On 31. December, 1973, Kiss used their stage sign logo for the first time when they played Academy Of Music in New York. The sign was Bill Aucoin’s idea and made by Mark Ravitz. The cost was $3,750 and they used it for almost two years. On the same night Paul Stanley used his bandit make-up for the first time, and Gene Simmons caught his hair on fire for the first time.
Mark Ravitz’ sketch for the Kiss stage sign in 1973.
Joyce Bogart-Trabulus:
“We surprised the band with the KISS sign at that show. Nobody had ever seen anything like it at that point. That sign would forever brand them with an audience.”
Harold C. Black:
“That night was the first time they used the KISS sign, which lit up like a movie marquee. It was so huge it wouldn’t have fit into Coventry.”
Paul Stanley:
“The KISS sign was Bill Aucoin’s idea. It was very heavy and made out of wood that was covered with silver vinyl.”
Mark Ravitz:
“They needed us to build it so it could be premiered at that show. At the time they were into sequins and glitter. They showed me a photo of their logo made out of sequins, so our objective was to build a stage sign that lit up and looked like their sequined logo. The sign was four feet high and made out of plywood, which we painted black. The letters that spelled out K-I-S-S were three-dimensional, probably a foot deep.”
– “Nothin’ to Lose: The making of Kiss (1972-1975)” by Ken Sharp, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley.
Photo by Chuck Pulin.
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On 31. December, 1973, Kiss used their stage sign logo for the first time when they played Academy Of Music in New York. The sign was Bill Aucoin’s idea and made by Mark Ravitz. The cost was $3,750 and they used it for almost two years. On the same night Paul Stanley used his bandit make-up for the first time, and Gene Simmons caught his hair on fire for the first time.
Mark Ravitz’ sketch for the Kiss stage sign in 1973.
Joyce Bogart-Trabulus:
“We surprised the band with the KISS sign at that show. Nobody had ever seen anything like it at that point. That sign would forever brand them with an audience.”
Harold C. Black:
“That night was the first time they used the KISS sign, which lit up like a movie marquee. It was so huge it wouldn’t have fit into Coventry.”
Paul Stanley:
“The KISS sign was Bill Aucoin’s idea. It was very heavy and made out of wood that was covered with silver vinyl.”
Mark Ravitz:
“They needed us to build it so it could be premiered at that show. At the time they were into sequins and glitter. They showed me a photo of their logo made out of sequins, so our objective was to build a stage sign that lit up and looked like their sequined logo. The sign was four feet high and made out of plywood, which we painted black. The letters that spelled out K-I-S-S were three-dimensional, probably a foot deep.”
– “Nothin’ to Lose: The making of Kiss (1972-1975)” by Ken Sharp, Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley.
Photo by Chuck Pulin.