Unmasked Tour

The Unmasked Tour was a concert tour by the American hard rock band Kiss. It was the first tour not to feature original drummer Peter Criss, and the touring debut of his replacement Eric Carr.[1]

Unmasked Tour
Tour by Kiss
Official tour advertisement for Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, September 12, 1980
Associated albumUnmasked
Start dateJuly 25, 1980
End dateDecember 3, 1980
No. of shows42
Kiss concert chronology

Background

The Unmasked Tour was the first time that Kiss only played in Europe, Australia,[2] and New Zealand, with only one show played in the United States, at the Palladium Theatre in New York.[3] "Cold Gin" returned to the set for the first time since the Rock & Roll Over Tour, and featured Ace Frehley on lead vocals, rather than Simmons who had sung the song on all previous tours on which it was performed. "You're All That I Want" was performed briefly, but was quickly dropped. "Strutter", which had not been performed live since the Destroyer Tour, returned to the set as well. Iron Maiden were the opening act for the European leg of the tour.[4][5] English heavy rock band Girl supported Kiss at Stafford, Bingley Hall. During an autograph session from the band while on tour in West Germany, more than 2,000 fans in Frankfurt ended up causing severe traffic jams. The West Germany concerts would bring in a total of 100,000 fans.[6] The stage show and costumes, with the exception of Carr and Stanley, were holdovers from the Dynasty Tour.

This would be the last tour that Ace Frehley would perform with Kiss until the 1996 reunion tour.[7]

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

Playing Australia in 1980 was amazing. We were big beyond any comprehension. When we were first told that we were huge in Australia I really didn't have any idea what that meant until we went there. When people were saying you're as big as The Beatles were that's kind of hard to comprehend until you get off a plane and there's thousands of people at an airport and there's thousands of people camping outside your hotel and we couldn't leave the hotels. "Shandi" had already been a hit there. We were the front headline of the papers for virtually three or four weeks. It reached the point where I was asking that we not have any more parties because literally every night the promoter threw a party for us.[8]

Reception

Roman Kozak, a reviewer from the magazine Billboard gave the performance a positive review. He opened his review, noting of the lineup changes with the introduction of the new drummer Eric Carr. Regarding the show, he acknowledged the performance as the typical Kiss show, but noted that the band were performing on a smaller stage than usual, with the performance being basically the same, with the inclusion of loud musical energy, special effects and lighting. He cited the change in the band's sound being more "melodic" and "pop-side", but still gave the fans the hard rock and heavy metal they wanted, taking note that the song "Talk to Me" was well-received by the audience.[9]

Setlist

  1. "Detroit Rock City"
  2. "Cold Gin"
  3. "Strutter"
  4. "Calling Dr. Love"
  5. "Firehouse"
  6. "Talk to Me"
  7. "Is That You?"
  8. "2,000 Man"
  9. "I Was Made for Lovin' You"
  10. "New York Groove"
  11. "Love Gun"
  12. "God of Thunder"
  13. "Rock and Roll All Nite"

Encore

  1. "Shout It Out Loud"
  2. "King of the Night Time World"
  3. "Black Diamond"
  • "You're All That I Want" was played until Nuremberg show.
  • "Shandi" was added as the fourth song in Oceania.

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue Opening Act(s)
Warm Up[10]
July 25, 1980New York CityUnited StatesThe PalladiumThe Rockats
Europe[10]
August 29, 1980RomeItalyCastel Sant'AngeloIron Maiden
August 31, 1980GenovaPalasport di Genova
September 2, 1980MilanVelodromo Vigorelli
September 5, 1980StaffordEnglandBingley HallGirl
September 6, 1980QueensferryWalesDeeside Leisure Centre
September 8, 1980LondonEnglandWembley Arena
September 9, 1980
September 11, 1980NurembergWest GermanyMessezentrum NurembergIron Maiden
September 12, 1980DüsseldorfPhilips Halle
September 13, 1980FrankfurtRebstock-Gelände
September 15, 1980DortmundWestfalenhalle
September 17, 1980SindelfingenMessehalle
September 18, 1980MunichOlympiahalle
September 20, 1980KasselEissporthalle
September 21, 1980BrusselsBelgiumForest National
September 23, 1980AvignonFranceParc des Expositions de Châteaublanc
September 24, 1980LyonPalais des Sports de Gerland
September 27, 1980ParisHippodrome de Pantin
September 28, 1980BaselSwitzerlandSt. Jakobshalle
September 30, 1980KölnWest GermanyKöln Sporthalle
October 1, 1980BremenStadthalle Bremen
October 2, 1980HannoverNiedersachsenhalle
October 4, 1980HamburgErnst-Merck-Halle
October 5, 1980LeidenNetherlandsGroenoordhallen
October 6, 1980KarlsruheWest GermanySchwarzwaldhalle
October 9, 1980StockholmSwedenEriksdalshallen
October 10, 1980GothenburgScandinavium
October 11, 1980CopenhagenDenmarkBrøndbyhallen
October 13, 1980DrammenNorwayDrammenshallen
Oceania[10]
November 8, 1980PerthAustraliaPerth Entertainment CentreThe Eyes
November 9, 1980
November 10, 1980
November 11, 1980
November 15, 1980MelbourneVFL Park
November 18, 1980AdelaideAdelaide Oval
November 21, 1980SydneySydney Showground
November 22, 1980
November 25, 1980BrisbaneLang Park
November 30, 1980WellingtonNew ZealandAthletic ParkTechtones
December 3, 1980AucklandWestern Springs Stadium

