The Destroyer Tour also known as The Spirit of '76 Tour was a concert tour by Kiss, in support of their fourth studio album Destroyer.

Destroyer Tour
Tour by Kiss
Associated albumDestroyer
Start dateApril 11, 1976
End dateSeptember 12, 1976
Legs3
No. of shows57
Kiss concert chronology

History

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At the time of the European leg of the tour the Destroyer album was already released and the band performed songs from that album, but they wore the Alive! costumes and had the Alive! stage show.[1] At the time, the tour was referred to under the headline "Kiss tour", not "Alive! Tour" or "Destroyer Tour".

The August 20 Anaheim, California show was the most famous show of the tour, the band played to over 42,000 people, the biggest US crowd the band had played to. Bob Seger, Ted Nugent and Montrose were the opening acts. The J. Geils Band, Point Blank and Seger opened for them at their July 10 show in New Jersey, which was recorded and released on DVD decades later as "The Lost Concert".

Opening act Bob Seger would back out of a few dates on the tour so that he could complete work on his next album, in which he did not perform in Toronto.[2]

In the tour program for the band's final tour, Simmons reflected on the tour:

With the special effects and staging we use, whether it was the Kiss sign, the Tesla coil on the Destroyer tour, the columns of fire, the lighted stairs or the drum riser, we reacted intrinsically to what we thought was cool. We went back to all the stuff we react to, 4th of July fireworks shows and things exploding. We wanted to go where no band had gone before.[3]

Setlist

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  1. "Detroit Rock City"
  2. "King Of The Night Time World"
  3. "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"
  4. "Strutter"
  5. "Hotter Than Hell"
  6. "Cold Gin" (Ace Frehley guitar solo)
  7. "Nothin' to Lose"
  8. "Shout It Out Loud"
  9. "Do You Love Me?"
  10. "God of Thunder" (Gene Simmons bloodspitting and bass solo, Peter Criss drum solo)
  11. "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Paul Stanley destroys guitar after the song)
Encore
  1. "Deuce"
  2. "Firehouse" (Gene breathes fire)
  3. "Black Diamond"
  • "Flaming Youth" and "Watchin' You" played in some shows instead of "Strutter" and "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll".
  • "Sweet Pain" was performed once in Norfolk on July 3, 1976.

Tour dates

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List of tour dates with date, city, country, venue, and support act(s)
Date City Country Venue Support act(s)
North America[4]
April 11, 1976 Fort Wayne United States Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Artful Dodger
April 13, 1976 Utica Utica Memorial Auditorium Ethos
April 14, 1976 Niagara Falls Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center Brownsville Station
April 16, 1976 Bangor Bangor Auditorium Ethos
April 18, 1976 Moncton Canada Moncton Coliseum Hammersmith
April 19, 1976 Halifax Halifax Forum
April 21, 1976 Montreal Montreal Forum
April 22, 1976 Ottawa Ottawa Civic Centre
April 23, 1976 Kitchener Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
April 24, 1976 London London Gardens
April 26, 1976 Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens
April 28, 1976 Winnipeg Winnipeg Arena
May 4, 1976 Mount Prospect United States River Trails Middle School
Europe[4][5]
May 13, 1976 Manchester England Free Trade Hall Stray
May 14, 1976 Birmingham Birmingham Odeon
May 15, 1976 London Hammersmith Odeon
May 16, 1976
May 18, 1976 Mannheim West Germany Mannheimer Rosengarten Scorpions
May 19, 1976 Düsseldorf Philips Halle
May 22, 1976 Paris France Olympia Theatre
May 23, 1976 Amsterdam Netherlands RAI Congrescentrum Finch
May 24, 1976 Offenbach West Germany Stadthalle Offenbach Scorpions
May 26, 1976 Gothenburg Sweden Scandinavium
May 28, 1976 Stockholm Gröna Lund
May 29, 1976 Copenhagen Denmark Falkoner Center
May 30, 1976 Lund Sweden Olympen
June 2, 1976 Zürich Switzerland Volkshaus
June 3, 1976 Munich West Germany Circus Krone Scorpions
June 4, 1976 Fürth MTV Grundig-Halle
June 6, 1976 Harelbeke Belgium Ontmoetingscentrum Hoa Bihn
North America[4]
July 3, 1976 Norfolk United States Norfolk Scope Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
July 6, 1976 Columbia Carolina Coliseum
July 8, 1976 Richmond Richmond Coliseum
July 10, 1976 Jersey City Roosevelt Stadium The J. Geils Band
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Point Blank
July 11, 1976 South Yarmouth Cape Cod Coliseum Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
July 13, 1976 Baltimore Baltimore Civic Center
July 15, 1976 Knoxville Knoxville Civic Coliseum
July 17, 1976 Charleston Charleston Civic Center
July 19, 1976 Johnson City Freedom Hall Civic Center
July 21, 1976 Nashville Nashville Municipal Auditorium Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
UFO
July 23, 1976 Birmingham Rickwood Field Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Kansas
July 26, 1976 Kansas City Kansas City Municipal Auditorium Artful Dodger
July 28, 1976 St. Louis Kiel Auditorium Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
July 29, 1976
July 31, 1976 Toledo Toledo Sports Arena Starz
August 2, 1976 Indianapolis Market Square Arena Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Artful Dodger
August 4, 1976 Little Rock Barton Coliseum Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
August 6, 1976 Evansville Roberts Municipal Stadium Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Artful Dodger
August 8, 1976 Trotwood Hara Arena
August 10, 1976 Shreveport Hirsch Memorial Coliseum Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
August 11, 1976 Fort Worth Tarrant County Convention Center Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Artful Dodger
August 13, 1976 Houston The Summit
August 15, 1976 El Paso El Paso County Coliseum Moon Pie
August 17, 1976 Tempe Tempe Diablo Stadium Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Ted Nugent
August 20, 1976 Anaheim Anaheim Stadium Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Ted Nugent
Montrose
August 22, 1976 Oakland Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
.38 Special
August 27, 1976 Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum Point Blank
Artful Dodger
August 29, 1976 Atlanta Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Johnny Winter
Edgar Winter
Blue Öyster Cult
.38 Special
September 1, 1976 South Bend Athletic & Convocation Center Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
September 3, 1976 Richfield Richfield Coliseum Artful Dodger
September 4, 1976 Pittsburgh Civic Arena Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Artful Dodger
September 6, 1976 Toronto Canada Varsity Stadium Blue Öyster Cult
Artful Dodger
September 8, 1976 Louisville United States Freedom Hall Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
Artful Dodger
September 10, 1976 Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum
September 12, 1976 Springfield Springfield Civic Center Artful Dodger

