Revenge Tour

Lore & Background

The stage production for the North American arena leg featured a massive, 41-foot high replica of the Statue of Liberty positioned in front of a large Kiss logo wall. During the song 'War Machine,' the statue's face crumbled halfway through the show to reveal its skull. Shortly after, the right arm and torch collapsed before the skeleton hand gave the finger, an act some audiences took personally. The tour also included strippers during the performance of 'Take It Off.' Logistically, the stage required six to ten semi-haulers for transport, with the Statue of Liberty replica alone needing three trucks. In the United Kingdom, the band reused the stage set from the Hot in the Shade Tour.

In Their Own Story

Trouble struck during the European leg at the Cardiff National Ice Rink on May 20, 1992. A pyro cue for 'Heaven's on Fire' caused £30,000 worth of damage to the ceiling. Financial pressures also impacted the run; due to poor ticket sales, the tour had to be shortened. A scheduled show in Spokane on December 13 was canceled specifically because weather affected the band's travel between shows. Despite these setbacks, three shows—Cleveland, Detroit, and Indianapolis—were recorded by Eddie Kramer for the Alive III live album. In a reflection found in the program for the band's final tour, Gene Simmons noted that 'Unholy' was the first single from Revenge. He explained getting the idea from Adam Mitchell's song 'Unholy Love,' which Doro Pesch recorded, stating he simply loved the word 'unholy.' Simmons and Vinnie Vincent wrote the lyric together.

Reader's Guide

The tour personnel included Paul Stanley on vocals and rhythm guitar, Gene Simmons on vocals and bass, Bruce Kulick on lead guitar and backing vocals, and Eric Singer on drums and backing vocals. Additional musician Derek Sherinian provided keyboards. While example set lists exist for the tour, they may not represent the majority of shows performed. The tour structure moved from North American club dates to a European leg using previous stage sets, then to an arena run with the unique Statue of Liberty production in North America.

Did You Know?

• Eric Singer replaced Eric Carr, who died of cancer on November 24, 1991.
• A pyro cue for 'Heaven's on Fire' at the Cardiff National Ice Rink caused £30,000 in ceiling damage.
• The Statue of Liberty replica stage prop required three separate trucks to transport.
• During 'War Machine,' the statue's skeleton hand gave the finger after crumbling.
• Shows in Cleveland, Detroit, and Indianapolis were recorded by Eddie Kramer for Alive III.