“I had their spit in my hair and all over my clothes”: Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick reveals “incredibly horrific” worst-ever gig
While most gigs tend to go without a hitch, every musician has a story of their worst-ever performance. Take Nita Strauss, for example, he recently recounted her experience playing a show as a teenager, during which “almost everybody in the club walked out”.
Now, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick has told the story of his worst-ever gig, one he describes as “incredibly horrific”.
READ MORE: “Ace plugs in and starts playing while we’re talking to another guy, and I said, ‘Buddy, you better sit down before I knock you out’”: Gene Simmons recalls Ace Frehley’s Kiss audition
During his 13 years in Kiss, Kulick appeared on six studio albums and two live records, and played hundreds of shows with the band. But as he tells Guitar Player, there’s one show which stands out as his worst of the bunch.
The show in question took place at the King’s Hall in Belfast – a venue previously graced by the likes of the Beatles, Thin Lizzy and U2 – on October 3, 1988. It was the final show of the band’s Crazy Nights tour.
“The religious and political strife in this region of the UK was not easily understood by this Brooklyn-born musician,” Kulick says.
The Troubles were a 30-year-long conflict which gripped Northern Ireland between the late ’60s and 1998 and saw widespread violence and unrest in the region.
“The feeling of danger when arriving in Belfast and seeing the armed police in full force gave me an uneasy feeling…” he goes on.
“At the time, I could never really figure out why – and maybe it was due to unrest in the city of Belfast – but the excited fans at King’s Hall were spitting all over us! They were quite gifted at spitting, even reaching my fingerboard, while I was doing my best to play guitar!
“As you can imagine, this was incredibly horrific. I had their spit in my hair and all over my clothes! Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] suffered as well, though Eric Carr was spared being behind the drum kit.
“Later, we were told that’s how audiences in Ireland express their love for a band – by drenching them in phlegm. Sorry, no, thank you! I was glad when that show ended and happy to return home to America.”
Kiss hung up their instruments in 2023 with a triumphant final show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Shortly after, they announced a “new era” of ABBA Voyage-style shows, which are reportedly set to commence in 2027.
The post “I had their spit in my hair and all over my clothes”: Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick reveals “incredibly horrific” worst-ever gig appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
