kiss 1976 tour dates

Destroyer Tour

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• 1 On Tour: Spirit of '76/Destroyer Tour
• 3.6 September
• 4 Promotional Material

On Tour: Spirit of '76/Destroyer Tour [ ]

With the manner in which touring for the "Alive!" was concluded and the recording of the "Destroyer" album, the transition between the two eras is somewhat confused and convoluted. While the recording of the "Destroyer" album had been completed in January the band still had dates scheduled for touring in support of the "Alive!" album. Following the conclusion of the "Destroyer" sessions the band recommenced touring activities on Jan. 23. The first single from the new album, "Shout It Out Loud," was released in early March, so it is hardly surprising that it was the first song from the album to be added to the set list. When precisely is unclear, but it is most certainly present on the recordings available from the Miami and Philadelphia shows on Mar. 21 and 24 respectively. Following the conclusion of the "Alive!" tour in Springfield, MA, on Mar. 28, the band took a two week break to prepare for the next touring cycle. During that downtime, press reports appeared detailing a possible new KISS venture: That the band had formed its own film production company and was planning to acquire the rights to the 1964 musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint -- The Smell of the Crowd," the title of which had substantial allusions to the band's stage presentation. It's not clear how the class struggle plot of the story would have been adapted, and it may well be that this was a case of something being misreported.

The band was back on the road by Apr. 11, for another cycle of shows starting in Fort Wayne, IN. While there were several make up dates from the "Alive!" tour, the primary function of this brief touring cycle was to conclude the North American run of dates. The band also made a concerted effort in Canadian markets with opening act Hammersmith (who had released their "Late Night Lovin' Man" single via Mercury Records). Visually, there was not much changed from the "Alive!" tour. Costumes and staging remained the same, though musically the band had started to transition the set in favor of material from the new album. While out on the road "Destroyer" was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 22. This was the band's first studio album to receive a certification and provided all of the motivation required to move the business forward. By mid-April the reorganization of the set was in full swing. "Flaming Youth" is firmly established in the set while "God of Thunder" had also been added. A review of the Apr. 24 show in Ottawa provides the first known mention of the latter song being performed, though at that show Gene unfortunately also encountered another self-immolation event during his fire-breathing routine. "Detroit Rock City" was noted as being present in the band's set during their show in Winnipeg Arena on Apr. 28. However, it is likely that the set was mostly static for the full April run and that all of the songs had been performed (at least at some point) during the period. One date already on the future itinerary was a "School Spirit Contest" sponsored by Chicago's WCFL and Mars Candy company where the school (within a 100 mile radius of Chicago) submitting the most candy bar wrappers collection by Apr. 17 would receive a concert performed by KISS. The winner, River Trails Junior High in Mt. Prospect, IL, was announced at the winner on Apr. 20 with the concert taking place in the school's gym on May 4.

Other than Ace Frehley's wedding, the band was more concerned with their first proper international tour outside of the confines of North America, which was to commence mid-month. Based out of London, the band rehearsed at the famed Shepperton Film Studios in Middlesex on May 12, heading up to Manchester for the first show the following day. The European tour was in some ways a massive step backwards for the band, at least economically and in terms of scale, with their performance gross for the whole tour being a paltry $60,695. Compare that sum for 17 shows performed in Europe with the 12 North American shows in April grossing $181,000. While the venues were far smaller than those to which they had graduated to performing in at home during the prior year. The band had taken a step downwards in many ways during this trek, contrary to how Gene had initially envisaged the tour to take place. In a Feb. 1976 interview with Cleveland's "Scene" magazine he commented, "We keep getting great offers, but we're not going over until it goes over the edge... We really want to go over and do it right. The size of our show is such that we have to get large sums of money to go over there. We don't want to go over and half-fill a hall; we want to fill them all the way" (Scene, 2/12-18/76). While that strategy might have been a failure for the European market, the plan for Japan certainly worked in terms of scale: "We had great offers, in Japan especially, where the promoters were willing to pay all of our transportation, give us the presidential suite and the whole bit. The treatment sounded wonderful, but we wanted to wait just a little bit longer to make sure we're the biggest thing to ever come in there" (Scene, 2/12-18/76).

Most indicative of the band's lowly position in Europe, or lack thereof, was perhaps the band's Paris show being scheduled for 3p.m. in the afternoon, so that the rabble could be cleared out in time for Jerry Louis comedic engagement during the evening. Only the Frankfurt and Stockholm shows could be considered to providing engagement grosses anywhere comparable with what the band were earning back at home. The risk to promoters was also palpable, with guarantees as low as $1,000 being offered (Paris). At least the band could report shows in England being sold-out albeit to audiences under 3,000 patrons in most cases. EMI International reportedly spent some "$60,000 on promotion... a general theme being 'lock up your daughters, KISS is coming'" (Billboard, 5/22/76) in the U.K, resulting in "Destroyer" entering the local charts at #37 and rising to #22 soon afterwards. "Alive!" also skirted the charts, though for the U.K. the album was initially only available on cassette at the time of the tour with a LP release pending. "Destroyer" also charted in Sweden where the band's reception was far more positive than had generally been the case elsewhere.

