KISS Concert (Feb 18, 1977)

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KISS« performed at Madison Square Garden, in New York, NY on February 18, 1977. This will be 3 years after KISS had released their debut album. Paul Stanley« had stated, that when they played the Garden, he knew they had finally made it. As the Garden was the pinnacle of rock music, the place where all musicians want to play.

	Event Location Information

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	Background Information
	Band Name:	KISS«
	Album Tour:	Rock and Roll Over«
	Labels:	Casablanca Records
	Date:	February 18, 1977
	Venue: Madison Square Garden Address: New York, New York
	Promoter:	Ron Delsner
	Attendance:	SOLD OUT
	Capacity:	19,600
	Box Office:	$145,000
	Opening Act:	Sammy Hagar
	Member Lineup Information

	Guitar & Vocals:	Paul Stanley«
	Bass & Vocals:	Gene Simmons
	Lead Guitar & Vocals:	Ace Frehley
	Drums & Vocals:	Peter Criss

	Photos Provided By:	First Set = Jason Gallinger« Concert Tickets from James J. Holmes Photo Session =afracturedmirror.blogspot.com« One Image below (notated Below) MAGICKISSKronicles1973to1983«
	Related Articles
	February 16, 1977« \| February 18, 1977 \| February 21, 1977« \| Photo Sessions« \| Concert Listings«

About

KISS played at Madison Square Garden for the first time on February 18, 1977. Just 3 short years after the release of their Debut album«. The place was sold out, 19,626 fans waiting to see their larger than life hero's on stage. The smoking guitars, the fire breathing, the flying, and the Paul Stanley raps, that they had only heard from their ALIVE« album.

Paul Stanley - I remember driving a taxi, and taking people to see Elvis Presley« at the Garden. I knew that one day, I would play there. An when that day come, I knew we had finally made it. We were on top of the world.

Kiss also tested the Vegas wireless system.
Paul Stanley debuts his Rock and Roll Over outfit!

Ace Frehley

Though it is not really news, for those that know KISS and their issues with Ace and his tendency to drink a little to much before a show. However, KISS was set to play the biggest stage in the world, Madison Square Garden. And well, Ace Frehley was drunk as a skunk. They had to use Bobby McAdams to fill in for Ace during rehearsals.

Review

Source References
New York Times - February 20, 1977 www.kissmonster.com«

Stumbling in the darkness into a Kiss concert, as this well-meaning observer did Friday at Madison Square Garden, might lead on directly to dire meditations on the decline of Western civilization. How else, after all, are we to interpret an entertainment that highlights a bass player spitting 'blood' atop a tower, surrounded by swirls of smoke and bathed in bilios green light, all the while dressed in a black leather and silver costume that makes him look like a diabolical armadillo? And the sight of this apparition evoking a dull, throaty roar of appreciation from the sold-out house, the cries of the multitude overlaid with the treble piping of a large pre-pubescent minority.

Live Footage

The two following Video and Audio from YouTube, are supposedly from this show.
Video 25 Minutes 45 seconds« | 1hr 15 min 43 seconds (Audio Only)«

Sammy Hagar

Source References
ultimateclassicrock.com«

Sammy remembers opening for KISS, and this being the first night, and he was not even on the bill, as he was a last minute add.
Read more below.

Getting booed offstage is a time-honored tradition for opening acts. But on Feb. 18, 1977, Sammy Hagar didn't appreciate it that much. While supporting Kiss at New York's Madison Square Garden, he reacted by smashing his guitar and going the full Jim Morrison. As Hagar recalled in his autobiography, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, his self-titled second album was about to be released when he landed the opening slot for 10 nights on Kiss' Rock and Roll Over tour, beginning at the Garden. But in addition to nobody in the audience being familiar with his work, Hagar wasn't listed on the bill because he got the gig too late. "People started booing before I walked out," he wrote. "I had never played New York except with Montrose. They didn't even know me. I looked out and the whole place was dressed like Kiss. They've all got their makeup on. They were booing and flipping me off."
Despite his attempts to win the crowd over with something they might have known - Montrose's "Bad Motor Scooter," a cover of Donovan's "Catch the Wind" that was released as a single - it only got worse, as Kiss threw things onstage. That's when Hagar decided to give New Yorkers one of the ultimate insults.
"I'm so happy they flew in this special audience for me from Los Angeles," he told them. That enraged the crowd even further, and they charged toward the stage.
"'F- you,' I said and dropped my pants, pulled out my d- and smashed my f-ing '61 Stratocaster to pieces onstage," Hagar recalled. "What an idiot. Demolished this vintage guitar and walked offstage. It was the worst experience I ever had onstage, and it ruined me in New York. They didn't even know who I was. They hated me before they heard me."
Not wanting to face this treatment the next two weeks, Hagar walked away from the tour after that first night. Even though it was a disastrous experience, Hagar and Paul Stanley have remained friends. "He comes to shows if I'm playing," Hagar told MTV. "He came to the Van Halen reunion tour in L.A. and hung out. He's a good guy. And every time he sees me, either he'll bring it up or I'll bring it up: 'Paul, can you believe that s-?' 'I can't believe it! I can't believe you did that!' It's funny now, but at the time, when you're faced with that kind of rejection, it can be heartbreaking."

Set List

KISS Concert (Feb 18, 1977)

# Title	Writer(s)	Lead Vocals	Album
Detroit Rock City	Paul Stanley, Bob Ezrin	Paul Stanley	Destroyer«
Take Me	Paul Stanley, Sean Delaney	Paul Stanley	Rock and Roll Over«
Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll	Gene Simmons, Stanley	Gene Simmons	Hotter Than Hell«
Ladies Room	Gene Simmons	Gene Simmons	Rock and Roll Over«
Firehouse	Paul Stanley	Paul Stanley	KISS«
Makin' Love	Paul Stanley, Sean Delaney	Paul Stanley	Rock and Roll Over«
I Want You	Paul Stanley	Paul Stanley	Rock and Roll Over«
Cold Gin	Ace Frehley	Gene Simmons	KISS«
Guitar Solo	Ace Frehley	Solo
Nothin' To Lose	Gene Simmons	Gene Simmons, Peter Criss	KISS«
Bass Solo	Gene Simmons	Solo
God of Thunder«	Paul Stanley	Gene Simmons	Destroyer«
Drum Solo	Peter Criss	Solo
Rock and Roll All Nite	Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley	Gene Simmons	Dressed to Kill«
Encore
Shout It Out Loud	Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Bob Ezrin	Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons	Destroyer«
Beth«	Peter Criss, Stan Penridge, Bob Ezrin	Criss	Destroyer«
Black Diamond	Paul Stanley	Peter Criss (intro: Paul Stanley)	KISS«

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Image Source for KISS_Concert (Feb 18, 1977)
(Photographer Mark Weiss)