KISS Army at the Rust Belt -- April 22.
Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Two of the most influential and wildly popular hard-rock acts of all time will be celebrated at East Moline venue The Rust Belt on April 22, when the venue presents a special co-headlining event boasting the thrashing talents of KISS tribute artists the KISS Army, and the AC/DC-fueled rockers of Electric Shock.
Composed of Jim Seda as Gene Simmons, Gary Stevens as Paul Stanley, Val Popovic as Ace Frehley, and Mike Sivo as Peter Criss, KISS Army celebrates the legendary rockers who released their eponymous debut album in 1974. Despite constant touring and promotions, KISS peaked at 87 on the Billboard charts without the benefit of a hit single, and the band's follow-up album, 1974's Hotter Than Hell peaked at 100 and quickly dropped off the charts. However, 1975's Dressed to Kill broke into the Billboard Top 40, and later that year, the double-album Alive! boasted an iconic rock anthem (and number-12 hit) in “Rock and Roll All Nite.” KISS' next three albums – Destroyer, Rock & Roll Over, and Love Gun – consequently achieved platinum status and spawned top-20 singles for “Shout It Out Loud,” “Calling Dr. Love,” and Criss' rock ballad “Beth,” which became the band's first top-10 single.
From the group's origin, KISS' musicians took on the personae of comic book-style characters: the Starchild (Stanley), the Demon (Simmons), the Spaceman or “Space Ace” (Frehley), and the Catman (Criss). After Frehley and Criss departed the band in 1982, KISS began performing without makeup and costumes and experienced a minor commercial resurgence, with their music videos receiving regular airplay on MTV. Yet in response to a wave of KISS nostalgia in the mid-1990s, the original lineup reunited in 1996 complete with stage makeup and costumes, resulting in the commercially successful Alive/Worldwide tour. In September of 2018, KISS announced that, after 45 years of recording and performing, they would embark on their final tour, The End of the Road Tour, in 2019, leaving behind a legacy as one of the best-selling bands of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 100 million records including 25 million RIAA-certified albums.
Since 2014, Electric Shock been perfecting their AC/DC show with a high-energy performance, faithfully replicating the band both musically and visually, and playing all the classic hits and deeper cuts from both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras. The band's Johnny Degiorgio, who is also originally from Australia, has been playing the role of Angus Young since the early '90s in his native country with the band Dirty Deeds, and his counterpart Eric Richeal pays homage to Malcolm Young’s looks and authentic tone, playing on identical Gretsch guitars strung up with the same thick string gauges that Young uses. On vocals, John Kiss has been described as “A young Brian Johnson that can still hit the high notes," and the band's backbone is provided by bassist Darren Followwill, who thumps steadily throughout the night with the roar of the Ampeg refrigerator cabinet. Meanwhile, Tom Ramirez, playing true to Phil Rudd, hammers away on the Phil Rudd signature series Sonor drum kit with an impressive spread of Paiste 2002 cymbals just like Rudd himself. Over the years, Electric Shock has played various festivals, music venues, casinos, and special events across Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and has performed as the opening act for Heart, Blue Oyster Cult, Firehouse, Head East, Drowning Pool, Lynch Mob, and Hairball.
Between 1975 and 2020, AC/DC itself has released 17 studio albums (15 available worldwide and two released only in Australia), two soundtrack albums, three live albums, 11 video albums, and two box-set albums. Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed the band in 1973, and debuted two albums in Australia before releasing their first international effort High Voltage with vocalist Bon Scott, bassist Mark Evans, and drummer Phil Rudd. In 1980, less than a year after the release of the successful Highway to Hell, Scott passed away and was replaced by British singer Brian Johnson, with whom AC/DC released their best-selling album Back in Black, which sold 25 million copies domestically, 50 million worldwide, and went on to become the second highest-selling album in history. Their 2008 album Black Ice, meanwhile, reached number one in 29 countries, and over the 47 years of their career, AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, roughly 75 million of them in the United States.
KISS Army and Electric Shock play their co-headlining East Moline engagement on April 22 with an additional set by the hard-rock cover artists of Got Your Six Band, which specializes in favorite tunes from the '90s to the 2000s. Admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