The experience in Europe was humbling for the band. Paul recalled, "Nearly as soon as we landed, I hated it. We had become a big band in the United States. In England and the rest of Europe, we had to prove ourselves all over again. We were back at square one -- nobodies. Thank God for the fans. As we had seen back home when we started out, the fans in England were also rabid in their dedication to us. On the other hand, the food was horrible and the transportation archaic. The people who ran things were very stodgy. Merchants took perverse pride in the fact that you couldn't get dry cleaning back for a week. There was no air conditioning, and, if you pleaded, they might begrudgingly put one lone ice cube in a drink for you. These things were badges of honor to the older guard of the British Empire" (Face The Music). Whatever the case the band had at least finally had a taste of the other markets that were going to become increasingly important to them in the coming years. And, for that matter, they had at least finally toured outside of North America. Following a performance to less than 500 in Belgium on June 4, the band returned to the U.S. and continued the frenzied preparations for the proper "Destroyer" tour. Jules Fisher Associates, who had previously provided assistance to the band with their staging -- dating back to 1973 when Fischer acolyte Mark Ravitz designed both the spider-web backdrop for the band and built their original "KISS" logo -- were engaged to fully design the new stage set that would be used on the proper U.S. "Spirit of '76" tour. Matters were complex with the staging proving problematic as the crew and designers struggled with scale and technical challenges. At least the band's new costumes had been completed. The band had submitted their designs to Larry LeGaspi in April. The contract for their design and construction notes a cost of $4,775 for the set with Gene's unsurprisingly being the most costly at $1,575.

The $192,000 "Destroyer" stage production was impressive, not simply in comparison with what it replaced but as the quantum leap it represented for the band. The overall design was loosely based on the apocalyptic cityscape theme of the album's cover. Press features promoting the tour regularly described the band destroying a city during the show. Peter's drum riser was complimented with a pair of 6' tall "altar" cats, with glowing eyes, on either side of his kit and a 40" gong. Stairs on either side of the riser led to 10' elevated platforms with faux "crumble wall" fronting hiding the amps and multiple fog machines. At stage-left and right were additional platforms. Ace's raised platform was designed like a lunar landscape, in keeping with his "space" theme, and he would usually perform his solo in this location. Gene's platform was designed like a destroyed demonic Transylvanian castle atop which he'd perform his blood vomiting gimmick. The crumble effect was abandoned as too time consuming, but in essence KISS were going to destroy the stage with their show. Combined, all of the elements transformed the theatrical nature of the performance and gave it a setting versus the dated equipment of its predecessor. The stairs would remain a central theme for KISS stages throughout numerous iterations over the years.

The "God of Thunder" machine was placed directly behind the drums, but in front of the new KISS logo over which was flown the lighting truss. It was seldom used and as infrequently noted in reviews during the tour. Two manned follow spot towers were situated at stage-left and right, with a third toward the rear. According to Mark Ravitz, "The lighting towers had a shape to them and they were custom made. They had a certain shape to them styled after power towers in New Jersey. I was driving on some highway in New Jersey and they had all these electric lines going through the countryside and they were being held up by scaffold towers. The top of them had a certain shape so I played around with the base and gave that a little more of a dynamic shape so they had a little more drama." Other props included the stage tree, obligatory mirror ball and flown lightning bolts. Many of the elements of the stage were hidden, or not immediately obvious looking up from the concert hall floor. Again, Mark recalls, "Unless I'm looking to reveal something it was to be seen. The stage itself didn't have so much on it, but the KISS logo, that's big. You want to see all that -- that's upstage. Everything in front of that wants to be a little lower and not as prominent. The spike, the glowing spike for Gene, that was on stage but, unless it's lit up, you're not really aware of it. When it's time for each of those characters to come alive, the set pieces supporting them came alive. Otherwise they're dialed down and something else is highlighted. That's just theatrics."

It is perhaps more interesting and important is the professional transition that occurred following the conclusion of the European tour -- a process that would have been well in place well before the band departed. KISS had been preparing to take their business to the next level, on multiple levels. Foremost was the appearance of business/financial managers Glickman/Marks on the scene; with the band signing the legal instruments giving them control over their financial interests on May 5. Their involvement would mark a paradigm shift in the overall operation. Bill Aucoin was partnering with Ron Boutwell with the creation of Boutwell/Niocua (yes, that's "Aucoin" spelt backwards), which would control the merchandising and licensing of KISS product henceforth. The stage show being professionally developed is similarly obvious. All of these factors were indicative of a professionalization of the operation, and there were going to be causalities, namely members of the original road crew, many of whom had been with the band, and had shared the same (if not in some cases worse) struggles the band had faced, as early back as December 1973. There is an overriding theory that change is inevitable, and that the lack of change, or evolution, will result in stagnation and ultimately failure. Having reached a pinnacle the band knew that they had limitations, and most certainly that they were carrying excess baggage in certain areas of their operations. There was going to be nothing pretty about the change; and Mick Campise and Rick Stuart were also left out on the streets as the band prepared for the U.S. tour in a secluded hanger at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, NY. Paul alludes to possible justifications, "Some of the tour managers were fired because Bill didn't think they were doing a good job; most were ousted because of jealousies within the band -- each member wanted the undivided attention of the road manager, or at least a sense of favoritism." No doubt there were new "voices" in the mix that had self-interest in moving things in new direction, or in the least separating the band from the past, severing those relationships and starting to exert influence and control. JR Smalling, so centrally important to the band for so long, recounted his less than ceremonial dismissal from the band's services following the conclusion of the European tour. Walking in to Aucoin's new Madison Avenue office, he thought he'd be wrapping up the business from the tour as he thought about the next road-cycle. Instead, he was let go. The roots of his dismissal had been cultivated during the European tour purportedly resulting from Peter requiring numerous cortisone shots for arm pain, in order to perform. According to Lydia, "When Peter found out what he had been taking, he was furious. Management denied knowing anything and JR was fired" (Sealed With A KISS). Were any of the changes made without the knowledge of the band? Unlikely, though in essence it was a matter of business with the adoption of a new package of people, who had people that they wanted in the roles. Or people that they felt were better suited to the new vision for the band. Business; and business is seldom kind when it comes to matters affecting the bottom line. Or business; in terms of getting rid of those who collectively may know "where the bodies are buried." That bottom line, by May 1976, was the sole concern of Glickman/Marks, on behalf of the band. They were looking at all aspects of the KISS business operation to determine where money was being lost, or revenue streams were not being maximized or exploited. That was their business, and the tentacles of their reach necessarily enveloped all areas of the operation.

