Geezer Butler Recalls His Shocked Reaction to Seeing KISS Perform for the First Time During Black Sabbath’s 1975 Tour

Most modern metal bands can trace their lineage back to Black Sabbath. They’re hailed as the founders of heavy metal. There’s no denying that they changed the face of rock music forever. However, they were far from the only early innovators in the genre. Recently, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler reflected on being outshined by KISS during their 1975 tour.

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In 1975, Black Sabbath was six albums into an iconic career. KISS, on the other hand, was three albums into their career after dropping two records in 1974. They were both massively successful acts. As a result, the kabuki-painted band landed an opening spot for a few stops on Sabbath’s 1975 tour.

[RELATED: Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne Agreed To Perform One Last Black Sabbath Concert]

In a recent interview with Rock Cellar, Butler recalled the shock he felt after watching the opening act’s game-changing performance.

Geezer Butler Recalls When KISS Outshined Black Sabbath on Their Own Tour

“KISS opened a few shows for us in the mid-’70s,” Butler recalled. “KISS was the first band that ever used stage production,” he added. Their shows contained elaborate stage sets, pyrotechnic displays, and the band’s legendary costumes. “Bands like Black Sabbath used to just go on and plug in and play,” Butler said of concerts before Kiss.

“I mean, the shock of seeing that,” Butler reflected. “I went out and watched them. There were all these flames coming out of the stage and everything. It was like, ‘Oh, my God. What’s going on here?’”

Then, he talked about how things changed. “People had to start thinking about stage production after KISS. It was tough to follow them. We went on just as an ordinary band, with no effects or anything, and everybody else still had their mouths wide open from seeing KISS. We were like, ‘What the hell just happened?’”

Butler went on to say that he didn’t really listen to KISS’ music when he saw them onstage. Instead, he was wholly captivated by their groundbreaking stage show. The theatrics of their set all but overshadowed the songs they were playing for Butler. This, he said, taught him and his Black Sabbath bandmates a very valuable lesson. “We made sure that we never had KISS supporting us again.”

Featured Image by Rich Fury/Getty Images for SXSW

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