VWMusic

All images courtesy of KISSonline/KISS Facebook (official)

Welcome to the eighth article of the A Guide to KISS Bootlegs series! This article will be focusing on the tour KISS did in support of the album Alive II. During this period of 1977-78, KISS had truly cemented themselves as a part of late 70s Americana. With the sales of their albums reaching Platinum certification, an average attendance rate of 10,000+ per show, and a merchandising machine generating all kinds of products, KISS were, just like the title of the studio cut on Alive II, “Larger Than Life.” With that said, oversaturation in the public eye would soon catch up to them and result in the many battles KISS would face in order to prove their staying power. It is safe to say that this was the pinnacle of KISS’ career up at this point. The Alive II tour was merely an extension of the Love Gun tour. This time around, the band visited more markets across America, and it also included their second tour of Japan, as well as a one-off show specifically held to be filmed for their upcoming TV film KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park. Enough of the chit-chat; let’s dig right in! Or as Ace Frehley would say, “Ack!”

Myriad Convention Center
Oklahoma City, OK
November 15, 1977

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from this show is rather decent sounding. It must be noted that there was an over-zealous concert attendee screaming their head off during the beginning of the show! This show was released on vinyl under the title Myriad in Mylar.

Veterans Memorial Arena
Des Moines, IA
November 29th, 1977

Setlist (Partial): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder

The hydraulic balconies that lowered Gene, Paul, and Ace to the stage were not used at this show. Ace did not join Paul on the hydraulic platform during the finale of “Black Diamond.” While the drum riser was slowly levitating, one of the cats became unattached and was dangling from the curtain that was draped around the drum riser. The audience recording that circulates from this show is very poor sounding. It has a very bloated sound to it, and with the addition of excessive tape hiss and several dropouts, it’s a tough one to work through. The recording cuts out during Peter Criss’ drum solo. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Henry Lewitt Arena
Wichita, KS
December 6, 1977

Setlist (incomplete): I Stole Your Love/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth

The audience recording that circulates from this show is another one that is poor sounding. The band’s performance can be made out somewhat, but there are many obscurities that make it sound any better. The tape also runs a bit on the faster side, and several songs were cut and not recorded. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Madison Square Garden
New York City, NY
December 14-16, 1977

Setlist (all three shows): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

KISS managed to sell out two nights at their hometown arena (the shows occurring on the 15th and 16th) that a third show (the 14th). Some notable members in the KISS world were in attendance at these shows, such as Bob Kulick (session player on various KISS studio recordings) and his brother Bruce Kulick (future KISS member). The audience recording that circulates from the first show is okay sounding but is drowned in tape hiss. The audience recording that circulates from the third show is boomier and more distant sounding than the first show, with the same tape hiss issue. These two recordings were released on vinyl as part of a box set under the simple title Madison Square Garden 1977.

Capital Centre
Largo, MD
December 20, 1977

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The in-house video crew archived the show on video, particularly for use for The American Music Awards. Given the stance that this show was to be used for television purposes, extra lighting was used, and more sophisticated camera angles were taken into account. The outcome is the most visually stunning KISS show capture on video from the early years. The way the band and the stage are lit in this show definitely surpasses the darkness of the two Houston ’77 shows. Considering the quality of the show, I am absolutely questioning as to why this show has only seen a release (in edited form) as a bonus disc for the KISSOLOGY Vol. 1 DVD exclusive to Walmart stores. Audio-wise, the source is a soundboard mix that sounds just as good as any other regular soundboard recording. There is also an audience recording from this show that circulates. Recordings of “Love Gun,” “Christine Sixteen,” and “Shock Me” were released as part of the deluxe CD edition of Love Gun but with triggered drum samples and additional audio work applied to the recording. The undoctored soundboard audio has seen a vinyl release under the title Peter’s Birthday Party, obviously because the date the show took place was Peter Criss’ birthday.

The Spectrum
Philadelphia, PA
December 22, 1977

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from this show is absolutely appalling (wow, I’ve never said that before in this series). It is so muffled and distorted that it takes a true KISS Army veteran to listen to the show in its entirety. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Riverside Centroplex
Baton Rogue, LA
December 27, 1977

Setlist (incomplete): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder

The audience recording that circulates from this show is average sounding. It is incomplete since it is missing the final four songs and does not widely circulate. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

The Omni
Atlanta, GA
December 30, 1977

Setlist (incomplete): Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from this show is poor sounding. While Paul’s stage raps can be somewhat made out, the band’s performance comes across as very boomy. This recording is rather insignificant due to both the quality and the fact that it only captures the last four songs of the show (hey, makes up for the final four missing from Baton Rogue!). It is another show that does not widely circulate. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Hollywood Sportatorium
Hollywood, FL
January 3, 1978

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from this show is average sounding. The band’s performance tends to be distorted while the vocals are completely drowned out. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Carolina Coliseum
Columbia, SC
January 6, 1978

Setlist (incomplete): King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Calling Dr. Love/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Beth

The audience recording that circulates from this show is poor sounding. The tape speed is a smidge on the faster side, and there is so much tape hiss, but the band’s performance can faintly be made out. A great portion of the middle part of the show is missing from the recording, along with some of the encores. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Richfield Coliseum
Cleveland, OH
January 8, 1978

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from this show is average sounding at best. This show was released on vinyl under the title Melting Snow in Cleveland.