That the road support staff were being pruned is not surprising. Many people had come and gone from the crew in two and a half years, but now a core was gone, or on their way out. Mike McGurl, Rick Munroe, Jay Barth and Craig Blazer followed at the end of the "Destroyer" tour. Peter "Moose" Oreckinto didn't even make it that far. That core had grown with the band, and had come from the same starting point and developed and refined their skills and operation parallel to the same for the band on the musical and performance side. It was a symbiotic relationship, but to the extent that the road crew had bled for the band there was never going to be a happy ending when business reared its unemotional head from whichever perspective. Overall, there had not been that much development to the KISS stage show from the time they first hit the national circuit in March 1974. Sure, things that broke or failed were replaced, repaired or improved, but the overall elements remained the same. Once the European tour had concluded, the planned summer tour stage was a completely different beast in its design and execution. No longer was it just a stage with a few gimmicks, it was a setting, and full production for an even greater visual experience for the attendee. Frankie Scinlaro, who had worked with Alice Cooper (and therefore a similarly sized stage production), was recruited as road manager.

The proper North American "Spirit of '76" summer tour was scheduled to kick-off in Richmond, VA on July 4, though that first date ended up having to be postponed until July 8, after initially being rescheduled for July 1. Ultimately, the first show in Norfolk, VA reported just 6,777 of 11,584 tickets being sold to mark the beginning of the band's new era. Overall, July saw the band tour venues filled to just 67% of capacity which while reasonable was certainly not keeping up with the aspirations for a whole new show and album. A second single from the album, "Flaming Youth," had stiffed on the charts reaching just #74 in early June (though admittedly the band hadn't been on the road in the U.S. at the time and it was more a matter of keeping something fresh for radio play). Its follow-up, "Detroit Rock City," fared even worse when it failed to chart at all. There was regional airplay in pockets where the band's popularity generally carried over from the "Alive!" period, but the band, album and tour were certainly not setting the world on fire. It was almost a case of too little too late when "Beth" changed both the band and record's success. The tour was in its final stretch by that point, but the unexpected success would pay dividends on the following tour. During the final shows of the tour the band's concert-filling performance certainly improved. August saw them performing to roughly 78% capacity. This trend of improvement continued into September, though the poor performance at Varsity Stadium skews the overall figure that would otherwise have grown to over 82% of capacity.

For every new way things were done for the summer tour it still operated in the old way with there being neither experience nor skill to necessarily take the production out on the road. Glickman/Marks knew that and engaged Robert D. Brown to follow the tour and conduct an overall business analysis of the existing tour processes. His task included examining the booking process, production, routing, expenses, ticketing, settlements, promotion and merchandising aspects of the tour. As noted in his report introduction, "the conclusions contained herein are the result of personally attending concerts in Baltimore and Knoxville (small indoor facilities); Indianapolis (large indoor facility); and Anaheim (outdoor/stadium) as well as watching entire set-up operation in Charleston, West Virginia. These on-set experiences were supplemented by conferring with numerous personal resource people throughout the entertainment industry." The report did not paint a pretty picture! In regards to the booking process, production, his findings are hardly surprising when looking at the band's itinerary for the period. They generally played 2-5 shows per week, often in travelling routes that were reminiscent of the city-hopping they'd experienced in 1974. One day a show in Baltimore, the next in Knoxville (525 miles travelled), the next in Charleston (back east 310 miles). Roberts commented, "too few dates were being scheduled per week often times with routing making little logistical sense. It seems the approach was simply to play as many dates and types of facilities as possible. The result was a shotgun approach to the market place lacking a viable game plan."

