As you may recall, I saw Alive ’75 back in September. Having enjoyed their terrific show in Newton, I was eager to see their Montgomery County Community College (MONTCO) concert, which took place last weekend. Unlike the Newton show, the one at MONTCO was an all-day celebration of KISS and it happened to take place on the 40th anniversary of the formation of the KISS Army. The day’s festivities kicked off with a two-hour special edition of The KISS Room, the fantastic KISS podcast hosted by the incomparable Matt Porter. There was a canned food drive that I participated in entitled “KISS Hunger Goodbye,” a KISS merchandise raffle and three special guests both in The KISS Room and at the concert: Len DeLessio, JR Smalling and Lydia Criss. 

One of the reasons why an Alive ’75 show is special is because they make an effort to transport you back in time to 1975, not only through their stage show but through posters and videos from the time period. These items were positioned throughout the entryway to the concert hall and effectively helped set the mood for what was to come. 

Following Matt Porter’s introduction, Len, JR and Lydia graciously answered several questions from the crowd. Then the lights dimmed and the audience started to roar. JR Smalling returned to the stage to provide the iconic introduction that’s on the Alive! album and Alive ’75 broke out into “Deuce.”

Alive ’75 busted out song after song, replete with all of the pomp and circumstance the KISS Alive! show is known for, including stage raps the crowd knew line-for-line, blood-spitting, levitating drums, and confetti.

After the final chord was struck and the lights came up, the crowd was still on their feet applauding. Following this they made their way to an adjacent room where Alive ’75 was nice enough to pose for photos with the fans. 

This concert was a fitting way to celebrate 40 years of the KISS Army and a good time all around. Alive ’75 puts on a killer show and this one was even better than the last. If you’ve yet to see them, you owe it to yourself to buy a ticket the next time they’re in your area. You won’t be disappointed.