On 20. November 1972, Kiss played a showcase as a trio in their rehearsal space at 5th Avenue & 23rd Street Loft, New York City. This showcase was for Epic Records’ president Don Ellis and A&R man Tom Werman as an attempt to secure a record deal.
Gene Simmons recalled the disaster:
“We played ‘Firehouse’ and at the end of the song we start ringing this bell, and Ellis thinks it’s a real fire. So, Paul runs over to the corner and grabs a red pail with the word ‘fire’ on it, and goes over and throws it at Don, who freaks as a bucketful of confetti goes all over the place. He gets up and starts to walk out, saying, ‘Okay, thank you, I’ll call you.’ As he’s heading out the door, he trips and falls. Then, Peter’s purportedly drunken brother, who was sitting behind Don, throws up on his foot. We never heard from him again.”
– Kisstory
