KISS News Bits

[Terry]

I'm the first to criticise Simmons in particular so was pretty surprised to hear that too from Rush - Kiss did treat them well over more than one tour I think.

Seems like such a weird match-up although maybe a bit less so in the mid 70s when it happened.

Stylistically it does seem a bit of a mismatch.

I think Rush opened up for KISS during 1974 and 1975, and most if not all the dates took place before Alive! was released. Pre-Alive!, KISS hadn't yet ascended to playing 10,000 + seat venues night after night and selling them out. That whole 1975 Dressed To Kill tour that Alive! was the product of was a patchwork of performing arts theaters, auditoriums, halls, convention centers and the like. I think that the band headlined Cobo Hall for the first time on that 1975 tour and KISS themselves were stunned they sold it out because back then it wasn't their usual experience to sell out a 10,000-seat venue and it wasn't typical of that tour, either.

It should also be said that a lot of bands didn't want KISS opening for them during KISS's first nationwide concert appearances when KISS were an opening act. Ostensibly because KISS were looked upon as an insincere joke, but perhaps it was a bit closer to the truth that KISS were doing all that then-outrageous stuff onstage and some of those headlining acts KISS was opening for didn't want to be upstaged, plain and simple. And there weren't a lot of bands who wanted to open for KISS pre-Alive! because while KISS got a decent amount of magazine hype due to their image they weren't a band who was even going gold in terms of record sales up to Alive! along with the thing of who wants to go out and open for a band like KISS when you know the entire audience is there for the KISS show, with all the explosions, special effects and the rest of it? It would have to be a band really hungry to work and confident in their own abilities. Back then, Rush were that band, going from tour to tour opening up for whoever they could. Like, I wouldn't say Uriah Heep were stylistically compatible with Rush any more than KISS were, but Rush opened up for them as well during that same time period.

Plus, back in pre-Alive! 1975, who gave two shits about KISS, much less Rush?

[Nitro Express]

Oddly enough both KISS and RUSH broke in what was the manufacturing center of the US. RUSH broke in Cleveland with working man. KISS broke in Detroit. China hadn’t opened up yet and the massive outsourcing hadn’t begun. Cleveland and Detroit had lots of factory workers and those were the people who lived to rock out after a hard shift.

Alice Cooper loved playing Detroit. He said the audience were auto workers some still in their work clothes and they just spent all day outing cars together and wanted to unwind from the day rocking out.

[Terry]

Wasn't that interesting to have found that out re: KISS and Rush both initially breaking out in those working-class, 1970's Middle America regions?

With Rush, I hadn't been aware of that until their Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary. With KISS, I had found that out upon reading the best book I've ever read about KISS, titled KISS AND SELL which came out in 1997 if memory serves. That book pointed out that in the first few years of the band before the Alive! album hit big, the biggest fans of the band were first found in the heartland states and regions of the country that had those large pockets of working-class kids living in factory towns. KISS had amassed that following by touring heavily in those areas. It wasn't some grand master plan but occurred more by way of happenstance. In the entertainment centers of the country, New York and Los Angeles, KISS were looked upon - certainly by the most heavily circulated pop music publications of the time cicra 1973-1975 - as a bad joke in musical terms, even within the context of the hard rock of the day.

[Kristy]

Yeah, well, Geddy Lee is a fucking idiot.

[silverfish]

KISS Plays First Of Two Final-Ever Shows At New York City's Madison Square Garden

Setlist:

01. Detroit Rock City
02. Shout It Out Loud
03. Deuce
04. War Machine
05. Heaven's On Fire
06. I Love It Loud
07. Say Yeah
08. Cold Gin
09. Guitar Solo
10. Lick It Up
11. Calling Dr. Love
12. Makin' Love
13. Psycho Circus
14. Drum Solo
15. 100,000 Years
16. Bass Solo
17. God Of Thunder
18. Love Gun
19. I Was Made For Lovin' You
20. Black Diamond

Encore:

21. Beth
22. Do You Love Me
23. Rock And Roll All Nite

Full story (with fan-filmed video) at:

https://blabbermouth.net/news/watch-kiss-plays-first-of-two-final-ever-shows-at-new-york-citys-madison-square-garden

Tonight's show is the PPV so maybe it'll show up on-line in the next couple days.

[Nitro Express]

Wasn't that interesting to have found that out re: KISS and Rush both initially breaking out in those working-class, 1970's Middle America regions?

With Rush, I hadn't been aware of that until their Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary. With KISS, I had found that out upon reading the best book I've ever read about KISS, titled KISS AND SELL which came out in 1997 if memory serves. That book pointed out that in the first few years of the band before the Alive! album hit big, the biggest fans of the band were first found in the heartland states and regions of the country that had those large pockets of working-class kids living in factory towns. KISS had amassed that following by touring heavily in those areas. It wasn't some grand master plan but occurred more by way of happenstance. In the entertainment centers of the country, New York and Los Angeles, KISS were looked upon - certainly by the most heavily circulated pop music publications of the time cicra 1973-1975 - as a bad joke in musical terms, even within the context of the hard rock of the day.

I bought an amp from a sound engineer that goes by the name Nite Bob. He’s done front of house for some big bands including KISS. We shoot the shit time to time. He’s from NYC and was around when KISS was a local band. He said they weren’t that popular in New York. Just another weird band in a city full of weirdos.

[Nitro Express]

What sold KISS was the big live show experience. The Alive albums were a good marketing move. Factory workers like escape. They love sports. They love rock and roll. They work hard and play hard. Nobody works in a factory for the fun of it. You do your time and reward yourself with a concert.

[twonabomber]

Kinda saw this coming

During their encore, the band’s current lineup — founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — left the stage to reveal digital avatars of themselves. After the transformation, the virtual Kiss launched into a performance of “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.”

https://apnews.com/article/kiss-digital-avatars-end-of-road-finale-37a8ae9905099343c7b41654b2344d0c

[twonabomber]

I can't see going to watch that in an arena. Maybe at a movie theater.

[twonabomber]

Last part of the show

[Seshmeister]

I can't see going to watch that in an arena. Maybe at a movie theater.

Just like the real thing - out of time lip synching...

[twonabomber]

Just like the real thing - out of time lip synching...

and they made Stanley look 30 years younger!

[Seshmeister]

Wasn't that interesting to have found that out re: KISS and Rush both initially breaking out in those working-class, 1970's Middle America regions?

With Rush, I hadn't been aware of that until their Beyond The Lighted Stage documentary. With KISS, I had found that out upon reading the best book I've ever read about KISS, titled KISS AND SELL which came out in 1997 if memory serves. That book pointed out that in the first few years of the band before the Alive! album hit big, the biggest fans of the band were first found in the heartland states and regions of the country that had those large pockets of working-class kids living in factory towns. KISS had amassed that following by touring heavily in those areas. It wasn't some grand master plan but occurred more by way of happenstance. In the entertainment centers of the country, New York and Los Angeles, KISS were looked upon - certainly by the most heavily circulated pop music publications of the time cicra 1973-1975 - as a bad joke in musical terms, even within the context of the hard rock of the day.

They seem to be getting on with each other here.



Gene seems to have been teetotal in the same way as Ted Nugent.

[Nickdfresh]

[Nitro Express]

I’m ready for KISS to go. I’m tired of hearing about them. I wish them and Sammy Hagar would fall into Oprah’s ass and disappear.