Roberts also found the number of different types of facilities being booked confusing and problematic. Since they differed in size they forced "constant production adjustments" trying to get the production scaled to different environments where only the 12-20,000 capacity venues ought to have been considered in relation to the band's popularity at that point. The stage show needed to be designed in a manner that was easily adjustable to all types of facilities on the tour, not one in constant need of tweaking for each engagement. Set-up and tear-down also needed to be streamlined. Unnecessary or unworkable elements needed to be jettisoned. One of the most important routing suggestions was to "book the tour in two to three week segments concentrating on a specific regional market." This would lower transport costs and time and allow a greater number of shows on a weekly basis. It would also offer "A system to control production expenses, drops more dollars to the bottom line. And, another plus, it's conducive to better moral for the band and a consistency higher level of performance." In essence, though, it was still all about the money. Keeping the band healthy and happy meant that they could be worked more efficiently during the week resulting in more dollars.

Touring expenses were found to be outrageous with there being far too much equipment being used and too many people travelling with the band. Roberts noted, "Your own rider dictates an astounding stagehand call for all shows, small and large facilities alike. It's over production in the classic sense." Even basics, such as overtime rules for facilities, or avoiding late check outs at hotels, needed to be taken into consideration in order to avoid the unnecessary outlay of funds. Simply put, Roberts recommended taking earlier flights and starting shows earlier if needed to avoid those costs. Simplifying the stage also meant that the number of trucks, people and equipment being transported could be reduced, providing savings. The driving factor for all of this analysis? A total performance gross of $1.5 million for the summer tour was reduced to a net of $340,000 after expenses and commissions/fees -- which certainly didn't mean that each band member received a check for $85,000.

Bill Aucoin had been cognizant of certain factors in touring as the band grew, particularly when it came to staying away from stadium shows wherever possible. According to Bill, the band didn't expect to rely on the venues of that scale during the tour. While there would likely have been challenges filling them on a regular basis, he felt that the "indoor show is fairer to the ticket buyer" particularly considering the challenges of presenting the band's show. More importantly, "The best concert sound can be gotten indoors and at a stadium most of the audience is too far away to really see the artists" (Billboard, 5/1/76). For a show on the scale of Anaheim, Eddie Kramer was retained to mix the sound and video projections were utilized. Economically, Aucoin felt that an act could make more from multiple arena engagements rather than a single stadium show, but remained receptive to the idea. He commented, "The staging effects are being designed to work in big stadiums. But in each market along the route, we are looking closely at the comparative advantages between local stadiums and arenas. We won't do an outdoors show unless it makes sense" (Billboard, 5/1/76). Economics also meant that booking stadium shows required the reservation of a rain-date, which in turn affected the routing of the tour and the ability to book other dates. When KISS performed at Anaheim Stadium on Aug. 20 they were joined by multiple opening acts, Ted Nugent, Montrose, and Bob Seger. Drawing a crowd of 42,987 the attractive package compared favorably with other bands: "50,633 was on hand for Rod Stewart and Faces, 47,760 saw the Beach Boys, and another 44,480 took in the Eagles" (Billboard, 5/8/76). An in-depth financial analysis identified poorly performing markets and probably indicated that the band had not yet attained a position where they could fill regularly stadiums, particularly with the subpar showings in Tempe and Toronto. The first stadium show, held at Roosevelt Stadium in early July only drew 13,867 patrons to a 35,000 seat venue, even with openers J. Geils Band, Bob Seger, and Point Blank on the bill. Even that show had been a near-miss, having only shifted 7,000 tickets by a week before it took place -- not helped by a murder at a recent show at the venue. While successful, Anaheim had underperformed 20% below maximum gross even with its impressive $437,653 gross. The $35,850 in merchandising gross for the show probably helped assuage any pain from the $112,000 unsold tickets, at least for the band -- they'd received a flat $100,000 guarantee for the performance anyway. Whatever the case, the tour did impress some: According to Elton John, "I've walked out of nearly every concert I've seen lately... Except for the KISS concert and Wings" (Lisa Robinson, 7/13/76)...

Members of the original KISS crew were not the only figures jettisoned during the "Destroyer" era, Commander-in-Chief of the KISS Army, Bill Starkey, was unceremoniously marginalized in May with the establishment of the official KISS Army fan club based in Woodland Hills, CA. Run by Jennifer Baker (who was also responsible for Elton John's fan club), who admitted knowing nothing about the band whatsoever when given the task. It seems improbable that the band's management ever had any intention of basing the KISS Army out of the mid-west or placing in the hands of a fan. In experienced hands the fan club was an unmitigated success grossing some $40,000 and growing to a membership of 5,000 in just months (Billboard, 5/29/76). In a June letter to Bill Aucoin, Ron Boutwell had to sheepishly admit, "if you recall our meeting in September of 1975, wherein you forced me to organize and manage a fan club, i.e. the KISS Army, my promise to you at that time was that we would do it and probably end up losing money, or at best, break even. However, the bottom line is that in spite of all my efforts, the fucking fan club has made money ...... too much goddamn money!" Boutwell was well positioned to profit from the partnership demanding a 50/50 split of net with the artists, and during 1976 the business rapidly expanded with not only merchandising KISS, but with other band such as Queen and the Sweet.

