The Linear Canvas
This journal is about the wrongs and rights of the world, as I see them.

The Linear Canvas

KISS Live at Veterans Memorial Columbus Ohio 1975

June 9th, 2008 . by Alexander Fisher

I saw thBuy Kiss Alive at Amazon.come rock band KISS in April 1975 at Veteran’s Memorial in Columbus, Ohio. It is a fairly large hall with pretty good sound, that still exists today. There was always a party going on down in the lobby in 1975.

I got a  call one day from my 14 year old girlfriend, Vickie. She told me that she had tickets for KISS and that we were going with her friend, Dig. I think I remember that she had gotten her “friend” (a guy) to get the tickets for her. Dig had a crush on Vickie. But she was in love with me. I liked her, but I was always a little embarrassed by her age. To Dig’s great disappointment, Vickie just liked him as a friend. I think she really only liked “bad boys” like me.

One thing Dig had that I didn’t, was a car.

Vickie and I used to double date with Dig and his girlfriend (and her broken leg). She was a whole lot of fun, cute with a great body, so I guess I should’ve liked her more, but I had just turned 17 and I always felt I needed a more mature woman. Despite her age, Vickie was usually able to make things happen, mainly because of her friends.  Plus, guys that knew her would jump through hoops for her in hopes that would get them a date, or least some interest from her. She accomplished things that I could have never achieved on my own. Because I was her boyfriend, I certainly benefited, no matter how she pulled it off.

When we arrived at Vets Memorial that night, we were sitting in, as I recall the eighth row or so, just to the left of center, right in front of Gene Simmons. I  had never been to a concert before. I had almost gone to one the previous year when we drove to Dayton for a canceled Grand Funk show.

What a great first concert! To see such a hot group that would turn into the legends they are now.

The first band was an older group that had a hit a few years earlier, called The Flock. They had a violin player in the group, which made them an odd opening act for KISS. I thought they were pretty cool and had a good hard rock sound other than the violin was way too loud.

In any case, I thought my ear drums were bleeding before we made our way out to the lobby to party till KISS came out!

When KISS came on, the crowd jumped to their feet amid an explosion of lights. I just can’t tell what a rush it was to see a younger, original KISS. A few years ago you could see them doing their retro make-up thing on stage, but this was a time when these guys were not much older than twenty-five or so. They were touring at that time promoting their new album Dressed to Kill. I was a big KISS fan already. This was probably a almost a year  before the double album, KISS Alive!, hit big on the charts, but it was probably from the same tour. I also have a DVD set that was released a couple of years ago called KISS-Kissology Vol. 1 1974 – 1977, that contains concert video from San Francisco about three months before I saw them in Columbus.

I can still remember the cheesy police lights on the amps when they did the song Firehouse. A few years later they probably could’ve bought a real fire engine and drove it on stage. They had a mirrored disco ball that they had hanging above the audience. That was the first time I’d seen one of those. When they hit it with a spot light, the audience would go nuts. When Gene, Paul, and Ace would stand together with their guitars and rock back and forth in unison, it was pure eye candy.

It just was one of those nights that everything, except the violin, was just perfect.  The band was still making the records that have made them famous. This was also before the comic books, dolls, and bad movies that turned most of my friends and me away from them towards the end of the ’70’s. Dressed to Kill was their third album. I believe Destroyer was the last  KISS album that I had much interest in until “Psycho Circus”. They have well  over twenty now, and probably a lot less real hair. I’ve even heard Paul Stanley had a hip replaced.

You know, as embarrassed as I was of my “14 year old girlfriend”, I had so much fun that night. Obviously it was an experience that I’ve been proud to have had, as a music fan. I do feel a bit ashamed thinking that I always worried so much about Vickie’s age. I really don’t think anyone cared but me. She made that night in 1975 with KISS a good memory.

Pretty good for a 14 year old.

One Response to “KISS Live at Veterans Memorial Columbus Ohio 1975”


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