruiser to parade her through town. She'd roll down her window and wave at all the passersby. 'You know,' she told Bush, 'I bet everyone thinks we're drunk and going to jail.' And she loved the attention nonetheless. Baumberger was likely the most innocent darling of the rally. She never really drank beer, never camped, maybe gambled in a bit a bit just to pull down the lever and hear the jingle of the machines, and only managed a fake tattoo on her arm. 'But she did try to convince her friends at coffee that she and Rose got a real one,' Griese said. 'They had a bang out of that.' Someone get her some leather Baumberger was a farm girl, first in rural Onida, South Dakota, and then helping her husband on his farm with cattle and labor. She still owns their farmland today. She never had any children but her 14 nieces and nephews would take turns driving her to the rally after she couldn't drive herself anymore. She never remarried after Art died, but she led an annual Bush family reunion for nearly 90 years. Griese said she was 'very flashy,' dressed well and always pressed her jeans 'with the crease down the middle.' But she never donned a Harley-Davidson leather jacket (although the company did send her some swag once, many stickers of which adorn her walker at Peaceful Pines). Last year, her family organized a 'Rally for Hazel,' inviting bikers to stop by Peaceful Pines so she could see the motorcycles and maybe share stories. There was cake, lemonade and poker chips. There are no plans for another drive-by for Baumberger this year, but perhaps the centenarian will listen for the growl of a hog still, her lullaby as she rides toward yet another decade. Angela George is a trending news reporter for the USA Today Network. She'll be covering the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills through Aug. 8. Email ageorge@ with tips.
