Kids and adults alike are packed into a loud dark gym. Teachers buzz around in attempts to control the still-growing crowd and single out cigarette smokers, when suddenly, bright lights overtake one side of the gym revealing the cause of the commotion: KISS.

 

     On October 9, 50 years ago, KISS came to Cadillac.

Cadillac is located in the northwest of Michigan’s lower peninsula. The city’s population, which sits just above 10k, is comprised of lifetime residents, manufacturing professionals and their descendants, and retirees who enjoy the lake town’s cooler summers. It is a microcosm of midwestern America that functions as a haven for tourists seeking outdoor activity, from hunting and fishing to skiing and snowmobiling, in perfect contrast with sunny southern states like Florida where many elderly citizens split their time.

     It's your classic small town. Everyone has a reason to be there, or they’ve yet to find a reason to leave. Everyone one calls the Cadillac Party Lounge the “Party Bar”, and I’ve yet to hear a good reason why. Everyone knows everyone, and if they don’t, they know someone who does. Everyone supports the football and basketball teams, even the band! Everyone has their niche, their people, and stories to boot. And if there’s one story with which every Cadillac citizen might just be familiar, it’s this: In 1975, local man of interest Jim Neff lured one of America’s most rockin’ bands to Cadillac High.

     In 1973, Cadillac fit that same description, but KISS was just becoming the legendary rock act we know today. “Act” is the keyword, as the upstart New Yorkers had yet to make it on the radio. Their success to that point was only measurable in the reactions of small club crowds to the antics of the young, ambitious performers. With a sound that abided timidly by the 70s rock n roll formula - rolling bass and a lead guitar repeating a simple interlocking melody that creates a bed on top of the stagnant time-keeping drums for lead singer Gene Simmons to holler atop – the group had a hard time separating itself from the heaps of rock records flying off shelves around the country.

It was the live shows that kept KISS afloat, but as 1975 rolled around, two years of touring landed the band’s profits in close proximity to the dreaded red line. They were entertaining, building a reputation and spreading the name, but they simply weren’t making money.

     Casablanca Records wasn’t making any money either. So, with their patience dwindling and their backs on the wall, the label turned an irritable ear to its floundering on-stage phenoms. KISS had one unanimous request: find a way to recreate the excitement of their performances for a radio audience. Their music always had a live-ish quality to it anyhow, so how could they give it the extra nudge needed to reach a national spotlight?

 

     At the same time, in northern Michigan, the Cadillac Viking football team was facing similar struggles. With a roster that had proven talented in the past, head coach Dave Brines (and assistant Jim Neff) were searching with increasing desperation for the enthusiasm and results they knew their boys were capable of supplying. They knew their team had heart and talent but were still waiting for the results of that winning combination to manifest in front of the crowd, and more importantly, against the opposition.

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     The answer came from two of rock’s most essential cities (and New Jersey). On September 10, 1975, KISS released their first gold record, Alive! Gathered from concerts in Wildwood, NJ, Cleveland and of course, Detroit, the LP featured 16 tracks from their first two studio albums performed in front of the audiences they moved so well. Alive! became both the band and the label’s saving grace – a gimmick turned gold – but to a group of high school students 3/4 hours north of “Detroit Rock City,” it soon meant even more.

 

     Jim Neff is a modest expert of many things, one of which is rock music. He was early on KISS – a fan before it was cool – and when they released the comparably superb ‘double-live record’ (as its affectionately known) he knew it was the right medicine to cure his team’s case of late-Autumn-blooming.

     Neff brought a speaker into the locker room in an era where such displays of fun were seldom welcomed into sports environments. He cranked up “Rock And Roll All Nite,” let the kids cut loose, and sparked a new era of winning ways. It wasn’t long before the Vikings began taking the field in KISS makeup and stringing together wins. Word was spreading, and Coach Neff acted on an instinct to further capitalize on the phenomenon. He drafted a letter to KISS management explaining the Vikings’ good fortune, complete with something to sign and this seed to plant: would the band make a visit to the school?

 

     Whether it was amusement, boredom or genuinely wholesome interest, nobody is quite sure, but one thing is certain about KISS’s agreement to visit Cadillac in 1975 – it was the band members themselves who most wanted to come.

     Less than a month after the release of their flagship record, the band was in Kalamazoo, MI for a show, and that weekend became the clear landing spot for KISS in Cadillac. The quick appearance quickly sprawled into a full day’s event due to its collision with the high school’s homecoming. October 8, the day before KISStory was made, Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley recorded a radio interview with local disc-jockey Dale Meyers (who recently released his own account of the events). In the recording, you can hear the excitement building on both sides of the phone, starstruck thrill emanates from the interviewer and giddy curiosity is evident in each of the interviewees’ answers.

     The next day, mysterious semi-trucks parked outside the Cadillac High gymnasium. A few hours later, three black limousines rolled up beside the football field as a crowd of students began to gather, the minority of whom actually knew the identities of the limousines’ passengers. Then suddenly, the majority of the Cadillac student body broke into pandemonium as Gene Simmons,    Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss emerged in full KISS regalia.

     The rest is history. “To me this is a worldwide event. Like people around the world know about KISS playing here… Anybody who knows anything about KISS knows this is a big deal” said a passing fan at Cadillac’s citywide KISS 50 celebration this October.

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