Kiss in Drammen 1980
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Kiss visited Norway for the first time in 1980. I remember there beeing
"Kiss hysteria" in Norway in 1980. All the kids were talking
about Kiss, Kiss and more Kiss. I missed their first concert in Norway
(see my little story). But I managed to buy
most of the magazines came out around the time of the concert. Too bad
most of them have gone missing after all these years. But I have tried
to recreate some of the information from the sources I still have.
The concert was supposed to happend on the 19th of May and was announced
in January/February. But was posponed probably because of the Criss/Carr
situation. So it was a long wait for most of the norwegian Kiss fans.
The tickets costed 75, 65 and 55 NOK i believe. About the same amount
as LP's cost in Norway at the time.
Kiss arrived in the morning the 13th October at Fornebu airport in Oslo.
At the airport they were photographed by the norwegian newspaper VG without
makeup. The newspaper made a big fuzz about it on the 16th and had a double
spread with pictures of the members leaving the plane. They were not a
very good pictures. But they made a lot of Kiss fans angry at the time.
I even think there was some kind of "demostration" outside the
newspapers offices a couple of days later. Kiss was then driven into Oslo
for a press conference. The press conference was done without make-up
as apposed to many of the other on the tour that were done in makeup.
Most of the questions at the press conference was the same "jibberish"
as on other press conferences during that period. "Are you nazis",
"Why the make-up" and on and on...
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After the press conference Kiss put on their "grease-paint"
before they left for Drammen in their limousines I belive. In Drammen
they collected their silver albums for "Unmasked" and the weekly
magazine "Hjemmet" (a norwegian magazine for housewifes) let
a guy and his mother meet Kiss backstage. If anybody has this article
I would be very intersted. All I remember from it was that the mother
thought the guys "Was nice after all, even if they looked like monsters".
The concert was arranged by the promotor Gunnar Eide who did arrange most
of the lagrer concerts in Norway for a couple of "decades" and
his company still has a lagre "piece of the pie" today. The
attendancy was about 6000 so Drammenshallen must have been more or less
full at the time. The support act was Iron Maiden after their manager
Rod Smallwood and John Jackson had managed to get them the slot on the
tour. "Now matter how much it cost 'em, it was one they simply could
not afford to miss" (ref: Mick Wall's "Run to the Hills). They
tour almost became as legenday for Maiden fans as it has for Kiss fans.
The concert in Drammenshallen was supposed to be the last concert of the
tour. And a lot of crazy stuff happend during the concert. But according
to the "Kiss Alive Forever" book (incredibele book btw) Kiss
flew back to Paris for another concert.
"Drammen is in extacy. We do check out the gig a little sporadic. But when Iron Maiden
surprisingly gets an encore something happens. Paul Stanley comes rushing in on stage with a cream cake and places it directly in the face of the guitarist. Paul DiAnnon, the singer doesn't get away either, Ace places a cake right in his face also.
The Kiss concert starts and it is one of the better ones on the tour. But Maidens revenge is soon to be seen. A roadie in a women's dress suddenly walks over the stage. But it will become worse. Kiss plays to their entire show and the crowds response is wild.
After "Shout it out loud" which is the first encore, Kiss comes on stage to to "King of the nite time world" and then things start to happening. In the middle of the song the guys from Maiden rushes on stage with cream cakes and buckets full of confetti and smashes and pours it all over the Kiss members. A big "fight" breaks out, but its all in good fun. On the last concert of a tour there always happens something wild like this".
(ref: Poster no6-80 by Anders Tegner).
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The sound is supposed to have been pretty bad. But so was most most of the concerts that was played in Drammenshallen as long as it was used as a concert hall. But everybody I have spoken to who where at the concert seems to belive it was magical. But then again who would not at the time.
If anybody who where there want to give their own review of the show I will be more than willing to include it in this "article".
The newspaper VG had a less favorable critique the day after the concert.
They called the music "quite boring and not very well played".
But even they had to admit that they were quite entertained by the show.
After the show Polygram Norway arranged an aftershow party in Oslo where
they had invited most of the celebrities in Oslo. We can get small glimps
from what happend there from POSTER," KISS Scandinavian tour special";
"After the concert we are invited to a Kiss Disco Party so we go
there. Norwegian celebrities are gathered and we mingle with them and
get some drinks. Kiss arrives and keeps to themselves and a lot of other
people in a separated room. We just look inside and say hi. Eric rushes
towards us and starts to talk. He is a great guy. We take the time to
get our own autographs. They could be really cool to have. Gene then shows
up and wants to talk about horror movies. Ace is just to busy with his
champagne to see us or anybody else and Paul is busy with some girls".
(ref: Poster no6-80 by Anders Tegner).
The girl Paul was busy with was probably his norwegian "girlfriend"
at the time Wenche Steen who later became the editor for the norwegian
version of Playboy. I believe the remained friends for some time after
the "relationship" was over.
The aftermath of the show in Drammen was quite fun. The guy who ran "Drammenshallen"
at the time wanted to ban bands who told people to move closer to the
stage. They used to have chairs in the hall at the time. At one point
they had even considered turning of the lights during the concert, so
they could get people to sit down. He was supprised that only one mirrorand
some plastic chairs broke during the performance. So it was really a lot
of fuzz about nothing.
If anybody has was there, has anything to ad or has any of the articles
please mail me.