Lick It Up World Tour

Last updated
Lick It Up World Tour
Tour by Kiss
Associated album Lick It Up
Start dateOctober 11, 1983
End dateMarch 17, 1984
Legs2
No. of shows94
Kiss concert chronology

The Lick It Up World Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Kiss, in support of their eleventh studio album Lick It Up . It was the last tour to feature lead guitarist Vinnie Vincent.

Contents

Background

It was the first tour the band performed without wearing their trademark make-up, following the reveal of the members without them on MTV in September 1983, [1] basing it on how bands, fans and the times change. [2] The tour began in Cascais, Portugal on October 11, 1983 when they performed for the first time without the usage of makeup. [3] According to Simmons, fan reaction in Europe was 'greater than ever' and had sold out in advance. [2] When asked if the removal of the makeup meant that it was a farewell tour, Simmons stated that it was not, saying "If that were the case, I'd rather let the thing fade away. We're only doing this because, after the tour and making Lick It Up, we feel stronger than ever." [4]

The "tank" stage design from the preceding Creatures of the Night tour was used again, keeping all the same gimmicks. [5] The January 11 show in Nashville was recorded, and an edited version aired on The King Biscuit Flower Hour . [6] At the January 27 show in Long Beach, Kiss were presented with their first gold records since 1980 for the Lick It Up album.[ citation needed ]

Lead guitarist Vinnie Vincent was fired after the European Tour due to "unethical behavior". Kiss did not have enough time to search for another guitarist, so they re-hired Vincent for the North American leg until his firing became permanent after the tour ended. [7] Bass guitarist Gene Simmons stated in various interviews that Vincent's dismissal was because he never signed his contract as an official member of Kiss and for unethical behavior. [8] Stanley later admitted that Vincent had to go, stating that he was getting worse and stalling the shows with lengthy guitar solos. [9] There were also issues regarding Vincent over his salary, who wanted a better deal and complained about the contract and working conditions, who eventually drove Stanley and Simmons to fire him when they accused him of trying to hijack the band. [10]

In the tour program for the band's final tour, Simmons reflected on the tour:

The Lick It Up tour was a challenge, at least initially, as it was the first tour we did without makeup and I had to re-calibrate from being the fire-spewing Demon with eight-inch heels to a mere mortal playing rock and roll music. But Kiss are survivors. We survived in makeup and out of makeup; we survived all different kinds of music-thrash, disco, dance, grunge, new romance and we survive, persevere and thrive. It means we win! Kiss has always marched to the beat of their own drum. [11]

Reception

A local reporter who attended the Lakeland performance on December 29, 1983, opened their review by stating that before the removal of the make-up, it was easy to laugh at Kiss - referring to them as clowns that weren't amusing. However, they noted the positivity of the changes in the band's personnel and the band's hopes to retake the lead in the heavy metal industry. They praised the song "I Love It Loud", citing it as a song to capsulize the revitalized band's performance to 6,000 fans that night. [12]

Chuck Gates, a reporter from the Deseret News, who had attended the Salt Palace performance on February 5, 1984, opened his review by stating that the band was 'mediocre then and still is'. He noted on the inclusion of songs from the band's album Lick It Up, but had inquired about the exclusion of the band's two hit songs "Beth" and "I Was Made for Lovin' You". Regarding the stage, he acknowledged the lack of theatrics and makeup, and the absence of both Ace Frehley and Peter Criss - to which he stated that all that was left was a mediocre heavy metal band playing at deafening volumes. [13]

John Laycock from the Windsor Star who had attended the Cobo Arena show opened their review by stating that the band continued to roar without their makeup. He acknowledged the usage of Simmons' fire-breathing effects and the new wave haircuts that band members had. Even with the sight of no makeup, he reported the sturdiness of the band's songs during the performance, as well as noting on how the band's clothes had changed and not the music. He concluded his review, saying that the show remains a vividly staged break from sanity. [14]

Setlist

These are example setlists of what was performed during the tour on each leg, but may not represent the majority of the tour. [15]

