Country Guitarist Reacts to KISS for the First Time 

This was so EPIC! This performance was AMAZING!!!

My Wife And I Saw them in 23. And After The Show Was Over I Told My Wife That I just Saw the Best Concert By Far And I don’t Think I Will Be Able to Go To Another concert After Goin To a Kiss Concert🤘.

Black Diamond was their traditional encore song. Casual fans didn’t know it. Concert goers (that built Kiss) loved it. Thanks for the reaction; like to see musicians doing these videos.

Love this! KISS is like no other. And they have so many styles within their music. They have left an indelible mark in the world of music. Pick an era, pick a song and go for the ride.

Kiss have provided for decades a great live show, and with Black Diamond they really rock. 1975, an OTT performance, and a very lucky studio audience to witness such. Thanks for the great upload and reaction.

Kiss from 76 to 1980 were on top of the world. Huge phenom.

Was a die hard Kiss fan from when they came out for the longest time. Had the honor of being in a band here in Buffalo NY that got a chance to open for Kiss in 2010. They & their crew were phenomenal. Had our own dressing room fed us crew took care of our gear gave us a good soundcheck hung out with Doc MaGhee & got a chance to talk to all of them before & after the show. Talked to Gene for a while. Great guys!!!

Midnight Special was such a great show. Kiss was loud and rocked hard. Perfect for a party! Try "Detroit Rock City" next. Live version of course.

You should also watch "Deuce"...performed this same night on The Midnight Special. I remember staying up to watch this. It was the year I turned 13yrs...1975. "She" is the other song they played that night. Another good song of theirs, people hardly ever know, is "Watching You." The one to react to is from their "KISS Alive" album. Their KISS Alive album came out the same year...1975. Most people didn't even hear them prior to then. But my older brother had the three albums they released before the Alive album.

I always enjoy watching this video. This is when the original band was young , and So hungry!

Kiss has been loved and hated but never ignored.

This performance from In Concert, April 1975. In September 75, their seminal album Alive was released, it is at or near Diamond status (10million)

Like kiss or not, kiss remains one of the biggest and most influential bands of all time

The end bassline heavy part thing is so dope

They were my thing back in high school. I saw them for the first time in 1975, for $5 at the Los Angeles Forum. How times have changed! This has always been one of my favorite songs from them.

I really think growing up with Kiss during their prime helped. In the 70s.

This was right as KISS were on the rise. Their record co. was nearly bankrupt and had their live album of that year not done as well as it had, that wouldve been finito. There cant be another KISS. Bands cant dress in symmetrical superhero costumes or face paint without being directly compared to them, for better or worse. Another really good one would be I stole your love or creatures of the night. The studio versions are great as is, but the live video from 84 is amped up even further!

This was the first time I ever heard of or seen kiss I was like 10 and I was hooked 🤘been a kissfreak ever since. Kiss was awesome ✌️

KISS Army guy since...well, not long after that video, and "Black Diamond" is still my favorite of theirs. Thanks for doing that one

One of their first TV appearances a couple more years before they ruled the World

Black Diamond is a great song!

I saw Kiss in 1974!! They were awsome!!

Here's a bit of a fun fact. Black Diamond was written about a African-American Street worker (Hooker). Check out Pauls solo from "Music From" The Elder or Sure Know Something.

Let Me Go Rock n Roll Halloween 1998 at Dodger stadium is one of my favs, I'm biased since I was there.

This was the first time they were seen on television

Very early in their career. I saw them here in Las Vegas just a few months after they filmed this--spring '75. Really glad you chose to go back so far, back when they were hungry.

Man that’s a classic you need to listen to discography

yes brother, fun! '75, it was their first nationally broadcast performance, but it took a few another year until '75s ALIVE! and "Rock & Roll All Nite" catapulted the band forth to the mainstream, then "Beth" in '76 .. the don't even play "Rock & Roll All Nite" on this show because it hadn't hit yeti

K I S S bring the Thunder Rock ! PASSIONate songs, performed in PASSIONate concerts for PASSIONate audiences! 🤟

For an anthem, and a decent ballad, check out "Hard Luck Woman" from 1976, written by Paul Stanley, definitely the best writer in the group.

This is from a show in 1974

This is real KISS imo.

Lokk closely at 7:50. lol. Someone on front row got nailed by a stand right in the face! Good times. More original KISS!

