KISS stormed Utica Memorial Auditorium on the tail end of the Alive! Tour, supporting the breakthrough 1975 live album that turned them from cult act to arena headliners. Destroyer had been released just four weeks earlier, but the band hadn’t yet integrated its songs into the live set. The Utica crowd got the classic setlist: “Deuce,” “Strutter,” “Hotter Than Hell,” “Firehouse,” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter in full original-era makeup — this was KISS at their most raw and hungry.
Your Guide to Live Music in Upstate New York
