1975

KISS with The James Gang March 28, 1975 Toledo Sports Arena Toledo, Ohio This was supposed to be a ZZ Top concert. That's what it said on the ticket. That's what it said on the marquee outside the arena. I'm surprised I even agreed to go, considering that there wasn't going to be a keyboard in sight and guitar bands generally bore me after a while. We knew going in that Joe Walsh was not going to be in the James Gang, which featured Dominic Troiano on guitar this particular night. I recall that as being significant because Troiano had just been in the Guess Who, like, the week before. They did a solid show. So my friends and I are waiting for the featured act to begin, still unaware that the bearded boys from Texas weren't gonna be there. Needless to say, we were quite surprised when the lights went up and KISS was on the stage. At the time, I was 20. KISS was a relatively new band and really more appealing to the teeny-bopper crowd at this point, who probably didn't know the band was even there because they were selling ZZ Top tickets. Although we respected the theatrics that went into the show, the music seemed to be pretty simplistic. We thought they were too cartoonish, trying too hard and maybe, just maybe, were using the ax-shaped guitar, alien apparel, make-up, spitting blood, drum riser that went into the air, turned and spewed fire because otherwise no one would have paid attention to them at all. We did not take the band seriously, mostly because the band seemed to take itself too seriously. Plus, we felt like we got tricked into seeing KISS. 32 years later, Gene Simmons is a cartoon. A damn rich cartoon. So that worked out pretty well for him, I guess.