01/30/73 Kiss *Kiss' 1st Concert Appearance
*This was also the weekend that the club, formerly known as the Popcorn Pub, officially changed it's name to Coventry.
Excerpt from:
Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History
by Curt Gooch & Jeff Suhs [p. 17]
This was Kiss' debut show. Kiss' performance was the first at the newly named Coventry, which had been previously called the Popcorn Pub. For a band that became renowned the world over for it's garish, rediculous appearance, Kiss' attire for their fist concert was, simply put, dull. Of the four, only Gene wore makeup that even hinted at what was to come, with pncake [makeup] covering his face and black greasepaint smudged formlessly around his eyes. Peter wore a small amount of Rouge, and neither Paul nor Ace wore any makeup whatsoever. The band's clothing was very pedestrian as well. Gene wore bellbottoms and a sailor suit top. Ace wore jeans and a shirt, as did Paul, who included a dark sports jacket in his ensemble.
A handful of Poloroid [photos] from one of the first Kiss shows at Coventry shows exists and [were] sold [in a] June 2000 auction. See the photos here:
Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley / Paul Stanley & Ace Frehley
Peter Criss / Gene Simmons
Paul Sub - Owner, Coventry
Excerpt from:
Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History
by Curt Gooch & Jeff Suhs [p. 17]
There was no real formal booking at Coventry. Kiss came in like all the bands did and asked if they could play. Whoever came in...we just booked them. We never turned anyone down. On average, Kiss drew about 60 or 70 people. They didn't draw at all.
Gene Simmons - Bass & Vocals, Kiss
Paul Stanley - Guitar & Vocals, Kiss
Peter Criss - Drums & Vocals, Kiss
Lydia Criss - Ex-Wife of Peter Criss
Excerpts from:
"Dressed To Kill" by Ken Sharp
Goldmine Magazine (04/11/08)
Gene Simmons: I was always the asshole who decided to pick up the phone and bother people and get us to where we wanted to go. On my way into work in the city I used to pass by this club in Queens. I called the club, got the manager on the phone and started selling, which is what I've always done my entire life. I said to him, "We've got a band called Wicked Lester, and I'm really excited about it. You should book us, because we're terrific." So he agreed to put us on for three nights during the middle of the week when nobody went there. We had yet to name ourselves KISS. That first night we changed the name of the band from Wicked Lester to KISS.
Gene Simmons: Coventry was located in Queens, New York, in a downtrodden industrial area. Two stories above the building we played was a subway, so when we played, the trains would be going by, and it was loud. It was owned by the boys (imitates tough guy accent) "Who kind of talked like this.'" We played a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and were paid 30 dollars.
Paul Stanley: First time we played there, it was virtually empty.
Peter Criss: Nobody was there (laughs). It was a nightmare. We killed ourselves for six people.
Lydia Criss: I remember it was a really cold winter night. The only people who showed up at that first Coventry show were me, Jan Walsh, who was Gene's girlfriend at the time, and her friend, plus the road crew - Eddie Solan; Joey Criscuola, Peter's brother; and Bobby McAdams - and the people who worked at the club.
Paul Stanley: Coventry was important for us, because it was so difficult for a band like us to get any gigs because we didn't play Top 40, and we weren't part of the Mercer Arts crowd, which was the crowd that took in the New York Dolls and some of the Andy Warhol, Max's Kansas City bands. So, we needed a place that could be ours, and Coventry was a place in Queens that was just on the other side of the East River. It gave people in New York access to come see us, and it also set us a little apart from the New York glitter bands. Coventry was a place where we really cut our teeth, and it was the first place we ever played.
Sesu Coleman - Drummer, Magic Tramps
From: Private Interview with NYCDreamin - 12/07
We didn't hang with Kiss as they weren't part of the "Glam Scene." Who knew?!?