The Rock and Roll Over Tour was a concert tour by the American heavy metal group Kiss. It began November 24, 1976 (shortly after the release of the Rock and Roll Over album) and ended April 4, 1977.
History
On February 18, 1977, the band performed for the first time at Madison Square Garden – a venue all four members had long dreamed of playing. That night was also the Garden debut of opening act Sammy Hagar.
Kiss also performed in Japan for the first time on this tour. They played Budokan Hall four nights in a row, breaking an attendance record set by The Beatles. On December 12, 1976, Ace Frehley suffered a severe electrical shock on stage. The consequent delay lasted about fifteen minutes but Frehley resumed the show, despite having lost feeling in one of his hands. Inspired by the event, he wrote "Shock Me", which appeared on Kiss' next album, 1977's Love Gun. It is the first Kiss song on which he sings lead vocals.
This was the first tour on which "Beth" was performed. Instead of being played by the band, it was sung by drummer Peter Criss to a recording of the instrumental track from the Destroyer album.
In the tour program for the band's final tour, Stanley reflected on the tour:
In 1972, I was a taxi driver and I remember driving people to the Garden to see Elvis Presley. I thought someday people will be driving to the Garden to see me and just a few years later Kiss was headlining the Garden. It was a big deal to play for our families and friends... nerve-wracking to say the least. We were beside ourselves backstage, sweating and very, very nervous. And before we went on, all of us shook hands and said "Well, we're here. We're really at the Garden."
Setlist
"Hard Luck Woman" was played on the tour in the months of November and December 1976. Also, in the opening weeks of the tour, "Deuce" was played rather than "Ladies Room" and "Calling Dr. Love" was played instead of "Shout It Out Loud". Other songs played included "Strutter" and "Flaming Youth".
Tour dates
- ^Note 1 Ace Frehley was nearly electrocuted, resulting in a 30-minute delay
- ^Note 2 Kiss performed two shows on this day, one at 3pm and one at 7pm.
Box office score data
Personnel
- Paul Stanley – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Gene Simmons – vocals, bass
- Peter Criss – drums, vocals
- Ace Frehley – lead guitar, backing vocals
References
Bibliography
- Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.