OMG 😱😱😱😱

Back then it was heavy it wasn’t slow back in 1975

We all loved the movie Detroit Rock City

They were a great guitar and drummer ace freely and cat man fantastic great song paul was trying playing the guitar and not playing the guitar 🎸

Gene always does that thing where he may have trapped his left testicle in his costume….& he lifts his leg up…love it…😁😁

This their best song.

♬good choice 🤚🇯🇵

Not too many bands have been around for 50 yrs so they're kinda in an elite group

Thanks for this reaction! I love kiss!! Grew up with them! Please try and react to the song deuce!

The only band currently with this level of commitment is Ghost (check out the songs Square Hammer or Rats.) As for KISS there are many eras and genres they have tackled. I’d suggest the official video for Unholy for a make-up-less treat, or if you want something completely different listen to a song like Shandi or A World Without Heroes. Another classic era tune to check out would be I Want You.

As a non english native speaker, I liked because of the music but most important what they did on stage...

The KISS Alive! I&II era was the best.

so I just happened upon this reaction video. just curious, as a guitar player what your thoughts are on Ace Frehley, the lead guitar player. you know his style, and the way he plays. great reaction

KIS in the 70's...was amazing, then again I love a lot of rock from the 70's - Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Nugent, Skynyrd, Eagles, Buffet the list goes on and on.....go to figure I was an 80's teen listening to Hair bands, but love the 70's stuff better.

6M views! Ace Frehley's guitar playing is great. (My boyfriend in HS) (lol)!

Very early KISS

Kisses real breakout was their first “live” (he’s OK OK, much of it wasn’t live, but nevertheless) album, KISS Alive 1, the cover shot for which was taken at the Michigan palace. The Michigan story is notable because it was in Michigan, Detroit, Cobo hall, specifically, that Kiss had their first sell out of a major arena. Prior to that they even were invited to the city of Cadillac Michigan, and were provided the key to the city as the high schools football team was highly motivated by listening to Kiss to turn a season around into a championship season. Kiss alive one was the first to go platinum and then after that there were a series of platinum albums, all the way through dynasty, which was notable for having a breakout hit, but mostly to people who didn’t like kiss as it was a rock-disco song that to this day, ironically, still rocks & is worth reacting to “I was made for loving you“. But I would recognize and react to the live version of Detroit rock city from East Rutherford in the year 2000 first. Keep up the great work!

You ever here King of the Mountain, I’m a Legend tonight, Only You, Sure know Somethin, I was made for loving you, Strutter, Magic touch, Creatures of the night, The oath, I’m Just a boy, A world without heroes, Tears are falling, Loves a deadly weapon and so on .. ? kinda like the heavy rock Steely Dan theyre 80’s stuff is a rabbit hole If u haven’t u really should

No mention of Peter Criss just killing the vocals on this?

Elvis the Beatles and KISS ⚡⚡

You mentioned at the beginning that it sounded like Paul Stanley's guitar was out of tune. It may have been, but KISS always tuned their instruments a half-step down.

There is a tribute band called Mr speed they sound just like the original band and young kiss said they would take over were the original kiss retired

Musically tho .. musically that’s heavier than allot of the knew shit imo just the chords and the crunchy verse that end part is def one of the heavier things your ever gonna hear

"Black Diamond" was from the KISS debut album, and not a too bad tune, with a few stage antics, sung by Drummer Peter Criss, doing his best Keith Moon impersonation. IMO the best instrumentalist in the band was Guitarist Ace Frehley, the guy who wound up playing on his knees, but Gene and Paul were competent. Saw them on my 18th birthday on their Destroyer tour in 1976, a real good time, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band were the openers, so even better. Saw them later, on the Dynasty tour, and there were a lot of 8 year olds with their parents running around, the magic was gone.

this wa right before that released alive. there groundbreaking live album that's 10x platinum. That was there big break. The show got insane in 1977

Unfortunately that was Paul Stanley's best solo...he plays rhythm guitar. Now Ace on the other hand has many great solos. It's hard to choose but I like Parasite or Shock Me.

great song choice from the 70's to start your journey if you did like the song and looking for more to listen to I'm not going to tell what you should listen to next if you do choose to listen cause many other's may suggest a song that they may like and from what show all I will say is This band like many other's had there ups and downs like many other bands where some left and then returned just to leave again but 1 thing is for sure when you take 4 guys who know how to play and they are all on the same page they each can bring out great music with a great show but also when drugs or booze comes into the picture or other distractions then the whole band suffers and your shows won't be not so great but for a band to last from 1973 to 2023 has to say something about each band member and what they brought to the band to lay that foundation from the start when they formed the group. I hope you do like it and give other songs a listen if interested so you yourself can see and hear the difference of musical talents each member brings out into the song.

this was early in thier career .very early.