During the summer tour the band sold over $220,000 worth of merchandise at concerts, resulting in a net of $53,000. At that point the merchandising line was limited to tour books, 4 T-shirt designs, 3 posters, plus belt buckles and buttons. Things would rapidly escalate, but it utterly validated Aucoin's vision in turning to the obvious merchandising appeal of the band's image. According to Paul, "Bill Aucoin always saw the bigger picture. He could tell that we connected with our fans in a way that far exceeded the norm. He grasped the extent to which people would respond to us beyond the music: he understood the potential of merchandising" (Face The Music). All areas of revenue were ripe for growth, and Glickman/Marks immediately concerned themselves with the economic impact of the band's contract with Casablanca, even though the band had signed a revised one in May 1975 (which even then included the "key man" clause that would become critical years later). Their early proposals for a new contract with Casablanca included signing bonus and rising scale of advances throughout the 5 year lifespan of a contract ultimately resulting in a $2 million advance in the 5th year. The record company would pay an upfront cost of $50,000 advance for the recording of an album, or $5,000 per single, with two albums being expected per year. A sliding scale of royalties was recommended with the rate reaching 20% for 1,000,000 units and above. Casablanca would also be responsible for providing $1 million per year for advertizing and promotion. In essence, Glickman/Marks had a very good idea of areas that were ripe for the picking. Negotiations soon commenced with Casablanca, bolstered by the late-summer success of "Beth." Aucoin also expanded his commercial endeavors and split his operation into two, Rock Steady Productions and Aucoin Management to deal with the growth, along with the addition of artists such as Starz to his roster.

It could be argued that the loss of experience with the redundancies of the post-European tour period could be blamed on some of the seeming disarray expressed by Roberts concerning the summer tour. Still, there had been a quantum leap in the band's presentation as they attempted to take the next step in their public popularity as a touring act. In the pre-Destroyer period there were many of the same failings for the band on a financial perspective as noted in Roberts' report. There was also the perception of a "homebrew" ethos, where the crew approached each problem individually and solved it step-by-step rather than wholesale reinvention. Their expertise was certainly perfectly tailored to the show they had long been a part of developing and by April 1976 the operation would have been a well-oiled machine -- at that level -- and it was equally their show as much as the band's. For all of the challenges noted for the "Destroyer" tour, many would be directly handled on the following tour which had to take them into account as the band's popularity exploded with the success of "Beth." Still, for those who had departed the organization, it would be bittersweet to not be part of the culmination of the fruits of their labors. Whatever the case, while the band first stumbled and then recovered to secure their star status, they sold 420,092 of 571,812 tickets (73.47%) during the tour's 35 date main section, July 3 through September 12, grossing nearly $3 million. Soon after the conclusion of the tour the band started work on their next studio album, "Rock And Roll Over" (mentioned in early September as being titled "Rock And Roll Forever") while further changes to their operation were considered.

Set List [ ]

Tour dates [ ].

===== 11 - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN 13 - Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY 14 - Niagara Falls Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY 16 - Auditorium, Bangor, ME 18 - Moncton Collesium, New Brunswick, Canada 19 - Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 21 - Montreal Forum Concert Bowl, Quebec, Canada 22 - Civic Center, Ottawa, ON, Canada 23 - Kitchener Auditorium, ON, Canada 24 - London Arena, London, ON, Canada 26 - Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON, Canada 28 - Winnipeg Arena, Manitoba, Canada  =====

===== 1 - The Americana Inn, Manhattan, NY **Ace's Wedding Reception 4 - River Trails Junior High, Mt. Prospect, IL **M&M contest concert 11 - Sheperton Film Studios, Sheperton, MDX, England **TECH REHEARSAL 12 - Sheperton Film Studios, Sheperton, MDX, England **REHEARSAL 13 - Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England 14 - Odeon, Birmingham, England 15 - Hammersmith Odeon, London, England 16 - Hammersmith Odeon, London, England 18 - Rosengarten, Mannheim, Germany 19 - Philippshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany 22 - Olympia Theatre, Paris, France 23 - RAI Congrescentrum, Amsterdamn, Holland 24 - Stadhalle, Offenbach, Germany 26 - Scandinavium, Gothenberg, Sweden 28 - Tivoli Gardens, Stockholm, Sweden 29 - Falkoner Theater, Copenhagen, Denmark 30 - Olympen, Lund, Sweden  =====

=====2 - Ludwigsburg, Germany **CANCELLED 2 - Volkshaus, Zürich, Switzerland 3 - Circus Krone, Munich, Germany 4 - MTV Grundighalle, Nüremberg/Fürth, Germany 5 - Musikhalle, Hamburg, Germany **TEMP HOLD DATE 6 - Open Air, Mannheim, Germany **TEMP HOLD DATE 6 - Ontmoetingscentrum, Harelbeke, Belgiume 20 - Hanger E, Stewart International Airport, Newburgh, NY **REHEARSALS  =====

=====1 - Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA **POSTPONED 2 - Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, TN **RESCHEDULED 3 - The Scope, Norfolk, VA 4 - Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA **RESCHEDULED 6 - Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC 8 - Little John Coliseum, Clemson, SC **CANCELLED 8 - Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA 10 - Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ 11 - Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, MA 13 - Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD 14 - Civic Center, Charleston, WV **POSTPONED 15 - Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN 17 - Charleston Civic Center, Charleston, WV 19 - Freedom Hall Civic Center, Johnson City, TN 21 - Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN 23 - Rickwood Stadium, Birmingham, AL 25 - Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO **TEMP HOLD DATE 26 - Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO 28 - Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 29 - Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO 31 - Comiskey Park, Chicago, IL **CANCELLED 31 - Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo, OH=====