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenueOpening Act(s)
Europe [15]
October 11, 1983 Cascais Portugal Pavilhão de Cascais Helix
October 13, 1983 Madrid Spain Pabellón de Deportes del Real Madrid Helix
Tigres de Oro
October 14, 1983
October 15, 1983 San Sebastián Velódromo de Anoeta
October 16, 1983 Barcelona Palau dels Esports de Barcelona
October 18, 1983 Toulouse France Palais des Sports de ToulouseHelix
October 19, 1983 Clermont-Ferrand Maison des Sports
October 21, 1983 Leeds England Queens Hall Helix
Heavy Pettin'
October 22, 1983 Stafford Bingley Hall
October 23, 1983London Wembley Arena
October 24, 1983 Leicester De Montfort Hall
October 25, 1983 Poole Poole Arts Center
October 27, 1983 Glasgow Scotland Glasgow Apollo
October 28, 1983 Edinburgh Edinburgh Playhouse
October 29, 1983 Newcastle-upon-Tyne England Newcastle City Hall
October 31, 1983 Paris France Espace Balard Helix
November 1, 1983 Offenbach am Main West Germany Stadthalle Offenbach
November 2, 1983 Munich Löwenbräukeller
November 3, 1983 Basel Switzerland St. Jakobshalle
November 4, 1983 Sindelfingen West Germany Messehalle
November 6, 1983 Neunkirchen am Brand Hemmerleinhalle
November 7, 1983 Linz Austria Linzer Sporthalle
November 8, 1983 Vienna Wiener Stadthalle
November 9, 1983 Graz Eisstadion Liebenau
November 10, 1983 Essen West Germany Grugahalle
November 11, 1983 Kassel Eissporthalle Kassel
November 12, 1983 Lille FrancePalais de la Foire
November 13, 1983 Brussels Belgium Forest National
November 15, 1983 Lausanne SwitzerlandHalle des Fêtes de Beaulieu
November 17, 1983 Risskov Denmark Vejlby-Risskov Hallen
November 18, 1983 Gothenburg Sweden Scandinavium
November 19, 1983 Stockholm Johanneshovs Isstadion
November 20, 1983 Malmö Malmö Isstadion
November 21, 1983 Hillerød DenmarkFrederiksborg Center
November 23, 1983 Helsinki Finland Helsinki Ice Hall
November 25, 1983 Oulu Oulu-halli
North America [15] [16]
December 26, 1983 Atlanta United States The Omni Coliseum Axe
Pat Travers Band
December 28, 1983 Augusta Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center Axe
December 29, 1983 Lakeland Lakeland Civic Center Axe
Pat Travers Band
December 30, 1983 Pembroke Pines Hollywood Sportatorium
December 31, 1983 Jacksonville Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
January 1, 1984 Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center Axe
January 6, 1984 Birmingham Boutwell Memorial Auditorium Vandenberg
Riot
January 7, 1984 Memphis Mid-South Coliseum
January 8, 1984 New Orleans Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena
January 9, 1984 Biloxi Mississippi Coast Coliseum
January 10, 1984 Knoxville Knoxville Civic Coliseum
January 11, 1984 Nashville Nashville Municipal Auditorium
January 13, 1984 Dallas Dallas Convention Center
January 14, 1984 San Antonio HemisFair Arena
January 16, 1984 Austin Palmer Auditorium
January 17, 1984 San Angelo San Angelo Coliseum
January 18, 1984 Houston Sam Houston Coliseum
January 19, 1984 Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum
January 21, 1984 El Paso El Paso County Coliseum
January 22, 1984 Albuquerque Tingley Coliseum
January 23, 1984 Odessa Ector County Coliseum
January 25, 1984 Denver University of Denver Arena
January 27, 1984 Long Beach Long Beach Arena
January 28, 1984 Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center
January 29, 1984 Fresno Selland Arena
January 31, 1984 Reno Lawlor Events Center
February 1, 1984 Berkeley Berkeley Community Theatre
February 2, 1984 Bakersfield Bakersfield Civic Auditorium
February 3, 1984 San Bernardino Orange Pavilion
February 5, 1984 Salt Lake City Salt Palace
February 8, 1984 Sioux City Sioux City Municipal Auditorium Vandenberg
High Fever
February 9, 1984 Omaha Omaha Civic Auditorium Vandenberg
Heaven
February 10, 1984 Milwaukee MECCA Arena
February 11, 1984 Dubuque Five Flags Center
February 12, 1984 Bloomington Met Center
February 14, 1984 Green Bay Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena
February 15, 1984 Chicago UIC Pavilion
February 16, 1984 Indianapolis Market Square Arena
February 17, 1984 Saginaw Wendler Arena
February 18, 1984 Detroit Cobo Arena
February 19, 1984 Columbus Battelle Hall
February 21, 1984 Trotwood Hara Arena
February 22, 1984 Richfield Richfield Coliseum
February 24, 1984 Worcester Centrum in Worcester Accept
February 26, 1984 Hampton Hampton Coliseum
February 28, 1984 Baltimore Baltimore Civic Center
March 1, 1984 New Haven New Haven Coliseum
March 3, 1984 Upper Darby Tower Theater
March 4, 1984 Pittsburgh Stanley Theater
March 5, 1984 Erie Erie Civic Center
March 7, 1984 Binghamton Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena
March 8, 1984 Poughkeepsie Mid-Hudson Civic Center
March 9, 1984 New York City Radio City Music Hall
March 10, 1984
March 12, 1984 Quebec City Canada Colisée de Québec
March 13, 1984 Montreal Montreal Forum
March 15, 1984 Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens
March 17, 1984 Evansville United States Roberts Municipal Stadium