I have to pick you up on your comment that 'you don't really see bands today dressed up head to toe in make-up and costume'. I would give you Slipknot, GWAR, and Lordi - and a whole myriad of black meal bands.

I worshipped at the Alter of Kiss for some decades starting in the 70's. I saw them 3 times, 2 in the 70's and one in the late 90's, so you could see the progression of tech for the stage shows. I doubt if anyone in the band is an elite musician, but of course the whole thing works together. In terms of guitar solos, they'd never compare to Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page.

When they first started out

Check out Ghost. You'll be surprised. They're even better live. They're theatrical.

1974

And it only took the end of their career for people to catch on. How sad because actually being at a live show/performance you couldn't help but become a part of it even though haters hate have never been but somehow know everything about it, LoL. And have a lot to say about everything but actually know NOTHING!!! It's everything Rock and Roll pure and simple.

Not even Taylor Swift could top that!

Huge Kiss fan back then! Kiss was sort of competing in the Aerosmith, Boston, Eagles, Bruce Springsteen genre. So this was relatively heavy back then. Notwithstanding Led Zep, Black Sabbath, or other bands that began to introduce true Heavy Metal. This was also a flat performance, IMO. Guitar itro a little painful.

Chasing Anthems I think you might enjoy the KISS song "Hard Luck Woman". the drummer Peter Criss sings it (just as on this song), and it's a Country song, in my opinion. Garth Brooks actually covered it on The Tonight show with Jay Leno in the early 90's. with KISS as his backup band!! Garth sang for KISS, essentially! it's on RU-vid, BTW

I love classic rock with my favorite groups being RUSH, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and my LEAST favorite group would be Kiss. All I like by them is their piano ballad Beth

ACE FREHLEY FOR PRESIDENT 2024! SHOCK ME! COLD GIN! PARASITE - DON'T BE TOO BRIGHT! ACE!

typical '70s Gibson, miles out of tune and everything Peter Criss was always the best singer in the band.

Whoever the poster is that claimed that Kiss "Alive" is at or near Diamond sales status (10 million copies sold) is completely full of it. Kiss "Alive" is only certified Gold in the United States (500,00 copies sold). And to go further, Kiss only have 3 albums that have surpassed the 2 million level in sales in the U.S. They are: Smashes Thrashes & Hits, Alive 2 (not Alive), and Destroyer. And it took Destroyer 35 YEARS to go double platinum (2 million copies sold). No kiss album to date (1/25/23) has ever been certified for 3 million copies sold. NOT ONE. So many Kiss fans are the worst, I should know since I used to be a huge Kiss fan. I still respect Kiss, they're a great rock band, but their fans are some of the worst when it comes to LYING (or being clueless). Kiss was NEVER a huge selling group at retail as it pertained to album sales. NEVER. Gene & Paul (and original manager Bill Aucoin) routinely lied to the music press and inflated the numbers publicly to create the illusion that Kiss were as big as groups like the Eagles, The Beatles, The Stones etc. But Kiss were NEVER that band in reality. The did sell a lot of merchandise because of the image and makeup, which set them apart from most other bands, but as far as album sales.......NO. They're not even close. Kiss have sold a certified 21 million albums in the U.S. according to the R.I.A.A. (the organization that actually gives out the gold and platinum awards and does the sales audits). To put it in perspective Van Halen have solder over 56 MILLION albums (again R.I.A.A. numbers), and even Motley Crue have sold more than Kiss, the Crue are at 25 million albums sold in the U.S. Def Leppard as well with over 35 million albums sold in the U.S. The Beatles, Eagles & Zeppelin have all sold over 100 MILLION albums in the U.S. to further put this in perspective. Kiss is not even close to these groups, and they never will be. Some more perspective, Queen have sold 43 million albums in the U.S. Journey have sold 49 million albums in the U.S. Again, Kiss is at 21 million. And Kiss (as Kiss fans know full well) have a ton of albums between studio albums, live albums, and compilation albums, meaning no singular Kiss album has ever been a massive seller. NOT ONE. Kiss simply have never been a huge band as far as selling albums. They've always been more of concert attraction and group that sells a lot of merchandise due to an almost cult like rabid base of very committed fans. I posted this because I get tired of people either being clueless and doing no research and then posting things as if they're "facts", or outright LYING because they're a fanboy of a music group or some other sort of entity. The truth still matters folks, it should anyway.