As we delved into Houston’s murky and innovative musical past, I thought about all the cool concerts that came through here that we young people never got to see. Elvis played at a Polish dancehall soon to become Fitzgerald’s. Divine and the Village People got live and sleazy at Numbers. Jimi Hendrix and Cream played a month apart at the Houston Music Hall back in 1968.
I found this clip from 1976 of Kiss at the Summit, at the height of Kiss-Mania. This is also reported to be footage from the show where Ace Frehley wrenched out a 14-minute solo. As we all know, Lakewood Church bought those facilities and it became a battle station that mounted a directed super laser weapon capable of completely destroying a planet with a single shot. Oh wait, that was the Death Star, huh?
So many of our rock idols flaunted and preened on the very spot where Joel Osteen gives his Sunday self-help seminars. Who knows what debauchery and illicit shenanigans went on where the daycare center sits now? How many oiled and toga-wearing boys did Freddie Mercury fit in there, where your kid watches “Veggie-Tales”?
If only Pastor Osteen would put on the Kiss make-up just one Sunday, we would all be happy. As Kiss once sang, “God Gave Rock and Roll to You.” He even put it in the soul of everyone. – Craig Hlavaty
This article appears in Aug 23-29, 2007.
