50 Years Ago TODAY
At my workplace, we have an icebreaker question asked of every new hire during their staff introduction, “What was your first concert?” And the answers are wide ranging and always fun… boy bands, classic rock stars seen before they were ‘classic’, various pop artists and one hit wonders.
For me, the answer to that question is a very memorable one… KISS at Anaheim Stadium, 1976. I went with my two older brothers, then aged 15 and 14, who I’m sure weren’t thrilled that dragging along their 11 year old kid brother was a condition of them being able to attend. I recall it being quite the spectacle, not least due to the high wire artist Steve “Unique” McPeak who walked a 150 foot high tightrope from one end of the stadium to the other, tossing frisbees down to the crowd below.
Now, 50 years later, KISS is releasing a LIVE album of that concert titled KISS Destroys Anaheim ’76 (iTunes Link). I’m looking forward to a re-listen to what I first heard live 50 years ago, and reliving this, the first of my concerts. If only I could find a high wire act to help complete the experience.