Anthony De Lucia, Jr. / www.alive75.com
In the five years since Alive! ’75 burst onto the scene, KISS fans have had the pleasure of experiencing a new and different kind of KISS tribute. Not content to simply dress-up and play KISS songs, Alive! ’75 has been entertaining fans in and around the northeastern United States with their “ultimate classic KISS tribute” experience. Their shows focus on period-specific recreations of performances and classic concert moments of the original 1970s era, and the fan response to their efforts has been huge.Each year they’ve challenged themselves to bring more to the table and 2020 is looking to be no exception. We spent some time with Anthony De Lucia, Jr., (the band’s manager and “Demon”), fresh from their year-end show at the Sherman Theater to discuss a few highlights from the past year, as well as their plans for 2020.
“This may be the most personally satisfying year we’ve had yet!” says Anthony. “2019 has been a year of rebuilding and refocusing our efforts and we’re energized about what the coming year will bring – we’ve got BIG plans for 2020!” Those plans include returning to their original Alive! album production, including their full-on 1975 “time-warp” experience – as well moving into Alive II territory, complete with new costumes (again!) by the end of the year. “We’re working to keep it interesting for the fans.” Anthony continued, “We’re looking to take fans on a journey with us – to re-live past KISS-toric moments as well as providing new experiences that no other tribute has.”And what a journey it has been for Alive! ’75. They followed-up their initial tour of the Alive! album / time-warp concept shows by moving systematically through KISS’ early touring schedule and catalog. Alive! ’75 began to performed shows based on the actual Alive! tour, followed by the early ‘76 European tour, then the Destroyer tour and finally the Rock and Roll Over tour. “We were essentially taking our fans – KISS fans – back through the same evolution that KISS followed in the mid-70s.” says Anthony. “This included our moving to new costumes and a revised stage design. Fans recognized what we were doing, and they absolutely loved it!”
Other KISS tribute acts were taking notice as well and Alive! ’75’s impact on the KISS tribute scene is undeniable. “We surveyed the landscape when we started this whole thing,” says Anthony, “and we’ve clearly noticed other established KISS tributes upping their game. And that’s a great thing – it’s especially great for KISS fans, as it provides more opportunities to enjoy this great music and get more from the shows that are out there.”
One thing folks may not know is how close Alive! ’75 came to hanging it up just a year ago. Following their year-end 2018 show at the Sherman Theater, things weren’t looking quite as exciting for Alive! ‘75 as they do today. Anthony explains…
“2018 was a very stressful year for the Band. We were having internal issues that just got worse and worse throughout the year. We began playing more routine shows. Suddenly, Alive! ’75 felt like just another KISS Tribute and that’s not what we set out to be. We ended 2018 with a phenomenal show – perhaps one of the best shows we had performed to date, yet I was completely unhappy with where we were and I was personally convinced this was over.”
“That evening our after-party wrapped-up about 3AM, but Joe Gillies (our Catman) and I, along with three or four other close members of our Team continued talking – and drinking – until well past 5AM. The conversation centered on what choices we had and what would it take to get us back to a good place. It was a very raw and honest discussion. Exactly one year later we‘ve done a complete 180, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Key to this Alive! ’75 turn-around was breaking-in a new Spaceman. “Pat Porpora, is truly a phenomenal guy. He is a 15-year tribute-veteran, a true professional and just an all-around great guy. He took the Band to a whole other level.” says Anthony. “With Pat on-board, it opened-up new opportunities to do more than we could before, and it allows us to recreate more of those classic moments we love on stage. He totally reinvigorated the Band.”
The other big thing to come out of 2019 is Alive! ’75’s re-commitment to their unique brand of classic KISS tribute. “We recognized that there are a ton of quality KISS Tributes out there right from the very beginning,” says Anthony. “And no offense, but we’ve always wanted to do something different from the ordinary, something more than any other KISS tribute does. For Alive! ’75, the focus is on the overall experience. I am excited to report that for 2020, there are fantastic classic KISS experiences to be shared.”
“In September we will bring the Alive! album to life once again, complete with our 1975 time-warp experience (the only time this year). And in December we’re looking forward to moving into Alive II territory – new costumes and all. We’ve got no shortage of of classic KISS experiences for the fans this year! As we like to say, Alive! ’75 is the ULTIMATE Classic KISS Experience.”
Alive! ’75 continues to be relentless in their pursuit of new and innovating ways to deliver a KISS tribute experience. Their original time-warp inspired debut was unlike anything else before it, and since then they’ve continued to push the envelope and lead the way in delivering more for the KISS fan every time out. For classic KISS fans, as well as general fans of classic ‘70s rock ‘n roll, this is definitely an experience not to be missed!
Complete details on this one-of-a-kind experience including all upcoming tour dates may be found at www.alive75.com. Contact ‘info@alive75.com‘ for more information. Sign-up for Alive! ’75 e-mail news at www.alive75.com/sign-up.