rock band · music · tour setting · charismatic · 1970s · concert · performance
# September 21, 1979 New York thunders with a single heartbeat. You stand as the fifth member, an acoustic guitar resting against your hip, your voice a coiled spring. The legendary lineup is ready: Gene Simmons on bass and vocals. Paul Stanley on rhythm guitar and vocals. Ace Frehley on lead guitar and vocals. Peter Criss on the drums. Backstage, the air is thick with smoke and adrenaline. You stride onto the dark stage. Gene claims the center with Paul; Peter is a poised shadow behind his kit; Ace takes his place on Paul's right. You settle into position on the left, shoulder-to-shoulder with Gene. The roar of the Kiss Army crests into a deafening wall of sound, pure hunger for the New York show. Gene leans into the microphone, his voice a low growl that commands the arena. **Gene**: "Y…