In a recent interview, Geddy Lee talked about Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s approach to courting ladies on Q104.3.
Rush served as KISS’s opening act for their “Fly By Night” album tour in 1975. Simmons voiced amazement at Rush’s post-show conduct in the 2010 documentary “Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage,” pointing out their lack of involvement with party-goers and wondering what they did back at their hotel rooms.
Rush’s Post-Show Rituals And Observations
In response, Lee said that they frequently smoked a lot of marijuana and watched “The Twilight Zone” after their performances. They were laughing so hard and enjoying themselves immensely. Then he continued, saying:
“And you know, there was no competing with the KISS after-show thing. You can’t compete with that. We were like newborns. We were babes. We didn’t know anything about the industry – we didn’t know anything about the touring world.”
Contrasting Rush And KISS’s After-Show Lifestyles
Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, and the bassist used to frequently sit around in their hotel room, smoking joints and occasionally glancing out to see what was going on in the corridor. They would often see KISS members passing by around these times, still sporting their full-stage makeup. Geddy mentioned:
“They’d come home from the gig in full makeup because otherwise, how would the chicks know that they were in KISS, right? ‘I’m Gene Simmons!’ ‘Yeah, right!’ But yeah, it was a circus every night and it was really fun to watch.”
Learning From KISS
For the Rush members, touring with KISS during their formative years was also a learning experience. Lee complimented KISS for their amazing live performances in a November interview with CBC News: The National, highlighting their meticulous choreography and hard effort, particularly with their powerful pyrotechnics. Geddy said what they discovered from KISS in these words:
“So, there was a lot to learn. There was a lot to take in. It wasn’t really about their music for us. We liked some of their songs, of course, some of them, [we] didn’t care for, but the way they went about their business was really instructive.”
On July 25, 1974, Rush performed as the opening act for KISS in London, Ontario, Canada. The prog rock group Rush was then included by KISS on their US tour, opening gigs for the likes of Blue Öyster Cult, Fat Chance, Billy Preston, and others.
The full discussion is available to watch below.