Black Sabbath arguably invented heavy metal, depending on who you ask, so it’s hard to imagine anyone outshining the OG heavy metal band. But, surprisingly enough, when Sabbath had Kiss opening for them in 1975, Kiss was a very tough act to follow. At a time when stage theatrics weren’t a thing, Kiss introduced pyrotechnics and changed the entire game.
In a recent interview with Rock Cellar Magazine, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler recounted what it was like to have Kiss open for Sabbath in 1975, saying:
“KISS opened a few shows for us in the mid ’70s. KISS was the first band that ever used stage production. Up until KISS came, bands like Black Sabbath used to just go on and plug in and play. KISS was the first one to use pyro. You’ve never seen that. I mean, the shock of that. And they were supporting us, so they weren’t even headlining. I went out and watched them. There were all these flames coming out the stage and everything. It was like, “Oh, my God, what’s going on here?”
“It was a completely new direction for people. People had to start thinking about stage production after KISS. It was tough to follow them. We went on just as an ordinary band, no effects or anything, and everybody else still had their mouths wide open from seeing KISS. We were like, ‘What the hell just happened?’
“It was impossible to follow KISS after the production. When I watched them play, I didn’t even listen to the music. I was just astounded by the stage production. We made sure that we never had KISS supporting us again.”
Again, the thought of Black Sabbath being upstaged by anyone, much less Kiss. But credit where credit’s due, it must have been a real shock to see Kiss in those earliest of days.