===== 2 - Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN 4 - T.H. Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, AK 6 - Roberts Municipal Stadium, Evansville, IN 8 - Hara Arena, Dayton, OH 10 - Hirsch Coliseum, Shreveport, LA 11 - Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX 13 - The Summit, Houston, TX 15 - El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, TX 17 - Tempe Stadium, Tempe, AZ 20 - Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA 21 - Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA **RAIN HOLD DATE 22 - Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA 27 - Groves Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC **TEMP HOLD DATE 27 - Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC 29 - Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, GA  =====

September [ ]

===== 1 - Notre Dame Center, South Bend, IN 3 - The Coliseum, Richfield, OH 4 - Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA 6 - Varsity Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada 8 - Freedom Hall Coliseum, Louisville, KY 10 - Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH 11 - Colt Park, Hartford, CT **CANCELLED 12 - Fairgrounds, Allentown, PA **TEMP HOLD DATE 12 - Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA=====

Promotional Material [ ]

• 1 Gene Simmons
• 3 Ace Frehley

Kiss Announce Massive ‘Destroyer’ 45th Anniversary Reissue With Unreleased Demos, 1976 Concert

• By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

Kiss will mark the 45th anniversary of their 1976 LP Destroyer with a massive reissue packed unreleased demos, alternate versions and a 1976 concert.

The 4-disc + 1-Blu-ray Super Deluxe version of Destroyer 45th , due out November 19th, features the remastered album — which boasted the band’s hits “Detroit Rock City,” “Shout It Out Loud” and “Beth” — along with 15 Destroyer -era demos from Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, nine of which have never been released.

An additional disc collects the band’s single edits, outtakes and alternate mixes from the Destroyer sessions, while the fourth disc captures Kiss’ May 22nd, 1976 concert from Paris’ L’Olympia. The Blu-ray boasts the first-ever Dolby Atmos mix of the LP, overseen by engineer Steven Wilson.

The deluxe box also comes with plenty of Kiss ephemera from the era, including a Kiss Army membership card and reproduced newsletter announcing Destroyer , press photos, stickers, concert posters and more.

In addition to the deluxe box set, Destroyer 45th will also be available in a variety of formats including a limited edition yellow and red double colored vinyl, a 2-CD set with highlights from the bonus material and more. Check out Kiss’ site for preorder information .

Kiss is back on the road now following a slight detour after both Stanley and Simmons tested positive for Covid-19.

Destroyer 45th Track List

DISC ONE: Destroyer: Original Album Remastered 1. Detroit Rock City 2. King of The Night Time World 3. God of Thunder 4. Great Expectations 5. Flaming Youth 6. Sweet Pain 7. Shout It Out Loud 8. Beth 9. Do You Love Me?

DISC TWO Destroyer Era Demos PAUL STANLEY DEMOS 1. Doncha Hesitate 2. God Of Thunder And Rock And Roll 3. It’s The Fire* 4. Detroit Rock City* 5. Love Is Alright*

GENE SIMMONS DEMOS 6. Bad, Bad Lovin’ 7. Man Of A Thousand Faces 8. I Don’t Want No Romance* 9. Burnin’ Up With Fever* 10. Rock N’ Rolls Royce* 11. Mad Dog 12. Night Boy* 13. Star* 14. Howlin’ For Your Love* 15. True Confessions

DISC THREE DESTROYER:  Outtakes, Alternate Versions / Mixes, Single Edits

Editor’s picks

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1. Beth (Acoustic Mix)* 2. Shout It Out Loud (Single Edit) 3. Flaming Youth (Single Edit) 4. Detroit Rock City (Single Edit) 5. Shout It Out Loud (Mono Single Edit) 6. Flaming Youth (Mono Single Edit) 7. Detroit Rock City (Mono Single Edit) 8. Beth (Mono) 9. King Of The Night Time World (Live Rehearsal Instrumental)* 10. Do You Love Me? (Mono Instrumental)* 11. God Of Thunder (Early Instrumental Mix)* 12. Ain’t None Of Your Business (Instrumental)* 13. Detroit Rock City (Instrumental)* 14. King Of The Night Time World (Alternate Mix)* 15. Great Expectations (Early Version) * 16. Flaming Youth (Early Version)* 17. Do You Love Me? (Early Version)* 18. Shout It Out Loud (Alternate Mix)* 19. Ain’t None Of Your Business (Outtake)* 20. Beth (Take 6 – Instrumental)* 21. Beth (Instrumental)* 22. Do You Love Me? (Alternate Mix)*

DISC FOUR LIVE IN PARIS – L’Olympia – 22 May, 1976*

1. Deuce 2. Strutter 3. Flaming Youth 4. Hotter Than Hell 5. Firehouse 6. She / Ace Frehley Guitar Solo 7. Nothin’ To Lose 8. Shout It Out Loud / Gene Simmons Bass Solo 9. 100,000 Years / Peter Criss Drum Solo 10. Black Diamond 11. Detroit Rock City 12. Rock and Roll All Nite

BLU-RAY AUDIO:

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1. Detroit Rock City 2. King Of The Night Time World 3. God Of Thunder 4. Great Expectations 5. Flaming Youth 6. Sweet Pain 7. Shout It Out Loud 8. Beth 9. Do You Love Me? Bonus Tracks: 10. Beth (Acoustic) 11. Sweet Pain (Original Guitar Solo)

* previously unreleased

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KISS Rare Full Alive 1976 Concert With Encores: Cobo Hall, Night Three

On January 25, 1976, KISS played Cobo Hall in Detroit during the band’s Alive! Tour. Below is a rare video of that full concert, including the encores for you to enjoy.

