09/10/2012
KISS HAS LONG HISTORY WITH MICHIGAN
KISS has long, interesting history with Michigan, including epic Cadillac visit in 1975
By John Liberty
With a history approaching 40 years, the rock band Kiss has fans all over the globe.
But there seems to be something special about its connections with the state of Michigan.
The band penned the song "Detroit Rock City," still thinks fondly of Cobo Hall and made an unforgettable visit to Cadillac on Oct. 9, 1975, after hearing the Cadillac High School football team used the band's music as motivation the year earlier.
Kiss and Motley Crue performed Thursday night at the DTE Energy Music Theater after a truck carrying pyrotechnics equipment rolled over on a highway in northeast Ohio, causing the show, originally slated for Wednesday, to be delayed. It's another interesting chapter in the band's history with Michigan.KISS has long, interesting history with Michigan, including epic Cadillac visit in 1975
By John Liberty
With a history approaching 40 years, the rock band Kiss has fans all over the globe.
But there seems to be something special about its connections with the state of Michigan.
The band penned the song "Detroit Rock City," still thinks fondly of Cobo Hall and made an unforgettable visit to Cadillac on Oct. 9, 1975, after hearing the Cadillac High School football team used the band's music as motivation the year earlier.
Kiss and Motley Crue performed Thursday night at the DTE Energy Music Theater after a truck carrying pyrotechnics equipment rolled over on a highway in northeast Ohio, causing the show, originally slated for Wednesday, to be delayed. It's another interesting chapter in the band's history with Michigan.
At Thursday's concert, Paul Stanley shared his affinity for the Detroit area, according to the review from MLive.com's Eric Lacy, who wrote:
"There's a lot of bands that write a lot of songs about cities," Stanley said, after the group opened with "Detroit Rock City. "But we've only wrote one about one city, and that city is Detroit."
Stanley later showed love for old Detroit venues like the Michigan Palace and Cobo Hall, places where KISS was a headline act after trips to other cities as openers.
"Where would we be without Cobo Hall?" Stanley asked.
Kiss recorded its breakthrough album, "Alive!," behind the Cobo Center's walls 38 years ago.
The group also holds northern Michigan close to its make-up-loving heart.
The Cadillac appearance in 1975, which came shortly after a concert in Kalamazoo, has been retold on VH1 and ESPN over the years. To help break the Cadillac High School football team's slump, Vikings coach Dave Brines put assistant coach Jim Neff in charge of finding music for the locker room to lighten up and motivate the team. Neff picked Kiss and the team turned around the season. The following October, Kiss surprised the team and Cadillac when they came to town on Oct. 9. The band met with the team and community, participated in a parade and played at the school's gymnasium.
There's talk of the visit becoming a film.
The band will return to West Michigan on Tuesday when Kiss and Motley Crue play at 7 p.m. at the Allegan County Fair.
We'll see what kind of memories are made there.
CLICK HERE to view a gallery of KISS Cadillac photos.
By John Liberty
With a history approaching 40 years, the rock band Kiss has fans all over the globe.
But there seems to be something special about its connections with the state of Michigan.
The band penned the song "Detroit Rock City," still thinks fondly of Cobo Hall and made an unforgettable visit to Cadillac on Oct. 9, 1975, after hearing the Cadillac High School football team used the band's music as motivation the year earlier.
Kiss and Motley Crue performed Thursday night at the DTE Energy Music Theater after a truck carrying pyrotechnics equipment rolled over on a highway in northeast Ohio, causing the show, originally slated for Wednesday, to be delayed. It's another interesting chapter in the band's history with Michigan.KISS has long, interesting history with Michigan, including epic Cadillac visit in 1975
By John Liberty
With a history approaching 40 years, the rock band Kiss has fans all over the globe.
But there seems to be something special about its connections with the state of Michigan.
The band penned the song "Detroit Rock City," still thinks fondly of Cobo Hall and made an unforgettable visit to Cadillac on Oct. 9, 1975, after hearing the Cadillac High School football team used the band's music as motivation the year earlier.
Kiss and Motley Crue performed Thursday night at the DTE Energy Music Theater after a truck carrying pyrotechnics equipment rolled over on a highway in northeast Ohio, causing the show, originally slated for Wednesday, to be delayed. It's another interesting chapter in the band's history with Michigan.
At Thursday's concert, Paul Stanley shared his affinity for the Detroit area, according to the review from MLive.com's Eric Lacy, who wrote:
"There's a lot of bands that write a lot of songs about cities," Stanley said, after the group opened with "Detroit Rock City. "But we've only wrote one about one city, and that city is Detroit."
Stanley later showed love for old Detroit venues like the Michigan Palace and Cobo Hall, places where KISS was a headline act after trips to other cities as openers.
"Where would we be without Cobo Hall?" Stanley asked.
Kiss recorded its breakthrough album, "Alive!," behind the Cobo Center's walls 38 years ago.
The group also holds northern Michigan close to its make-up-loving heart.
The Cadillac appearance in 1975, which came shortly after a concert in Kalamazoo, has been retold on VH1 and ESPN over the years. To help break the Cadillac High School football team's slump, Vikings coach Dave Brines put assistant coach Jim Neff in charge of finding music for the locker room to lighten up and motivate the team. Neff picked Kiss and the team turned around the season. The following October, Kiss surprised the team and Cadillac when they came to town on Oct. 9. The band met with the team and community, participated in a parade and played at the school's gymnasium.
There's talk of the visit becoming a film.
The band will return to West Michigan on Tuesday when Kiss and Motley Crue play at 7 p.m. at the Allegan County Fair.
We'll see what kind of memories are made there.
CLICK HERE to view a gallery of KISS Cadillac photos.
