On a recent conversation with Rachel Bolan and “Snake” Sabo, the topic of them opening one of the final legs of the upcoming KISS tour came up. Rachel started first by saying “When we got these new KISS dates, the 12 year old me was freaking out pretty hard, again.” He mentioned how they opened another “farewell” tour for the band years ago. He told me how the KISS bassist, Gene Simmons was really the reason he started playing bass in the first place. “He’s the reason I even learned what a bass was…I had no idea.”
“Snake” chimed in that his first ever concert was KISS. “That’s the day my life changed. I walked in one person, and walked out a completely different person. I was absolutely blown away by what I had just witnessed. It was the most insane experience of my life.” He went on “The enormity of it. How bombastic it was. It was incomprehensible.” He knew leaving the venue that night that he was going to be in the music business.
Ironically enough, both guys, as well as guitarist Scotti Hill, saw KISS the same week, but in three different venues. Rachel saw them at the Philly Spectrum on December 22, 1977, with “Snake” seeing them at Madison Square Garden, and Scotti going to the show at the Nassau Coliseum.
Watch the interview here, and see the guys tonight at the Motor City Casino Soundboard with Buckcherry. I’ll see you there!
-Meltdown-