Cancelled dates

Date City Country Venue Reason
May 19, 1980OsloNorwayEkeberghallenExtended time needed to find replacement for Peter Criss
May 21, 1980CopenhagenDenmarkBrøndbyhallen
May 23, 1980StockholmSwedenEriksdalshallen
May 24, 1980GothenburgScandinavium
May 27, 1980MunichWest GermanyOlympiahalle
May 28, 1980ZwolleNetherlandsIJsselhallen
May 30, 1980RotterdamAhoy Rotterdam
May 31, 1980BrusselsBelgiumForest National
June 3, 1980SaarbrückenWest GermanySaarlandhalle
June 4, 1980ParisFrancePavillon de Paris
June 5, 1980LyonPalais des Sports de Gerland
June 7, 1980AvignonParc des Expositions de Châteaublanc
June 8, 1980FréjusArènes de Fréjus
June 10, 1980BarcelonaSpainPalau dels Esports de Barcelona
June 11, 1980MadridPabellón de la Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid
June 14, 1980ZürichSwitzerlandHallenstadion
June 15, 1980SindelfingenWest GermanyMessehalle
June 16, 1980FrankfurtFesthalle Frankfurt
June 18, 1980EppelheimRhein-Neckar-Halle
June 20, 1980KölnKöln Sporthalle
June 21, 1980DortmundWestfalenhalle
June 22, 1980BremenStadthalle Bremen
June 23, 1980HamburgErnst-Merck-Halle
June 25, 1980BrightonUnited KingdomBrighton Centre
June 27, 1980LondonWembley Arena
June 28, 1980
July 1, 1980StaffordBingley Hall
July 3, 1980EdinburghRoyal Highland Showground
August 9, 1980Mexico CityMexicoUnknown VenuePromoter couldn't obtain the necessary permits
August 10, 1980
August 11, 1980
August 12, 1980Guadalajara
August 14, 1980Monterrey
August 24, 1980CascaisPortugalPavilhão de Cascais
August 25, 1980
August 30, 1980PerugiaItalyStadio Renato Curi
August 31, 1980BolognaStadio Renato Dall'Ara
September 26, 1980LilleFranceLille Grand PalaisLow ticket sales
October 16, 1980ParisHippodrome de Pantin
October 20, 1980TokyoJapanNippon Budokan
October 21, 1980
October 24, 1980
October 27, 1980Kyoto
October 28, 1980Nagoya
October 29, 1980Osaka
October 30, 1980

Personnel

References

  1. Lewis, Barbara (August 30, 1980). "Amy Holland's connection with Doobies". Fredericksburg: The Free Lance-Star. p. 31. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. Lewis, Barbara (December 27, 1980). "Pop scene". Fredericksburg: The Free Lance-Star. p. 20. Retrieved July 22, 2021. Kiss has been on tour in Australia playing to crowds of 20,000 and more at giant soccer stadiums.
  3. Brown, Carol (August 1, 1980). "Kiss showcase fills the Palladium". The Day. New York. p. 16. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  4. "Iron Maiden: Maiden Voyage". Guitar World. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  5. Rivadavia, Eduardo (August 29, 2015). "When Iron Maiden Opened for Kiss on the 'Unmasked' Tour". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  6. "Kiss Creates Traffic Jam". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 43. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 25, 1980. p. 76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  7. Wilkening, Matthew (December 3, 2020). "40 Years Ago: Ace Frehley Plays His First 'Last Kiss Concert'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  8. (2019). End of the Road World Tour Program, pg. 16.
  9. Kozak, Roman (August 9, 1980). "Talent in Action: Kiss". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 32. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  10. Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.

Sources

  • Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.
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