Let's take a look back at the 50-year history of the band Kiss-Tory, the legendary band that is preparing to take a last bow.
Fifty years ago, four young New Yorkers dragged their guitars, amps, and drums to an attic on New York's 23rd Street, dreaming of becoming the biggest band in the world.
This weekend, the band KISS, founded by the four men — though it now has two different members — will say goodbye 10 blocks north of that attic. The KISS band, who will be performing at Madison Square Garden, is certainly one of the biggest, if not the biggest bands in the world, and they are redefining what one can expect from a live** experience.
The following are the major events in the history of the band Kiss, excerpted from an interview with the Associated Press with the members of the Kiss band, their references to other **, and material from the autobiographies of the band members:
1973: Gene Simmons, who briefly worked as a teacher and loved horror movies and comic books, quit their band Wicked when Paul Stanley, a taxi driver, dropped off their band wicked after dropping off passengers to see Elvis Presley at Madison Square Garden and vowing that one day he would stand on the same stage as well Lester, set out to find the band members to create a real spectacle: a show where the performance and visuals were as important as **. They found drummers Peter Criss, who had been advertised in a newspaper for a recruiting band, and Ace Frehley, who showed up at the audition with a red sneaker, an orange sneaker and a guitar.
Each member has a specific stage identity: the demon Simmons;Star Child Stanley;Frehley the astronaut and Criss the cat man. The band honed their acts with small club gigs, and on New Year's Eve, landed a supportive position with the Blue Yster cult. That night, Simmons accidentally set his hair on fire while breathing fire. (This has happened so many times over the years that they have a caretaker nearby with a wet towel.) )
1974: The band Kiss released their first self-titled album, followed by Hotter Than Hell.
1975: The band released their third album, "Dressed to Kill", which included a catchy song, "Rock and Roll All Night". But it wasn't until later that year that the live version of the song was released as Kiss "Alive!."It was the band's first hit.
1976: The band Kiss released what many fans considered to be their best studio** Destroyer, which included the orchestral ballad "Beth," which unexpectedly became one of their biggest hits. "Beth" was the B-side of the hard rock single "Rock City Detroit," but the radio record host started ** this ballad, and it started to catch on.
1977: The band released "Love Gun" and a second live album, "Alive II". A Gallup poll named the band KISS the most popular band in the United States. The band performed for the first time at Madison Square Garden.
1978: In an unheard-of move, the four members released solo copies at the same time, each of which sold more than 1 million copies. But Frehley's "New York Groove" was the only song that became a hit. NBC aired a two-hour television movie "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park," starring the band. Kiss is flooded with band-themed merchandise across the globe, far beyond the usual t-shirts and posters, including lunch boxes, vitamins, transistor radios, trading cards, and pinball machines. Later products included Kiss Kondom and Kiss Kasket.
1979: The band KISS released "Dynasty", which included a disco-style song "I Was Made for Lovin'You". At this point, their live show features Simmons that seem to fly into the air and land on the speakers above the stage, in addition to the usual Spitfire and **.
1980: They released the pop song Unmasked and later hired drummer Eric Carr in place of Chris.
1981: The band released "Music from the Elder", a concept sheet reminiscent of Harry Potter 20 years earlier. But this ** is medieval-themed, deviating from their typical ** style and not attracting many fans.
1982: In response to the backlash over The Elder, Kiss released Creatures of the Night, an exaggerated, drum-heavy masterpiece that remains one of the band's heaviest hits. Fraley was replaced by Vincent as lead guitar.
1983: It was time to ditch the iconic makeup, and the band KISS showed off what they really looked like in a special on MTV, coinciding with the release of Lick It Up. It wasn't until they reunited with their original members in 1996 that they began to wear makeup.
1984-1990: Kiss released Animalize, Asylum, Crazy Nights, and Hot in the Shade, and MTV embraced their new look. In 1984, Vincent was replaced by guitarist Mark St. John, but nerve pain in both hands prevented him from continuing to play. He was replaced by Bruce Kulick.
1991: Carl died of heart cancer.
1992: Eric Singer, a respected drummer in the bands Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Badlands, and Lita Ford, toured with Paul Stanley's solo band in 1989. The band released "Revenge" and recorded ** Alive III on tour.
1995: During the recording of MTV's "Unplugged" episode, Frehley and Criss join the lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Kulick and Singer, which heralds an upcoming reunion.
1996-1997: Carnival of Souls was officially released, a grunge-style ** that was leaked and widely pirated. The original members of the band Kiss are reunited, and this will be the highest-grossing tour of the year.
1998: The regrouped Kiss released Psycho Circus.
2000-2003: The band KISS announced their first farewell tour. Shortly after the film ended, Stanley and Simmons changed their minds. In 2002, Freilly was replaced by longtime band assistant Tommy Thayer. In 2003, the orchestra collaborated with the Symphony Orchestra to release Alive IV. Singh rejoined, cementing a squad that has been consistent ever since.
2009-2012: The band KISS released their last studio albums, Sonic Boom and Monster. They embark on a series of "Kiss Cruise" tours each fall, taking fans to tropical destinations.
2014: The band Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but did not perform at the awards ceremony.
2019: The band KISS embarked on their "End of the Road" tour, 19 years after their first "Goodbye" tour. Its final two performances will take place on December 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden, just five minutes by subway from where they started.