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Concert Stage Design

A journey through the past of some of the most groundbreaking concert tours in terms of staging and lighting design. Featuring information, videos, and historical context to groundbreaking tours by artists such as U2, KISS, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Metallica, and many more.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Kiss destroyer tour 1976.

The God of Thunder/Frankenstein/Tesla Machine

 Ingo Floren shared with me this lighting list ( Page 1 , Page 2 ) which detailed all the channels for the lighting board.  Mysteriously the "God of Thunder Machine" is listed and I have heard various rumors about what this actually was because closeup videos or photos exist of it.   Mark Ravitz claimed to have not remembered anything about it while Curt Gooch and Jef Suhs in Kiss Alive Forever say that it was originally designed in 1931 by Ken Strickfadden for Frankenstein.  It was supposedly a giant Tesla coil that would emit colored beams of electricity but reportedly got dropped from the tour early on due to its weight and unreliability.   Here is Jeff Suh's on the tesla coil that Kiss used:  "Ken Anderson, when we interviewed him in 2001 for KISS Alive Forever, had made the observation that this giant Tesla coil was "really impressive sitting in the production meeting room, but when you moved it to a 15,000-seat arena you could barely see it". The crew detested it. One, it weighed a freaking ton and took four or five guys to move it into place and set it up. More importantly, it was unbelievably finicky and dangerous. Basically it relies upon static electricity to jump from a large sphere to a thin circle of metal a couple of radial feet away. Problem was that the electricity would jump to anything metal, not just the circle of metal. The entire stage had metal all over it and it created an obvious hazard. The device was used at most (possibly all, it is very difficult to confirm) of the shows between July 3, 1976 and September 12, 1976, but was ditched prior to the Rock and Roll Over tour's debut on November 24, 1976 although they did rehearse with it for the tour.  According to Fritz Postlethwaite and Moose Oreckinto, the God of Thunder Machine as it was used on the Summer Tour '76 took anywhere from five to eight stagehands to lift into place. It weighed a ton. So imagine having an even larger device; you'd need a crane to move it around.   Fritz said the generator sat on a remote controlled crawler like a scissor lift with four wheels. The front two steered like a remote control race car only the control console was wired to the device. It was slow because the thing was so heavy. At each venue the 8 foot metal ring was put together and mounted. The electricity came from the center of a canister-like metal can and arced to the ring. My recollection is that it (the circle/sphere) was two-dimensional. If you stood to the side it was flat. My problem with the device was that the RF [radio frequency] thrown off by it was horrendous. I would turn down all the monitor amps fearing a spike could blow out speakers."

User JKISS on the Kissfaq.com message board made a helpful photo that identifies the various parts from the best known photo:

*Update July 2022 - A recently unearthed angle from  the Anaheum 1976 show has given us the most clear video evidence of the God of Thunder Machine in action.  In the below video you can see the device being raised up on the scissor lift at the 40:46 mark.  It goes about 30 feet in the air and we then can  clearly hear and see the electricity at the 43:28 mark in the video as the band goes back into the song God of Thunder. 

18 comments:

Incredible! I have been a KISS fan since 4th grade back in 1977 ans I had always wondered why so few photos/videos of this setup existed. Even the pro-shot shows show very little and until now I never really took it all in. Thanks for the time you put into this...looking forward to more!

What an incredible stage set. Although KISS is remembered more for the Love Gun era set, this one to me, is probably the best. Again, as mentioned it is a shame that there are not as much video/pics of this stage available. Great, great job on putting this together. I didn't know much about this stage setup until now. Good stuff. Thanks for sharing!!!!

I've seen lots of KISS tour sets, but why there are so few pics of this is somewhat of a mystery. Arguably, the best stage set they ever had. Great job in putting this together. Good, good stuff, most of which, I had never seen before. Thanks!!!!

Thanks for putting this together!

I know you posted this a while ago, but as Skeeto5000 points out, in the rehearsal footage (13:12) you can see the 'God of Thunder Machine' in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHZC4sLWZ-s

This site is a real inspiration! Please keep updating it. This set is my favorite. I'm really into stage design, and these are some of te best.

This Blog is so well compiled, I would definitely welcome the opportunity to see and read more. I never considered the KISS Destroyer stage set a favorite, however after reading this feature my opinion has truly been revised! Thank you for all your research and efforts, much appreciated.

