This is a long thread so prepare yourself (or just skip ahead to the various pics)
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My first KISS concert was in Rockford, IL. NYE 1982.
My first album purchased was Dressed to Kill and I had been a fan ever since.
For many of my school years as I got older I was smack dab in the middle of Kiss’ roughest spot career-wise.
In fact, the cry repeatedly went up “KISS sucks” at this time, and could you blame my classmates?
After a decade of hard rock gems, the band had hit a dry spot and cranked out four solo LPs, one disco (Kissco) LP, a pop album, and a concept record ala Jethro Tull or something.
The latter being the straw that broke the camel’s back for most rock fans and so Kiss was sort of left for dead while many newer bands were smack dab at the beginning of their glory years. Bands like Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, and Van Halen were cruising right along releasing some of their best material ever while even younger bands were taking up the banner of heavy metal as well.
The band had also cut back on touring in America during this period (they only toured in Australia for Unmasked, and no touring for the Elder at all). So imagine my excitement when the band returned to form with the excellent Creatures of the Night album!
Everything about Creatures screamed Kiss is back! The cover was dark and heavy with the band member's eyes set off to pull the average record buyer in. The album itself was a stunner with some of the band’s best material since the Love Gun album. In fact, I was even able to change some minds at my local high school with a few spins of the new album. It went from “Kiss sucks,” to “Meh, they’re okay.”
Imagine my surprise when the band announced their tour and the closest date that I could make was in Rockford, IL.
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I was stoked and bought tickets as soon as they went on sale. I seem to remember that the advertised warm-up acts were Uriah Heep and the Shoes (they figure into the story later) from Zion, IL.
As the date approached I could hardly contain my excitement – I was finally going to get to see my heavy metal heroes live and in person. As we all know the band had not taken off their makeup yet and it really was like seeing the fantasy of the Demon, the Fox, the Star Child, and the Space Ace live.
Also, keep in mind that I had been invited to other shows before but I was dead set on making my first big rock show a Kiss show and had turned all previous invites to other bands down.
The day of the show finally came and we left mighty early to get to Rockford, IL.
which was about a two-hour drive from where I lived at the time.
The arena was full of your average rock fans but also full of families.
I forgot in the past ten years or so Kiss had become somewhat of a kiddie circus to some of the public.
I remember that the arena seemed to be only half full and checking attendance records
(3, 500 paid attendance for an arena that held 9, 213 capacity)
![Image](https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/a132/abbath_/1stkiss.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Reported openers Uriah Heep ducked out and did not appear (I later heard they had a gig coming up in the area and didn’t want to impact that), and so it was up to the Shoes to hit the boards before Kiss.
For those who are not familiar the Shoes were/are a power pop band from Zion, IL.
Zion is only a couple of miles from the Illinois border and so I was somewhat familiar with the band. The Shoes were definitely darlings of the rock critic press and routinely received four and five-star reviews from them all the time. This was for good reason as they are an excellent band and Gene Simmons being a big Beatles and pop music fan was a fan of the Shoes hence the warm-up slot on the tour. They did a good job and the crowd was ready for Kiss. All during the Shoes set we could see the ‘tank’ stage underneath its tarp.
I have to pause here to relate a story involving the opening act, the Shoes. Many, many, many years later (the early 2000s) I would be working at Borders books and music and who would walk in? One of the members of the Shoes himself! I was positive it was him as I recognized him from the various album covers and his distinctive hair. He was with a lady friend and as she wandered around the store and away from him I politely asked her if the guy she was with was John Murphy from the Shoes. She said that it was and that she’d be happy to introduce me if I wanted her to. I said yes, and she brought John over. He was totally cool and asked when it was that I saw the band. I told him that it was warming up for Kiss and he laughed and said “Ah, one of our big gigs!” He told me how the band was really happy that Gene was a fan but really nervous that the Kiss crowd would hate them. He said the gig went off great and how cool it was to get to meet the band beforehand and see them without their makeup. He told me how Gene wanted to put them on a record label that he was thinking of putting together. The band was excited about this and Gene said that he’d let them know after he got off tour. After the tour, Gene spoke to them some more about it and then they never heard from him again. The band was writing new material and tried getting in touch with Gene many times but never heard back from him. They figured that he wasn’t interested and recorded a new record. Upon putting the record out they were shocked when Gene called them up and was upset that they had gone on without him. They told him of how they waited and waited and had gotten in touch with his people and left messages but never heard back from him. They alter haggled back and forth on some things but could not work anything out.