Personnel

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References

  1. ↑ Wilkening, Matthew (September 18, 2015). "The Day Kiss Finally Removed Their Makeup". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bishop, Pete (March 1, 1984). "Kiss the old KISS goodbye". Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Press. p. C1. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  3. ↑ Wilkening, Matthew (October 11, 2015). "When Kiss Played Their First Show Without Makeup". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Announcing the plain, unvarnished Kiss". New York: The Telegraph. October 28, 1983. p. 17. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Mary (October 21, 1983). "Kiss behind the makeup". Lakeland Ledger. p. 2C. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ MacMaster, Claire (November 27, 1984). "Airwaves". The Boston Phoenix. p. 16. Retrieved December 8, 2021. 11:00 (WCBN) King Biscuit Flower Hour. Motley Crue and Kiss
  7. ↑ Blau, Max (April 8, 2014). "Inside a Hair-Metal Meltdown: Search for Ex-Kiss Guitarist Vinnie Vincent". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ Filcman, Debra (September 2, 2018). "Gene Simmons: Vinnie Vincent Headed for 'More Legal Problems'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Stanley, Paul (2014). Face the Music: A Life Exposed. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN   978-0-06-211406-8.
  10. ↑ Lendt, C.K. (1997). Kiss and Sell: The Making of a Supergroup. New York: Billboard Books. p. 294. ISBN   0-8230-7551-6.
  11. ↑ (2019). End of the Road World Tour Program, pg. 20.
  12. ↑ St. Petersburg Times, December 31, 1983
  13. ↑ Gates, Chuck (February 6, 1984). "'Kiss' was mediocre then - and still is". Salt Lake City: Deseret News. p. C5.
  14. ↑ Laycock, John (February 20, 1984). "New-look Kiss: same old sound". Detroit: The Windsor Star. p. D7.
  15. 1 2 3 Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN   0-8230-8322-5.
  16. ↑ North America show announcements:
    • Haldin, Ken (December 16, 1983). "Concert Groups Are Taking Holiday". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 1C. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
    • "Kiss Concert Set At Center". Columbus: Daily Times. January 20, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved December 10, 2021. Kiss, a popular heavy metal rock group which recently jettisoned its stage makeup, will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Ohio Center here.
    • "Kiss in concert Sunday". Salt Lake City: The Deseret News. February 3, 1984. p. 2W. Retrieved December 10, 2021. Kiss - a heavy metal band with a penchant for raucous rock 'n' roll will perform in the Salt Palace Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

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