By Kristi Dahl
May 10th 1996, my boyfriend, Bryan and I, set out around 9:30 p.m. to camp out in the Burnsville shopping center parking lot to purchase KISS concert tickets at 10:00 the next morning. We were prepared to fork over $90.00 total for our 2 tickets, but keep in mind that the St. Paul Civic Center was not the only show selling tickets. In fact the morning that we got our tickets 13 other states had KISS tickets on sale for upcoming shows as well. All 13 shows sold out, totaling 180,000 tickets in just under 2 hours!
For example, the St. Paul Civic Center sold out 17,000 tickets in 70 minutes. In Detroit, the Detroit Tiger Stadium sold out 38,000 KISS tickets in 47 minutes and another successful sell out occurred in New York’s Madison Square Gardens in just under 1 hour! One week before KISS was at the Civic Center, tickets were selling in the paper for $500 per ticket!! The band started planning for their nationwide tour in December of 1995 with its 4 original members-Gene Simmons, who has so far lit his hair on fire at least 7 times during his fire breathing stage antic and has a 7 inch long tongue (he did not have it cut to be that long…it’s always been that way). Ace Frehley, who has been electrocuted on stage, and is the best rock guitarist ever. Peter Criss, who wrote the highest charting KISS song “Beth”. And Paul Stanley the 44 year old lead singer for nearly the past 24 years. Bryan and I had lower level seats (which front seats were on the floor). And that’s right where we were, front row of the lower level seating, seat numbers 8 and 9, left side of the stage- great seats. We were practically under Gene when he and Paul hovered out over the crowd on forklifts that lifted them up 30 feet and brought them out 60 feet over all.
Now with the show. It lasted 2 hours in which 500 pounds of explosives went off. Gene spit blood and blew fire and also flew up into the stage lights which were 35 feet above the stage and he went up at 8 feet per second. Ace’s guitar lit on fire and shot rockets out during his awesome guitar solo and sang his song “Shock Me” which got its name (but is not completely based about) when he was electrocuted on stage. Peter’s drum kit rose out of the stage 30 feet, displaying 2 yellow tigers once fully elevated and sang his “Beth” solo. And Paul was just Paul- Smashing his guitar at the end of the show and jammin’ on his Ibanez Paul Stanley custom guitar which has a shattered glass body. He has the only one in the world and in close up pictures you can see his blood around some of the corners from cuts on the sharp edges.
KISS will continue to do this for the next 2 years and in that time they will do 250 shows and are expected to make over $50 million bucks profit!! That’s after all is paid off such as their $7 million dollar stage which was 84 feet long and 24 feet deep with a 30 foot by 12 foot video screen. But it has to be big for the loudest band in the world. 17 semi trucks were used to transfer all their equipment to the Civic Center and 6 tour buses just for them. 43 miles of cable for all the stage’s equipment was used and 500 pounds of confetti for their grand finale. Their production crew consists of 60 people plus 220 people to help them per city.
All together the show was simply indescribable. This was my first KISS concert and there is no doubt that I would pay good money to go see them again when they hopefully come back.
We got more than our money’s worth as we watched them during the 18 songs they played. So if they ever come back, which we’re hoping they will, be prepared to wait. But you’ll see how worthwhile it really is.
Bibliography:
Chicago Tribune, July 14, 1996
Mpls. Star Tribune, July 12, 14 & 15, 1996
St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 15, 1996
Metal Edge Magazine KISS special edition, Spring 1996
Metal Edge Magazine, October, 1996
Entertainment Weekly, August 16, 1996