Kiss star Gene Simmons says it very simply: “I’ve always loved and admired Black Sabbath. And can proudly say the early days of touring together will be a lifelong memory.”
But as he admits, there was a fierce rivalry between Sabbath and Kiss during their brief time together on a US tour in 1974.
Gene recalls: “The Sabbath of 1974 had all the adrenaline of a new band in a strange land doing what they believe in. There was no question Sabbath was going to do things their own way. Love them or hate them, this would be a band that would mark its own territory like an animal.
“Kiss was touring on its first album. We got an opening slot, thankfully, on the Sabbath tour… but only for three or four shows.
It was at the Boston Theater in 1974, if memory serves me correctly…
“I was backstage fully made-up and ready to go out on stage with the band. Standing next to me was the great Geezer Butler. All five feet six inches of him! In my platform heels, I stood at about six feet nine inches tall.
“It’s in my DNA – once the war paint was on, I became The Demon. And Geezer didn’t quite know what to make of me.