Box office score data

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List of box office score data with date, city, venue, attendance, gross, references
Date (1976) City Venue Attendance Gross Ref(s)
April 11 Fort Wayne, United States Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 9,650 / 9,650 $57,900 [6]
April 14 Niagara Falls, United States Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center 9,500 $56,000 [7]
April 16 Bangor, United States Bangor Auditorium 6,932 / 6,932 $39,356 [7]
July 8 Richmond, United States Richmond Coliseum 6,430 $41,332 [8]
July 10 Jersey City, United States Roosevelt Stadium 13,867 $105,388 [8]
July 21 Nashville, United States Nashville Municipal Auditorium 8,300 $51,800 [9]
August 2 Indianapolis, United States Market Square Arena 19,000 / 19,000 $121,453 [10]
August 6 Evansville, United States Roberts Municipal Stadium 11,480 $72,254 [10]
August 17 Tempe, United States Tempe Diablo Stadium 15,913 $101,301 [10]
August 20 Anaheim, United States Anaheim Stadium 42,987 $437,653 [10]
August 22 Oakland, United States Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 9,897 $63,000 [10]
August 27 Greensboro, United States Greensboro Coliseum 11,068 $71,130 [11]
August 29 Atlanta, United States Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 35,000 $300,000 [11]
September 1 South Bend, United States Athletic & Convocation Center 7,677 $47,911 [12]
September 4 Pittsburgh, United States Civic Arena 12,000 $73,436 [12]
September 8 Louisville, United States Freedom Hall 17,051 $103,918 [13]
September 10 Cincinnati, United States Riverfront Coliseum 13,391 $82,299 [13]

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Weiss, Brett (May 16, 2016). Encyclopedia of KISS: Music, Personnel, Events and Related Subjects. McFarland. ISBN 9780786498024 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Laycock, John (September 9, 1976). "Rumor and scuttlebutt". The Windsor Star. p. 41. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  3. ^ (2019). End of the Road World Tour Program, pg. 9.
  4. ^ a b c Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.
  5. ^ "Hot Flashes". The Journal. March 20, 1976. p. A-7. Retrieved April 5, 2021. Kiss to embark on its first European tour beginning in early May
  6. ^ "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 17. April 24, 1976. p. 30. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ a b "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 18. May 1, 1976. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ^ a b "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 30. July 24, 1976. p. 43. ISSN 0006-2510.
  9. ^ "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 32. August 7, 1976. p. 35. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 34. August 21, 1976. p. 27. ISSN 0006-2510.
  11. ^ a b "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 37. September 11, 1976. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510.
  12. ^ a b "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 38. September 18, 1976. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.
  13. ^ a b "Top Box Office" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 39. September 25, 1976. p. 47. ISSN 0006-2510.

Bibliography

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  • Gooch, Curt; Suhs, Jeff (2002). Kiss Alive Forever: The Complete Touring History. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8322-5.