1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The band's final two shows are scheduled for Dec. Gene Simmons, from left, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer of KISS perform at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on Aug. (It would happen many times over the years, to the point where they stationed a roadie with a sopping wet towel nearby.)īy clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.ġ974: Kiss releases its self-titled debut album, and its follow-up, “Hotter Than Hell.”ġ975: The band releases its third album, “Dressed To Kill,” which includes a catchy song called “Rock And Roll All Nite.” But it isn't until that track's live version comes out later that year as the anchor of Kiss “Alive!” that the band has its first major hit. Simmons accidentally sets his hair ablaze that night while breathing fire.

The band hones their act with tiny club gigs, and by New Year's Eve, lands a support slot on the bill with Blue Öyster Cult. They find drummer Peter Criss, who had placed an ad in a music paper looking for a band, and Ace Frehley, who showed up at auditions with one red sneaker, one orange sneaker and a guitar.Įach member adopts a specific stage identity: Simmons the demon Stanley the starchild Frehley the spaceman, and Criss the catman.

1973: Gene Simmons, who worked briefly as a teacher and loved horror films and comic books, and cabbie Paul Stanley, who once dropped passengers off at Madison Square Garden to see Elvis Presley and vowed someday he'd be on that same stage, exit their band Wicked Lester and begin searching for bandmates to put together a true spectacle: an act where the show and the visuals were as important as the music.

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