The great thing about the internet is that I was able to verify this story in an interview that the band did a while ago.
http://www.furious.com/perfect/shoes3.html
John also told me how the band early on was approached by an up-and-coming band that wanted to go out on tour with them in the Midwest. The catch was that the Shoes would have to warm up for them. John said that the feeling was that the Shoes had somewhat of a rep in the Midwest and that it would be unwise of them to let a new band be the headliner over them. The Shoes turned this offer down. The band in question? U2. John laughed it off and was totally cool about it all. What a great guy and it’s great to see that they are recording a new record!
http://shoeswire.com/aboutus.cfm
At any rate, the Shoes warmed up and were great.
The lights went down and the intro sounds came up. I was about to see my metal heroes live for the first time! And so it began, the classic opening yell of Alright Rockford, you wanted the best you got the best the hottest band in the world….KISS!”
The drums thumped, the bombs went off, the smoke cranked out, and out the boys came onstage.
There was Gene the Demon menacing the stage, Paul the Star Child kicking it up, Eric pounding on the drums, and Ace…. Wait a minute… Ace changed his makeup…hey, Ace doesn’t usually play a flying V…hey, that’s not Ace!
I had not heard anything about Ace leaving Kiss and the band getting a new guitarist.
My excitement did not dip however and I thought that this new guy who the band introduced as Vinnie Vincent was doing a great job and I was fine with the show.
The tank stage was great and the band did all their signature moves and tunes. It was a great time. The one thing that cracked me up was that we must’ve moved up ten rows on the main floor from families rushing out of the arena as Paul spilled the f word every moment he could. Obviously, the band was more concerned with getting their core audience back more than placating the little kiddies. I vividly remember when the show started you could see outlines of kids on their parent's shoulders but by the third song parents were dragging their kids out with the little ones crying out “But what’s wrong with Kiss?”
Driving back home that snowy night I was thrilled with just having finally seen my favorite band live for the first time, but wondering who the Hell this ‘Vinnie Vincent ‘ was.
That Monday I walked the school halls with my Kiss Creatures of the Night Tour shirt as well as the Kiss belt buckle I bought at the show. Most of my fellow students that didn’t already know me snickered here and there but I could’ve cared less. Some had seen the video for “I Love It Loud” and were at least impressed that I saw a rock show.
This was the era after all when you really didn’t get a tour shirt unless you were at the show.
The next week I hit my local record stores and found copies of the magazine Kerrang with the band splayed out all over it. There was more than enough information on Vinnie there as well as news on the band. I was sad to see Ace leave but knew it was for the best.
Everyone’s interest was collectively peaked when Kiss announced that they would be taking their makeup off on MTV. The band had just finished recording their new album and was excited to unveil it and themselves live on MTV.
I and my friends sat and watched as the guy's faces were finally unveiled live for everyone to see. Aside from a few “What a bunch of ugly bastards,” comments, it was great to not only see the guys sans makeup but this was a great way to introduce their new guitarist to an eager metal audience.
I remember going to the record store and seeing the Lick It Up album. I was amazed. There they were Gene, Paul, Eric and Vinnie sans make-up. A great photo graced the cover with the guys just standing against a plain white backdrop. Gene’s tongue was wagging for all to see. The guys looked proud of themselves, and why not?
As one reviewer put it you could feel the freshness blowing through the grooves. Here they were Kiss, stripped of all the accouterments they so many previously claimed to have held them back. Here they were Kiss with a new album and a new lease on life in the music world. It really was a beautiful thing to see. Dropping the needle on the record it was song after song of pure metal gold. The thing that really struck me the most was how utterly perfect Vinnie fit in Kiss. Not just in his guitar playing but in the way he filled the shoes of each member songwriting-wise. Vinnie was able to provide what each member needed in the co-writing department. When co-writing with Gene Vinnie was able to was able to provide the Paul Stanley element and when writing with Paul Vinnie was able to provide the Gene element.
The band having drifted apart in the co-writing department
Most tunes are penned strictly by one member or another dividing tunes into ‘Gene’ songs or Paul songs.
Vinnie filled the void that had been there since the Love Gun era. Suddenly Kiss felt like a band again. Vinnie filling the void that was left not just by Ace in terms of guitar playing but of each member in terms of songwriting.
No longer was it totally necessary for Gene and Paul to HAVE to write together if they didn’t want to.
Vinnie now able to fill the void of each songwriter as if they were and yet still have it be totally Vinnie, and totally Kiss.
As one reviewer put it - You could feel the freshness blowing through the grooves.
I was certainly sold.
