A Farewell to KISS
From Face Paint to Fireworks, A Journey through the Timeless Shine of the Hottest Band in the World, and my Kisstory.
You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest band in the world, KISS… said farewell to us this December, and to many mixed emotion in the music community. As I grapple with the departure of Kiss, from being an active touring band - lets chat about the band, their music and what they mean to so so many… including myself.
For the record, I have seen Kiss twice live in person. Both stops on the End of the Road Tour (2019-2023)… I know, I know, Kiss has been on countless farewell tours.. but this time around felt like the nail was about to close on the Kiss Kasket. The first time I saw Kiss was at Pine Knob in Clarkston, Michigan, and the latter being at Little Caesars Arena in the heart of Detroit Rock City. Same set of songs, for both shows. At Pine Knob, I was joined by a cast of characters - both new and old to Kiss: my uncle Jon - a member of the Kiss Army, some of our mutual friends and the gal I was dating at the time (who never understood the Kiss Army’s obsession with the band [Kiss Army is what devote fans call themselves - similar to Deadheads and the Grateful Dead] and I was not about to explain in detail the relationship with the band and their fans to someone who wasn’t ready to join the Kiss Army, on the ride back to Detroit from the Knob, so if you are reading this, I hope this suffices.) LCA was a solo show for me, and man, did I rock and roll all night. If you want the encompassing story, you will have to talk to me.
I was first introduced to Kiss, by my uncle Jon. In my formative years, my musical oracle - Jon, worked out of town quite frequently and for my birthday one year, three CD’s arrived in the mail addressed to me. Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Rush’s 2112 and Kiss’s comp Double Platinum. Out of those three, I had heard of Kiss before - knowing their hits and such, so I slapped Double Platinum in my boombox and was floored from the start. So much so, I tracked down a vinyl copy of Double Platinum to hang in my office recently. Gotta pay homage to your roots, ya know?
With Double Platinum under my belt, fast forward 15 years. My dad, on the verge of throwing out his vinyl collection, asked me to help him carry his crates of vinyl’s to the curb… being a fan of music, I took them, saving the collection from impending doom. Included in my old man’s crates were many treasurers, namely: Kiss Alive and Kiss Alive II… and in pristine condition. Curious to hear more, and especially live cuts, I gave them a spin… and was again floored. How did a band covered in makeup and flourished by pyrotechnics and fireworks, rock so much? Little did I know, that this was only the beginning of my Kiss journey. For those keeping track at home, I discovered Kiss before the Grateful Dead. Pretty wild when I think about it.
A majority of folks I know and discuss music with, cannot stand Kiss. Is it because of the makeup and personas? Fireworks, fire and Gene spitting blood? Does the makeup supersede the music? Because when you dive into the Kiss discography… Kiss is a simple rock band. No big swings or such in their music. What you see, is NOT what you get. The music rocks to a level the makeup and personas portray the band to be at - if you study the discography, and take a deep dive on each album, the music is there. It always has been, you just have to see past the makeup at first - come back around to the makeup and personas, fireworks, fire and blood after you listen and you’ll see what I mean.
Similar to some of the bands named above (Grateful Dead and Rush), Kiss has a very strong and devote fandom. These three band, and namely Kiss have fans so strong, they would be buried in a Kiss Kasket - they exist, Google it for yourself. As I have experienced all three in concert, I can confidently say, these people use the music and fandom as a place of belonging. The bands create a community around them, that envelopes fans in a aura of familiarity and comfort, where they can be their true self. While I would consider myself a Deadhead, a member of the Kiss Army and a Rat (Rush fan) I do not use the fandom as a place of belonging. You aren’t going to catch me with a Gene Simmons God of Thunder tattoo on my bicep. Sorry to burst your bubble. But if you visit my office you will find Double Platinum as well as the four 1978 solo albums: Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss and Paul Stanley hanging on the wall. It’s all about how you portray your fandom.
Kiss plays, or played a(n) interesting role in the world of rock and roll. The band has always fostered an environment for other rock bands to rise to prominence, an incredibly selfless act for the masked marauders - teaching these bands stage presence, how to interact with an audience and how to market themselves in the mainstream, something Kiss was phenomenal at in regards to marketing the band, and the personas of the band in their merchandise. Starting in the early to mid 70’s, Kiss had Rush as an opening band, and would go on to host: Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions, Ted Nugent, Sammy Hagar (pre Van Halen) AC/DC (Bon Scott era), Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rage Against the Machine and countless others. Essentially jump starting the careers of these bands. I was on the phone with my dear friend Ken the other day, talking about Kiss, among other things, and the final Kiss show at Madison Square Garden, when Ken mentioned that he saw Kiss’s Creatures of the Night tour at the Saginaw Civics Center (now named TheDOW Event Center) I immediately jumped on my computer to see who the opener was; Night Ranger! (I have also seen Night Ranger in concert, opening for Foreigner and Journey) Kiss never disappointed with their opening bands, because they knew how important it was to share the stage with a deserving group. Interestingly enough, when I caught Kiss twice, they had an interactive painter open for them at Pine Knob and Paul Stanley’s sons band: Amber Rose open at LCA. I didn’t hate either.
I can say, with the utmost confidence - there will never be another band like Kiss. To pull off what these four guys did, Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace - is not only truly outstanding but cannot be replicated. From the makeup, to the pure and true rock and roll. There was one hottest band in the land, and it was Kiss. I am glad that the band is continuing to release live archival releases, showing future generation the beauty and mastery of a live Kiss show. I am also curious to see how the Kiss Avatars are going to continue touring in place of the band, taking a page from ABBA’s book. I would see it live. Always keep yourself open to new experiences musically, like Kiss has.
If you are unfamiliar with the Kiss discography, let me lead you in the right direction. Album wise, check out the following:
Kiss
Destroyer
Rock and Roll Over
Love Gun
Music from “The Elder”
Last album with the original Kiss lineup of Gene, Peter, Ace and Paul until 1998’s Psycho Circus.
Alive
Alive II
Kiss Unplugged
For a direct approach, and if you want songs to listen to instead of the full albums, start with:
Strutter - Kiss
Firehouse - Kiss
Hard Luck Woman - Rock and Roll Over, a personal favorite of my late teacher and Kiss Army member, Jim Durbin. This one is for you, Mr. Durbin: God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You II
Do You Love Me? - Destroyer
Detroit Rock City - Destroyer
Shout It Out Loud - Destroyer
Let Me Go, Rock & Roll - Alive
Black Diamond - Alive
Plaster Caster - Unplugged
… and of course, Rock and Roll All Nite - Alive
Kiss showed us everything they’ve got - kept us dancin’ when the room got hot. Drove us wild, drove us crazy. The party has begun and they let us in, keeping us shoutin’: I wanna rock and roll all night and party everyday.
Farewell, Kiss.