Chicago Stadium
Chicago, IL
January 15-16, 1978

Setlist (both shows): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from the show on the 16th is another abysmal-sounding recording. The band’s performance sounds so tiny as it is covered by layers of tape hiss. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Olympia Stadium
Detroit, MI
January 20, 1978

Setlist (incomplete): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Firehouse/Love Gun/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Beth/Detroit Rock City/Black Diamond

During the show, Paul was presented with a cake and a trophy since it was his birthday. It has been stated that an audience recording from this show exists but it has never seen the light of day, yet has not seen a vinyl release.

Roberts Municipal Stadium
Evansville, IL
January 23, 1978

Setlist (partial): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Deuce/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City

Midway through the show, the front stage-right lighting rig had collapsed and caused a 30-minute delay for the show to resume. As a token of appreciation for the concert attendees who were patient during the delay, the band resumed the show with an impromptu rendition of “Deuce,” which hadn’t been performed since 1976. The audience recording that circulates from this show is generally poor sounding. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

Civic Center
Springfield, MA
January 27, 1978

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The hydraulic balconies were not used for this show. The audience recording that circulates from this show is one of the best recordings from this tour. The band’s performance is leveled right with vocals that merge perfectly. This show was released on vinyl under the title Alive II Springfield 1978.

The Spectrum
Philadelphia, PA
January 30, 1978

Setlist: I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

The audience recording that circulates from this show is very poor sounding. The recording is full of distortion. This show has yet to see a vinyl release. It should also be mentioned that another cassette tape source of this show is known to exist…

Civic Center
Providence, RI
February 2-3, 1978

Setlist (both shows): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

During the second show’s finale, Peter had pulled a huge prank for tour manager Fritz Postlethwaite to play on Gene. Fritz had got made up in Gene’s makeup and one of his old costumes, and before the drum riser was due to levitate, Peter stepped down from the drum riser, and Fritz appeared in his place. Gene turned to get his cue, and he was unbeknownst to see himself on the drum riser! While he thought he was losing it, manager Bill Aucoin broke it to him that it was Fritz on the drum riser. While Gene was initially furious at Fritz but laughed it off in a matter of weeks, Peter very much got a kick out of it! The audience recording that circulates from the first show is average sounding, but the tape runs a bit fast. The audience recording that circulates from the second show is poor sounding, overall bloated with tons of tape hiss. Neither of these shows have seen a vinyl release.

Budokan Hall
Tokyo, Japan
March 28-29, 31, and April 1-2, 1978

Setlist (all shows): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Calling Dr. Love/Shout it Out Loud/God of Thunder/Rock and Roll All Nite/Detroit Rock City/Beth/Black Diamond

Almost a year later to the day of their last visit, KISS returned to Japan for five sold-out nights at the Budokan in Tokyo. It sure must’ve been a sigh of relief for the crew to know that the Japanese tour was residing in just one venue! All five shows of the tour were archived onto tape via audience recordings. What makes the recordings from this tour rather unique is that they were all recorded by a legendary concert taper that is well regarded in the bootleg circles by the name Mr. Peach (he taped the Kyoto show from the ’77 Japanese tour). It is safe to say that all five shows from the Japanese tour are fantastic sounding. Mr. Peach must’ve been sitting in the same section for all five shows, so the minor nuances in each show certainly vary.

For the March 28th show, Mr. Peach must’ve been sitting close to where Ace’s amps were since his lead guitar dominates the overall mix of this show. This show was released on vinyl under the title Smashing Asses Over Tokyo – Japan Tour 1978.

The March 29th show is perhaps the most direct-sounding show. The audience is barely audible when the band is performing, only when Paul does his in-between raps. This show was released on vinyl under the title Kamikaze Pilots.

If one show had to be chosen as essential from the Japanese tour, the March 31st show is the one. The balance of the instruments and vocals is just perfect. This show was released on vinyl under the title Nuclear Assault.

The April 1st show suffers from a bit of distortion but it is not enough to draw away from the enjoyment of the show. This show has yet to see a vinyl release.

The April 2nd show suffers from the same distortion issues like the April 1st show but the balance of the band and the audience is right on the money. This show was released on vinyl under the title Cum On Feel The Noise – KISS on Japan Tour 1978.

Magic Mountain
Valencia, CA
May 19, 1978

Setlist (partial): I Stole Your Love/King of the Night Time World/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Love Gun/Let Me Go Rock ‘n’ Roll/Makin’ Love/Christine Sixteen/Shock Me/I Want You/Love Gun (lip-synched)/Love Gun (lip-synched)/Shock Me (lip-synched)

This show was a one-off staged to be filmed for inclusion in the KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park film. The attendees, most of which were KMET contest winners, were treated to a rather interesting evening. While KISS did perform their standard show, they were also filmed lip-synching to several songs as well as filming additional segments to be used in the movie. The audience recording that circulates from this show is average sounding. The vocals tend to get lost in the mix and Gene’s bass is very booming. This show was released on vinyl under the title Meets The Phantom of the Park Live – May 19, 1978.

The audio gems from this tour are very few and far between. The sole soundboard show is Largo and that is because it is taken directly from the video. The best audience recordings that are worth seeking out are the shows from Oklahoma City, Springfield and any of the Japanese shows. Leave the rest for the uber diehard KISS Army members to digest, whether the show is incomplete or poor sounding.

Stay tuned for my next entry in the A Guide to KISS Bootlegs series, as a “Dynasty” is about to come to an end.

Many thanks to Pablo Oblap for his assistance with this article.

Dig this article? Check out the full archives of The Record Spinner, by Dylan Peggin, here: https://vinylwritermusic.wordpress.com/the-record-spinner-archives/