This, to me, was the non-make-up Kiss line up and I was thrilled with it. The band suddenly felt right in line with many of the other bands of the time that were vaulting up the charts. Suddenly, Kiss music wasn’t as much of a blues-based affair as it had been for much of Ace Frehley’s tenure with the band. Kiss was now a twin guitar axe attack that many of the other bands of the time featured. They were more as quoted in many a magazine a “metal and roll” outfit. They were now heavier than before and able to run with the pack with their new twin axe attack fronted by Vincent.
The band sounded and felt reborn.
The tour was announced and I grabbed tickets for the Milwaukee, WI date.
The warm-up acts were Heaven and Vandenberg. Once again I soldiered on to the venue and was rewarded with an amazing show! The tank stage was back and the band truly shinned and moved about with an energy that was spectacular. I loved it and had a great time.
Imagine my shock when at the end of the tour Vinnie was out and the band went looking for a new guitar player.
Two tours, one full album and it was over. I couldn’t believe it and wondered what could’ve happened.
I was disappointed and while still, a Kiss fan wondered what would happen with Vinnie. I mean, it wasn’t like any of the previous ex members of Kiss were tearing up the charts or anything. Peter had put out a couple of records, and while decent enough releases, weren’t as good as his solo effort when he was in Kiss. Ace at that time hadn’t really put anything out yet so there was nothing on that front.
When Ace finally did get it going solo wise I was there for the Chicago show w/Y &T and Faster Pussycat.
![Image](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/a132/abbath_/Ticket%20Stubs/img089.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
The next year Kiss releases Animalize and while I was happy with it the album lacked the strong songs that Lick It Up contained. The tour came around and while I was up for going the Chicago date got canceled.
The next year comes and goes with yet another new Kiss guitarist and a better album in Asylum.
Caught that show with WASP warming up and had a great time.
![Image](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/a132/abbath_/Ticket%20Stubs/img067.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Finally, after articles in various rock mags, the debut album from Vinnie hits the racks and it floored me. I thought Fleishman was great and was looking forward to seeing the band live. I wasn’t able to catch this tour. I was shocked when I saw the video for Boys Are Gonna Rock and instead of Fleishman there was some guy named Mark Slaughter fronting the band. I liked Fleischman’s more toned-down look and wondered what happened between the recording of the album and the tour. I did not buy the story that Vinnie was peddling at the time that Mark was the vocalist he wanted from the get-go. I did think it was great that Vinnie was giving Kiss a real run for their money with the album and warming up for the likes of Maiden, and Alice Cooper. Obviously, the Invasion was on the rise.
All Systems Go comes out and while happy with the album and a more toned-down look of the band I did miss Fleishman’s vocals. The band came round to my neck of the woods and I snapped up tickets.
![Image](https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/a132/abbath_/Ticket%20Stubs/img068.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
Seeing as that it was a general admission show I went early and waited in line. I and the others in line were rewarded when low and behold a tour bus pulled up and Vinnie came out. He was nice and gracious and shook our hands telling us how grateful he was that we came out to see him. Moments later another tour bus pulled up and Mark, Danna and Bobby got out of it. They too were also nice and thanked everyone for coming out. Everyone was pumped for the show and we all stood around talking Kiss/Vinnie stuff. L.A. Guns were warming up and someone told me that they saw them earlier come tumbling out of a black limo laughing as they went into the venue.
Pretty soon the doors opened and in we all went. After a while, the show started and L.A. Guns hit the stage. They were great and performed well. After a short intermission, Vinnie and the boys hit the stage. I remember they opened with Burn and were great throughout the night. I wish I had brought a camera. The one thing I remember (unsure if my memory is accurate here but…) is that the crowd was begging for them to play Love Kills during the encore, but we got Let Freedom Rock instead.
I was looking forward to the next Vinnie LP but as we all know it was not to be. Slaughter rose from those ashes and while I liked them it certainly seemed to be Vinnie ‘lite’ if you asked me.
Kiss kept on trucking and pretty soon the Hot In The Shade album was upon us all. As with the Asylum and Crazy Nights tour I grabbed up tickets scoring second row at the newly built outdoor venue in Tinley Park. If memory serves me correctly, Kiss was the second band to play there with Gene’s ex Cher playing the first night it was open (someone look that up for me). Low and behold Slaughter grabbed the opening slot with Faster Pussycat playing after.
The show date came and myself and the gfriend went happily anticipating a great show. Upon getting there we were shocked to find out that since the venue was new the rows had been mislabeled. To make it up to the people in the front row they got backstage passes and skybox seats. Wow! We in the second row moved up to the first row, which was great but oh to have had front row tickets! All the bands rocked and this time I did bring a camera. What follows are some pics from that night. Keep in mind - Peter Parker I'm not!
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Slaughter
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Faster Pussycat
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KISS
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