9/18/1983: Kiss took off their makeup and revealed their faces to the world for the first time.
Why? Well, mainly publicity but also to prove that Kiss was more than just some dudes in makeup. They were a real band.
Before the unmasking, Kiss was in a slump. Ace Frehley and Peter Criss had left the band, leaving Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as the only original members. & ticket sales had slowed. Kiss was no longer selling out shows and Paul knew something needed to change.
As the band was gearing up to release the album Lick It Up, Paul went to Gene and said, “let’s prove something to the fans. Let’s go and be a real band without makeup.” Gene was hesitant but after some thought, he agreed saying “there was nowhere else for the band to go” and that was it.
The band was scared stiff wondering what the worlds reaction would be to their bare faces and luckily, the world dug it. Lick It Up went platinum and Kiss began selling out shows once again.
