Calgary College celebrates 50 years of KISS

Students, faculty and alumni of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) are celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of the most popular rock bands performing in the school's gymnasium.

On February 6, 1974, the post-secondary institution hosted a little-known band from New York City called KISS.

It was the second show of their first North American tour, which began with three stops in Canada.

Frank Shufletoski remembers the performance like it was yesterday.

Shufletoski, a journalism student at SAIT at the time, was working on a career in photography and was one of the first to photograph the group.

“It started with very few people in the corner of the gymnasium, and then these guys came out with painted faces and six-inch platform heels. It was scary,” he said.

“First there was silence — real silence — and then the wall of sound hit you. Wow. They've got it right.”

Shufletoski didn't know at the time that he wasn't allowed to take pictures for the event, so he started taking pictures.

Of course, he did not realize that this was the beginning of a new era in the history of rock and roll.

“If I had known they would be so popular, I would have taken more pictures, but I only took a few rolls. “Maybe not,” he said.

“From the moment they first hit the stage, they were so polished. They were patient until the end of the show. .

The Canadian KISS tour kicked off with the University of Alberta's Dinwoodie Lounge in Edmonton, followed by SAIT in Calgary and Tache Hall at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

It is believed to have been a dress rehearsal for the band before the shows at the big venues.

(Supplied/Frank Shufletoski)

The men's locker room at SAIT was actually one of the first places rockers Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss did their iconic black and white makeup.

SAIT students and instructors from the Radio, Television and Broadcast News program are having fun celebrating the now famous anniversary.

SAIT's campus radio station will change its name to “KISS 103” for one day only on Tuesday as students host a full day of KISS-themed programming from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Listeners can enjoy a full day of KISS music over the airwaves at RTBN.ca, complete with exclusive interviews and programming featuring a history lesson on the rock band's journey to superstardom.

The impossible concert

The concert did not happen.

Ron Scheirkogel, the 1974 president of the SAIT Student Association (SAITSA), thought a campus concert would be an interesting idea.

“Each student council is new at the beginning. No one knows anything, but we wanted to promise everyone,” he said.

Scheurkogel and her fellow student council members went to a Canadian entertainment conference in London, Ont., hoping to book an artist through Columbia Records.

It was here that they were able to listen to artists such as Michael Quatro, Valdi, Gordon Lightfoot and McLean and McLean.

One of those who considered SAITSA to be the best was Michael Quattro.

It was known at the time for its unique sound from the Moog synthesizer and Hammond b3 organ.

“We made posters and we did everything to advertise that we were going to do this big concert, but Columbia Records refused,” Scheirkogel said.

“They said, 'Quatro don't want to come, but we'll give you this other band,' and it was KISS, and we said, 'Who is that?' We have never seen or even heard of these guys.”

Dan Murray, then SAITSA's vice president of communications, was particularly disappointed that hundreds of colorful posters of Michael Quattro had been printed as part of a student project in the Graphic Arts Management Lab.

“It was really confusing to fill that void,” Murray said.

“We were told that this new outfit, KISS, was coming. We knew they were coming from New York, which was exciting, but there was a lot of mystery surrounding it and we weren't allowed to promote it.”

Murray found the idea of ​​not being able to advertise the concert absurd, saying he couldn't advertise to local radio stations or the Emery Well student newspaper.

“The other issue for us is that this concert could no longer be held at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium,” he said.

“That's when the people who run SAIT came to help us.”

It was the late Fred Jorgenson, president of SAIT in 1974, who suggested that the concert be held in the SAIT gymnasium in the Student Activity Center.

Within hours the deal was done and KISS now had a venue in Calgary.

(Supplied/Frank Shufletoski)

“All Power Requirements”

As with any big rock 'n' roll concert, the logistics behind setting it up can take hours of planning and hundreds of employees.

SAIT students didn't expect much from a concert in their school's gymnasium, but KISS was different.

It took more than two days for semi trucks to arrive with workers to set up the stage.

“All of a sudden we get into the technical details of KISS and it becomes clear that they have all kinds of power requirements,” Murray said.

“We had no idea what their show was or what the audience was going to see. We knew a lot of bands plugged into a wall outlet and they were fine, but now we needed long cables, 30 amp service. There was even hydraulics involved.”

The pyrotechnics, which went off throughout the performance, led to several noise complaints.

Sound the alarm

Scherkogel regrets not being able to see the KISS concert because he was busy helping to organize the event.

But he must have heard everything.

“Wow, was that loud,” he said.

“My job was to sit outside, and because there was a bank in that building, their alarm system went off.”

Scherkogel and a nearby bank employee he had to call were unable to silence the alarm and eventually some Calgary police officers arrived to respond.

“So the bank manager and I and a couple of policemen sat at a table and listened to a concert… It was a lot of fun,” he said.

“We sold it out. A lot of people came, they didn't really know who it was, but wow, it was a great concert.”