On 4. May, 1976, Kiss performed a unique and intimate concert at River Trails Junior High School in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, for approximately 350 students. The show was the result of Chicago’s WCFL Radio “School Spirit Contest,” a promotion sponsored by Mars Candy Company to advertise their products, particularly the Marathon Bar. The contest was open to schools within a 100-mile radius of the station and across parts of the Midwest, with the goal of collecting as many candy wrappers – or index cards labeled “Mars Bar,” “Snickers,” or “Marathon Bar” – as possible.
The school that submitted the most entries by April 17, 1976 (with the winner announced on April 20) would win a private Kiss concert in their gym. River Trails Junior High, located in a suburb of Chicago, won the contest by turning in over 3 million wrappers and facsimiles. In addition to the concert, the school also received $1,000, which they planned to donate to charity.
The performance itself became a memorable moment in rock history: Kiss, known for their large-scale arena shows, instead played for a crowd of eleven- and twelve-year-old students in a school gym. It also marked the band’s final performance in the United States wearing their “Alive!” tour costumes. After the concert, the band stayed for a pizza party with the student who submitted over 10,000 candy bar wrappers.
Top photo by Kim Harris.
Related Kiss posts:
Kiss is certified Gold for the first time
Kiss plays a showcase for Casablanca records
Ace Frehley getting nearly electrocuted on stage
Peter Criss adds colored eyes to his makeup for the first time
Flo and Eddie introduces Kiss on stage at Anaheim, USA
Peter Criss sings “Beth” live for the first time
On 4. May, 1976, Kiss performed a unique and intimate concert at River Trails Junior High School in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, for approximately 350 students. The show was the result of Chicago’s WCFL Radio “School Spirit Contest,” a promotion sponsored by Mars Candy Company to advertise their products, particularly the Marathon Bar. The contest was open to schools within a 100-mile radius of the station and across parts of the Midwest, with the goal of collecting as many candy wrappers – or index cards labeled “Mars Bar,” “Snickers,” or “Marathon Bar” – as possible.
The school that submitted the most entries by April 17, 1976 (with the winner announced on April 20) would win a private Kiss concert in their gym. River Trails Junior High, located in a suburb of Chicago, won the contest by turning in over 3 million wrappers and facsimiles. In addition to the concert, the school also received $1,000, which they planned to donate to charity.
The performance itself became a memorable moment in rock history: Kiss, known for their large-scale arena shows, instead played for a crowd of eleven- and twelve-year-old students in a school gym. It also marked the band’s final performance in the United States wearing their “Alive!” tour costumes. After the concert, the band stayed for a pizza party with the student who submitted over 10,000 candy bar wrappers.
Top photo by Kim Harris.
Related Kiss posts:
Kiss is certified Gold for the first time
Kiss plays a showcase for Casablanca records
Ace Frehley getting nearly electrocuted on stage
Peter Criss adds colored eyes to his makeup for the first time
Flo and Eddie introduces Kiss on stage at Anaheim, USA
Peter Criss sings “Beth” live for the first time