On January 30, 1973, "KISS" made its first-ever live show.
(Photo: kissonline.com)
The show was held at a small club in Queens, New York called the "Popcorn Club."
It was the first time ever that the quartet of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley took the stage, and already then it was with their makeup, but not with the iconic comic book characters known today.
Earlier that month, guitarist Ace Frehley auditioned and was accepted into the band, after responding to an ad posted by Paul Stanley, on December 14, 1972, about a band looking for a guitarist.
Shortly before the show, the band called "Wicked Lester" adopted the name "KISS" at Paul Stanley's suggestion. Gene Simmons was the one who suggested the famous logo for the band.
Gene Simmons was also the one who got the band their first show, after calling the club manager and convincing him to allow them to perform at his club. Gene Simmons closed the deal for 3 nights, at the fee of $ 50 per night.
Peter Chris called a friend whose family owned a printing press, and he helped print the invitations and ads for the show.
On the first evening, the band performed in two different sets and rumor has it that there were only a few people in the audience.
The band played some of the songs that would later become its big hits including "Deuce" and "Black Diamond".
The band's first show with the mythological comic book character's makeup, will take place over a month later, on March 9, 1973.