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Friday, December 16, 2011

KISS, Toledo Sports Arena 12.16.79: Kitty-Kats Last Stand

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Peter Criss' last concert with the kabuki-faced rockers until the 1996 reunion tour, captured on the video above during the group's 1979 Dynasty tour. One viewing and it's clear the entire band is suffering from a case of road-borne malaise. Peter's "official" departure date was May, 18th, 1980. A week later, Criss married Debra Lynn Svensk (aka Debra Jensen) in Los Angeles.
Kiss toledo 1979

As Toledo's preeminent temple of arena rock worship for decades, the Sports Arena had seen it all by the time it was demolished in 2007. If the walls could talk, they'd probably say things like: "Hey burnout, quit urinating on me," and "Styx again?" or most likely, "It's a free clinic, your parents will never even know."

Let's take a look at some of the video's highlights:
0:11 Rent a Cop: "Sure the security gig doesn't pay much, but I'm making buku cash selling oregano to these suburban dopes."
0:36 Tallow-necked and mustachioed security guard performing the East-Side Heimlich on a 12-year old in the name of crowd control. 
0:42 Maumee High School Panther Band Jacket-REPRESENT!
0:44 Ace and Paul's lethargic windmilling ala Townshend; they know they're onstage, right?
0:52 "Cool" older kids filtering just before showtime: "Kiss suck, but it'll be a party."
1:18: "They like to get in, they ask us to get in, but we just can't let them in."

Amazing photograph from the same concert 
by Toledo's own John Rockwood. tumbler
"Plenty of Tickets Available at the Door!"-Toledo Blade.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i was heartbroken as a youth upon learning it wasn't a real cat playing drums.

Anonymous said...

My brother and I are at :25. I had a red coat, he had a matching orange one, with a Maumee purple & gold hat (represent). It was so frigging cold that day. I was 15, my brother 11. The wind whipped right off the river and we were in line all day. My 10 year old cousin had to call his dad to pick him up. My brother and I were raised ice fishing, so it was a walk in the park for us. That footage was on the 11:00 news that night. My best friend Steve Stanford could not go but saw us on TV and was mega p.o.'ed.

Anonymous said...

It was my first concert and I was a big Kiss fan. My best friend and I went on his birthday. We were in 9th grade. My parents dropped us off after a 40 mile drive. The weather was pretty bad. It was a great concert and my ears rang for 3 days! I traded a roadie my program for 2 guitar picks- Paul and Gene. Still have them today. Then a bought another program on the way out! $40 total and all worth it! Greatest band in the land!