Here's my favorite Kiss story because it blows people's minds:
In 1975 I saw Rush open for Kiss at Lisner Auditorium, a 1500-seat arena in Washington DC, part of the GWU campus. Rush was touring for Fly By Night, and Kiss was touring for Hotter Than Hell.
Of course Rush got the opening band crap light show. The follow spot guy was drunk or bored because he wasn't always hitting the right guy. At one point the follow spot was still on Geddy while Alex was blazing away on an extended solo... so, Geddy the professional walked over next to Alex, and when he walked back to his mic a little later, the follow spot stayed on Alex (fortunately)! Of course Rush played brilliantly, and they didn't get screwed in the FOH.
Kiss came out... and OMG, it was literally spectacular. The costumes, the choreography, the huge pillars of flame whose heat I could feel toward the back of the smallish venue, along with fire breathing and blood spitting! The band was tight overall, but Ace may have been "tight" in a different way: he seemed sluggish, and his solos were often buried in the mix. Small nitpick, though. Fabulous show!
And this was definitely back when Kiss was still new and cool (not that they stopped being cool... just sayin'). My brother and I were 15 and 16, dropped off by dear old dad. The audience was almost as spectacular as the band: specifically there was a large contingent of hipsters/glamsters (from the university I'm guessing), many dressing up. One guy I will never forget: white guy with a golden blond afro and beard, white Elton John sunglasses, black halter top, gold lame short-shorts, gold platform boots, many accessories.
Anyway... I saw Kiss a few years later at the local arena, but that first show in the much smaller venue was the best by far.
In 1975 I saw Rush open for Kiss at Lisner Auditorium, a 1500-seat arena in Washington DC, part of the GWU campus. Rush was touring for Fly By Night, and Kiss was touring for Hotter Than Hell.
Of course Rush got the opening band crap light show. The follow spot guy was drunk or bored because he wasn't always hitting the right guy. At one point the follow spot was still on Geddy while Alex was blazing away on an extended solo... so, Geddy the professional walked over next to Alex, and when he walked back to his mic a little later, the follow spot stayed on Alex (fortunately)! Of course Rush played brilliantly, and they didn't get screwed in the FOH.
Kiss came out... and OMG, it was literally spectacular. The costumes, the choreography, the huge pillars of flame whose heat I could feel toward the back of the smallish venue, along with fire breathing and blood spitting! The band was tight overall, but Ace may have been "tight" in a different way: he seemed sluggish, and his solos were often buried in the mix. Small nitpick, though. Fabulous show!
And this was definitely back when Kiss was still new and cool (not that they stopped being cool... just sayin'). My brother and I were 15 and 16, dropped off by dear old dad. The audience was almost as spectacular as the band: specifically there was a large contingent of hipsters/glamsters (from the university I'm guessing), many dressing up. One guy I will never forget: white guy with a golden blond afro and beard, white Elton John sunglasses, black halter top, gold lame short-shorts, gold platform boots, many accessories.
Anyway... I saw Kiss a few years later at the local arena, but that first show in the much smaller venue was the best by far.