I guess I was one of the lucky ones to have seen the giant Tesla coil in action during the 1976 tour. I was at the 08/02/1976 Kiss/Bob Seger Bullet Band concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, IN. I can verify the giant Tesla coil was used that night because it was a most memorable part of the show for me. When it turned on, it was an incredibly loud high voltage sound and all the lights on the stage dimmed. It had two parts. One part was a giant 20 foot mesh steel screen, square and suspended in the air by wires going up to a boom. It was between Gene Simmons and Peter Criss in the left part of the stage area. The second part was a basketball sized sphere also suspended by wires. It lit up giant and very long bright blue lightning bolts from the sphere onto the mesh screen through the air. It was only used briefly during one song. Can't remember the song though. After 3 joints and a half bottle of wine that night... mind blown when I saw and heard that thing kick in :^) I've put together a webpage of crazy concert stories here; http://llamamusic.com/concerts/concerts.html There's a great story about this same KISS concert under the heading - - - - Some Amazing Things I've Seen At Concerts - - - - It's the "fire spitting duel" story .

The Peddler, thanks for your comment, you are the first person who I have come across who saw the Tesla coil in action and that is pretty awesome! Thanks for the description of it and hopefully a video may one day surface. I will definitely check out your website. Thanks for visiting!

I thought I had posted this before, but... In the rehearsal footage at 13:12 you can see the God of Thunder Machine in action. Not real clear, but there it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHZC4sLWZ-s Randy

Several pictures of what could be the God of Thunder machine with its builder, Ken Strickfaden. http://electrotherapymuseum.com/TTRCOM/history_Strickfadden.htm

I was at the 1st show of this tour, July 3rd 1976, Norfolk VA. Scope Arena. Still had some bugs in the set. At one point during a flash pod explosion on stage, the material they used (looked like 3" foam spray painted) for some of the burned out city look, was blown over by the explosion in front of Gene's speaker cabinets & started smoking. Crew came out, used a fire extinguisher on it & put it back up. Me & my best friend were front & center, 10' from the stage!

Johnny Davis, wow! I am vey jealous, would have loved to have seen this tour in person but I wasn't even born yet. There was actually an effect where the city walls exploded and fell apart. They only used it early on in the tour but there is no footage of. It was deemed to much of a pain in the ass for cleanup. Thanks for sharing your memories of the show. I wish KISS would do a tour where the stage actually goes through all the classic stages from the 70's. With the technology available today it is possible and Rush did something similar on their last tour.

February 18, 1977 was my first concert was kiss at Madison square garden also playing there the first time ! It was the rock 'n' roll over tour but they still had the destroyer stage. The lightning bolts and everything was there except the tesla coil Frankenstein/God of thunder machine. Also Paul Stanley's destroyer costume was altered so it looked like alive on top with the Ginny T top but destroyer bottom. I took a boombox with me and recorded the whole show and when they came back later that year with the love gun tour I recorded that show also! The first show at the garden in February was awesome I read somewhere that their families were in the audience and Peter Chris's family were in tears as he was singing Beth! I was 12 years old and was totally blown away as it was a life changing event especially with all the weed smoke! LOL ! from there I knew what I wanted to do with my life and it was going to be with music ! So I went to school and got my audio engineering degree but instead of going into the studio I got a job working with David Bowie guitar teching for Earl slick and from there I went to work with many bands like Alice in chains, Soundgarden, Red Hot chili peppers, Metallica, Pantera, suicidal tendencies and white zombie to name a few. I just did shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey which was Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz, guns and roses, and also got to jam with Paul McCartney's band!! My old band, sardonica, got to tour for Geffen records opening up for the misfits in Europe. But all this had to do with that first concert and my favorite band at a time which was kiss!!

There is a version of the 1976 Houston, TX show that show a bit of the Lightning/God of Thunder effect. Look at the left side of your screen near the KISS sign after the drum solo. https://youtu.be/uN6VeBFtfeU

Great story!!

Great story!

My uncle saw the Tesla machine, but he described it as lightning shooting out of genes bass during the solo, hitting a cloud that exploded into confetti. I'm sure he had a good buzz at the time...

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• September 6, 1976 Setlist

KISS Setlist at Varsity Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada

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• Detroit Rock City Play Video
• King of the Night Time World Play Video
• Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll Play Video
• Strutter Play Video
• Hotter Than Hell Play Video
• Nothin' to Lose Play Video
• Cold Gin Play Video
• Guitar Solo Play Video
• Shout It Out Loud Play Video
• Do You Love Me Play Video
• Bass Solo ( Gene Simmons ) Play Video
• God of Thunder Play Video
• Drum Solo Play Video
• Rock and Roll All Nite Play Video
• Deuce Play Video
• Firehouse Play Video
• Black Diamond Play Video

Edits and Comments

23 activities (last edit by sicko , 18 Jul 2020, 20:58 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Black Diamond
• Nothin' to Lose
• Detroit Rock City
• Do You Love Me
• God of Thunder
• King of the Night Time World
• Shout It Out Loud
• Guitar Solo
• Hotter Than Hell
• Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll
• Rock and Roll All Nite

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Varsity stadium.

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KISS Gig Timeline

• Sep 03 1976 Richfield Coliseum Richfield, OH, USA Add time Add time
• Sep 04 1976 Civic Arena Pittsburgh, PA, USA Add time Add time
• Sep 06 1976 Varsity Stadium This Setlist Toronto, ON, Canada Add time Add time
• Sep 08 1976 Freedom Hall Louisville, KY, USA Add time Add time
• Sep 10 1976 Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, OH, USA Add time Add time

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