Kiss loves Michigan. It’s true! Kiss will play Detroit for the final time this weekend at Little Caesars Arena. Since the band’s formation in 1973, Michigan has played a huge part in the their KISS-story.
Kiss is definitely smitten with the mitten. Since 1974, Kiss has played Michigan hundreds of times! From Marquette to Cadillac High School! Kiss has record 3 live albums and a concert video here in Michigan. Did you ever hear about the time Kiss took over a Michigan City back in 1974? You might have even been there, or at least a very jealous student in another Michigan city.
Kiss and Michigan: A Love Story
Mistakenly, many people actually think the band Kiss is from Michigan. They sing “Detroit Rock City,” it makes sense. However, it is not correct. In fact, they were formed in New York City. I guess that’s some city on the East Coast. Sounds familiar. What may not sound familiar, to some, is Wicked Lester. Ring a bell? It’s the band Kiss can trace its roots back to. It was led by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. However, it wasn’t working out and they decided to pursue a new sound. So, the band disbanded in 1972.
Soon after, they met Peter Criss. They formed a new group with a sound that was much harder than previously with Wicked Lester. A few months later, the group added lead guitarist Ace Frehley. Thus Kiss was born. According to MLive.com, Stanley credits Detroit with embracing the band before anyone else did. To show their appreciation, they wrote the song. Just because none of the members are born in Detroit, doesn’t mean they don’t have a Detroit connection. It’s cool to see how much love and respect Kiss has for Michigan, and our beautiful state has love for Kiss in return. It’s a mutual relationship and love affair.
Kiss has done a lot to immortalize Michigan and especially Detroit. Sure “Detroit Rock City” instantly comes to mind, but it goes deeper than that! A majority of the Kiss’ career highs happened right here in the state of Michigan. So get your Kiss makeup applied and check out 5 ways Kiss showed love to the state of Michigan. Maybe you were at one of these major Kiss moments! You’ll agree that Kiss loves Michigan!
Kiss Alive!
Kiss Alive!
Between 1973-1975, Kiss had been making a name for themselves among the music industry. Problem is, they hadn’t hit the mainstream. That is until they record their first live album “Alive!” It became a landmark for all live albums. “Alive!” was recorded during four stops of their “Dressed to Kill” tour. The first show was May 16th 1975 at Cobo Arena in Detroit.
Kiss: Animalize Uncensored
On December 8th, 1984 Kiss returned to Detroit’s Cobo Hall to record their first home concert video. This was their first tour without the signature makeup. The guys decided Detroit was the only place to record their live video, since much of “Alive!” had been recorded there. It premiered on MTV and was released on VHS. If you have a copy of “Kiss: Animalized Uncensored”, hang on to it. It was never released on DVD and VHS tapes go for hundreds of dollars.
Or you can watch it for free on YouTube.
Detroit Rock City
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Detroit has always been known for it’s huge influence on music, but in 1976 it was immortalized. “Detroit Rock City” was the third single from the band’s album “Destroyer”. It was released as a B side to “Beth”. The song actually has a sad origin. Paul Stanley and Bob Ezrin wrote the song about a Kiss fan who was killed in a car accident on his way to a Charlotte NC Kiss show. In March of 2021 Stanley told Macomb Daily, “the song celebrates life in the process of losing life and memorializing somebody that didn’t get there. “It’s not really about Detroit, but it still champions the city”.
Read the full article here: Paul Stanley on Detroit Rock City
