GENE SIMMONS Recalls KISS Supporting BLACK SABBATH On Sabotage Tour - "Ozzy Told Me That Geezer Had Said He Felt Threatened By The Bass Player In The Opening Act"
December 7, 2023, a year ago
Back in August 1975, KISS supported Black Sabbath for three dates on their Sabotage tour, and in a new feature at Louder Sound, Gene Simmons recalls those dates, and the impression he left on Sabbath bassist, Geezer Butler. An excerpt follows...
Says Simmons: "I’ve always loved and admired Black Sabbath, and can proudly say the early days of touring together will be a lifelong memory.
“The Sabbath of 1975 had all the adrenalin of a band in a strange land doing what they believe in. There was no question Sabbath was going to do things their own way. Love them or hate them, this would be a band that would mark its own territory like an animal.
“KISS got an opening slot, thankfully, on the Sabotage tour, but only for three or four shows. On the first night, I was backstage, fully made-up and ready to go out on stage, and standing next to me was the great Geezer Butler – all five-foot-six of him. In my platform heels I stood at about six-foot-nine tall."
Read more at LouderSound.com.
After touring for half a century, KISS played their last show in Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023. The band reflect on their experiences over the years and what KISS means to them - together with the team behind A New Era, they discuss everything from the band's early years to how their legacy will live on forever with the help of technology.
KISS made the announcement they would continue as digital avatars at the end of their final show. After the band left the stage, the virtual KISS performed "God Gave Rock And Roll To You".
Paul Stanley: "What we've accomplished has been amazing, but it's not enough. The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are. It's exciting for us to go the next step and see KISS immortalized."
Gene Simmons: "We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we've never dreamed of before. The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he's ever done before."
The KISS avatars were created by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) and financed / produced by Pophouse Entertainment, who are responsible for the ABBA Voyage show taking place in London. Pophouse Entertainment was co-founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus.
