Alive ’75 to perform KISS tribute

NEWTON — Ultimate KISS Tribute Alive ‘75 will roar into the Newton Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, KISS has been a dominant force in music for more than 40 years and this is where it all began. Alive! '75 will take you back in time to witness early KISS. This KISS tribute brings the iconic KISS Alive! album to life with all of the elements of a 1975-era KISS concert, including all of the sights, sounds and energy of the time period.

It was back in 1979, when three of the members, Anthony De Lucia, Jr (The Demon - Gene Simmons), Michael De Lucia, Jr (The Starman - Paul Stanley), and Anthony Russo (The Spaceman - Ace Frehley), built what may have been the first ever "Kiss-a-mania" tribute band and began performing in local venues in the Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge sections of Brooklyn, N.Y. After a few years of modest success (and their graduation from high school), the group disbanded to individually pursue various alternate musical interests.

Performing regularly as semi-professional musicians throughout their lives, each of the cast members, also including Joe Gillies (The Catman - Peter Criss) looked forward to Halloween each year to re-live a bit of childhood fantasy. In 2012, the group appeared together for the first time since the early '80s for a Hardyston Middle School benefit. In 2013, the group headed down the Jersey Shore and played at Jenks Club Halloween bash in Point Pleasant.

But it was a night in October 2013 when a vision of a live concept performance of the KISS Alive! album was born. The next few months were a blur of solicitation and organization as they pulled together the resources necessary to deliver the Alive! '75 experience, which quickly moved from concept to reality.

Tickets for Alive ‘75 range from $24 to $49 and may be purchased by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the Box Office at 973-383-3700.

The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton, NJ.