Matthew Wilkening | Ultimate Classic Rock
On Oct. 11, 1983, Kiss performed the first-ever show without their trademark facepaint. The change helped revitalize the band’s sagging commercial fortunes, but also marked the beginning of an extended “troubling time” for founding member Gene Simmons.
This inaugural live unmasked appearance — in the unlikely and remote setting of Lisbon, Portugal — came just three weeks after Kiss, long famous for hiding their identities in public and onstage behind elaborate costumes and makeup, first revealed their real faces on national television during a special MTV appearance.
Of course, by this point, only two of the group’s original members were around for the unveiling, with founding drummer Peter Criss having departed in 1980 and guitarist Ace Frehley following him out the door in 1982. The former “hottest band in the land” had also fallen far from the height of their massive ’70s commercial fortunes. This was partially because of the lineup changes and most certainly also because they spent the early ’80s dabbling indisco-influenced rock or making a much-derided concept album.
Even when they did get their act together — and how! — with 1982′s thunderous return to form ‘Creatures of the Night,’ the public barely took notice. Despite new guitarist Vinnie Vincent’s insistence that it was “time to grow and change” by unmasking, the move was most likely borne at least partially to try and garner a higher level of attention for their highly deserving new album, ‘Lick It Up.’
The change (and the often-underrated music they made during this time) helped Kiss regain some, but certainly not all, of the popularity they had lost during their last few years. However, it also signified yet another shift in the already fractured band’s power dynamic, with Simmons finding himself uncomfortable in his new non-Demon persona.
