We know one thing about this weekend: It’s going to be loud.  With a blitz of hard rockers storming the area—you can head north, east, west or to Shockoe Bottom to catch them—it seemed a no-brainer to observe this unusually timed assemblage of guitar shredding and eyeliner.

KISS When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Hampton Coliseum. Buckcherry opens. Tickets: $25-$127.50 Info: http://www.ticketmaster.com or (800) 745-3000 The latest: Taking a cue from AC/DC, KISS last week released “Sonic Boom,“ its first studio album in 11 years, which is being sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. Ever the cunning marketers, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the CEOs of this operation, have packaged the project as a three-disc collection containing the new release, a disc of re-recorded hits and a six-song live DVD recorded this spring in Argentina. The best part? The package is selling for a mere $12. Hey, it’s cheaper than a KISS Kasket ($4,500, in case you were wondering). Joining Simmons and Stanley on stage this go-around (wasn’t their Richmond Coliseum show in 2000 part of a “farewell” tour?) are Eric Singer on drums and Tommy Thayer on guitar instead of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Sound bite: Three weeks ago, KISS was finally included on the ballot of potential inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2010—10 years after it reached the eligibility milestone.

In a glass-enclosed space the size of a New York hotel room—which is to say, twice the size of a typical radio studio—TT Torrez works the phones, a blur of jangling bracelets and curly dark hair. “All right, baby girl, thanks for calling in,“ Torrez says as she switches from one caller to the next. “We’ve got Maino in the studio today. You want to talk to him? OK, sweetheart, hold on a second.“

The band – in typical find-a-marketing-gimmick fashion, has decided to let the fans plan its itinerary for an upcoming fall tour. Right now, Richmond isn’t on the list of top 40 cities with the most votes (and yes, I forced myself to sign up to “Demand it!” for the sake of research.