Matthew Knight Arena is on a tear of head-banging nostalgia, with eminent heavy metal acts regularly paying a visit: a year ago this month, Alice Cooper and Mötley Crüe stopped by the arena; this September, Def Leppard will play the venue as well.
This Saturday, July 9, the New York City-based hair metal group Kiss will bring its “Freedom to Rock” tour to the 12,000-seat arena. Much like how Mötley Crüe required some custom installation within MKA for drummer Tommy Lee to ride around on a steel roller coaster, Kiss is notorious for its spectacular live shows, which feature the members, clad in black-and-white face makeup, with special effects the likes of pyrotechnics, rocket flares, levitating drum kits, and blood spitting. Supposedly, Kiss is also responsible for being one of the first popular bands to bear its name on a large light-up backdrop during its live sets.
“Kiss fans classify Kiss as the best live arena act of all time, almost to the point of utter obviousness,” wrote Chuck Klosterman in his comprehensive guide to all things Kiss on Grantland.
Some elements of Kiss’ legacy are obvious: the band is responsible for the immortal, karaoke-ready jams like “Rock & Roll All Nite” (from 1975’s Dressed to Kill), “Detroit Rock City” (from 1976’s Destroyer) and “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” (from 1979’s Dynasty). Kiss has had a prolific streak of album sales, both as an ensemble and solo releases, with more than 100-million album sales worldwide. On April 10, 2014, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Outside of their musical prowess, the band has permeated pop culture in numerous fascinating ways. In 1977, Marvel Comics published “A Marvel Comics Super Special!: Kiss” with the band as vigilante superheroes; a nurse drew blood from each band member, which was then poured into vats of red ink used for printing the comics.
The iconic KISS logo, with its bold, lightning bolt-shaped ‘S’s drew some controversy when the band first began touring in the late seventies, since the letters recall the insignia of the Nazi SS. Since 1979, an alternate “Kiss” logo has been used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Israel, where Nazi iconography is outlawed.
This time last year, the film Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery was released. It features the Scooby-Doo mystery gang traveling to a Kiss show, since Daphne has the hots for Paul Stanley, only to find that a witch from an alternate universe called KISSteria is planning to summon a monster to destroy the earth, and the Kiss show plays a lynchpin role in the witch’s plot.
Its lineup has also transformed into several iterations; the current touring members include Paul Stanley (persona “The Starchild,” who plays rhythm guitar, lead vocals), Gene Simmons (“The Demon” – bass guitar, lead vocals), both of whom have been with the band since 1972, Tommy Thayer (“The Spaceman” – lead guitar, vocals) and Eric Singer (“The Catman” – drums, vocals).
The show starts at 8 p.m. this Saturday, July 9 in Matthew Knight Arena. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $39-$125. Caleb Johnson, winner of American Idol season 13, will open.
Listen to “Strutter” by KISS below.