Normal, Illinois, 12 April 1975

[Where's Drago?]

[Potato Salad]

Haha, that's great.

[Sam T Serpent]

Great review. Reading that in ‘75 would have made me intrigued to find out more about them.

[Lofton23rdSt]

That was a great review. Who is she?

[Deuce1231]

Framed poster for that show, was a gift from a friend a few years back. Likely a reprint, but I have no way of knowing one way or the other. Still a cool piece, and on topic!

[thegraveyardtramp]

Yeah that's a great review, quick someone show it to Paul so he can make some bitter comment about the writer and what she is doing today!

From that relatively brief period where KISS was actually considered scary and threatening. Reading this as a teen would have made me want to see them ASAP. And at least she did admit that glam rock wasn't her cup of tea, and that the musicianship was competent.

[mbrunn]

That was a great read. Thanks for sharing!!

[The doctor]

That was great. Thanks for posting.

"Bizarre, garrish and loud concert" sounds like Captain Merrill Stubing writing a review on Deacon Dark.

[sugardaddy]

Greatest review I have ever read. Thanks for sharing

That photo of Gene breathing fire with Ace and Paul looming in the smoke is INCREDIBLE

[jannep17]

Normal, Illinois, is of course also famous for Bob Dylan saying on stage: "And people always say I'm far from Normal."

(And the review is great. I think Kiss would have been very happy with it, back then.)

[Tito]

That's fantastic, loved it!

[Jasper]

Agree - that is a great review and would have been enough to make me want to know a whole lot about a band getting that sort of reaction from both their audience and reviewer.

I actually think she quite enjoyed the show but probably wasn't supposed or she enjoyed more than she wanted to !

On such reviews are legends built !

[pepperkitty]

Awesome, there’s a fine line between Normal and Bloomington!

[sugardaddy]

Awesome, there’s a fine line between Normal and Bloomington!

Lol. And Cicero

[pepperkitty]

Awesome, there’s a fine line between Normal and Bloomington!

Lol. And Cicero

Haha!

[Where's Drago?]

Greatest review I have ever read. Thanks for sharing

That photo of Gene breathing fire with Ace and Paul looming in the smoke is INCREDIBLE

Isn't it?! It's just absolutely perfect. It's eerie in itself.

And it's only half of it!

Here it is complete:

[sugardaddy]

Greatest review I have ever read. Thanks for sharing

That photo of Gene breathing fire with Ace and Paul looming in the smoke is INCREDIBLE

Isn't it?! It's just absolutely perfect. It's eerie in itself.

And it's only half of it!

Here it is complete:

Suitable for framing. Thank you

[redinthesky]

My goodness a band couldn't buy such great advertising as that review. Phenomenal!

[warmachine731]

Just amazing. I lived in Normal for a year back in 2012/2013 and my apartment was about 1/2 a mile from the ISU campus and auditorium. To think that KISS was on their tear in 1975 and rolled through town is just incredible.

[caligari]

Classic!
Thanks for posting!

[caligari]

Greatest review I have ever read. Thanks for sharing

That photo of Gene breathing fire with Ace and Paul looming in the smoke is INCREDIBLE

Isn't it?! It's just absolutely perfect. It's eerie in itself.

And it's only half of it!

Here it is complete:

Suitable for framing. Thank you

Or maybe this?
It’s up to your personal taste.

[Padilla18]

Love that review and the photo. Thanks for posting.

[LadySpace]

That was a great review. Who is she?

Here is her bio, uses her married name now:

https://stlstageandscreendotcom.wordpre ... n-venhaus/

[Sam]

I did Gunfighter Ballads for the critics. It's a good album, just not a good Deacon Dark album. I blame Ezrin.

[Doose]

AWESOME review! When the band was young, lean and dangerous. Love it.

[Diss]

Incredible review. That is the most enjoyable KISS review I've probably ever ready, lol.

This great b-side by Big Country turns out to have been pretty correct as far as the people in Normal go. At least as it relates to this woman's attitude.

"We bring our kids up right / they stay in doors at night," lol.

[Diss]

Hey, it looks like this is her! QUICK, a podcast needs to get an interview together with this woman IMMEDIATELY!!

https://www.facebook.com/lynn.venhaus

[LoveGun77]

"Disgusted,shocked and horrified"...

Seriously? What kind of candy ass are you to think that?

[Where's Drago?]

Folks, this was a college/university newspaper, so Lynn would have been - I imagine - a student herself at the time. Please don't go sending her abuse. She was a kid reviewing a band that appeared in their gym, a long LONG time ago. As a review though, it's outstanding. It paints our boys in the most perfect light. That's how we want to see KISS portrayed. Subversive. Weird. Shocking. Noisy.

[Diss]

Folks, this was a college/university newspaper, so Lynn would have been - I imagine - a student herself at the time. Please don't go sending her abuse. She was a kid reviewing a band that appeared in their gym, a long LONG time ago. As a review though, it's outstanding. It paints our boys in the most perfect light. That's how we want to see KISS portrayed. Subversive. Weird. Shocking. Noisy.

I would certainly hope no one would hurl abuse at this woman. I would just love to hear her thoughts/memories of that time and if her opinion of the band changed over the years. It's always great to get first hand accounts of the band during that period. She may even get a kick out of people rediscovering that review from so many years ago. But yeah ... hopefully no one's such an idiot that they would actually bother the woman in a negative fashion for something like this.

[highvoltage1969]

There's a town called 'Normal''?

[alanrosembung]

That was a great review. Who is she?

Here is her bio, uses her married name now:

https://stlstageandscreendotcom.wordpre ... n-venhaus/

A show-tune loving drama queen, I have much experience directing and acting, but am too busy watching art to resume creating it.

Wow, she’s got so much in common with Paul Stanley.

…. And for someone who’s been a professional writer since 1978, she starts sixteen paragraphs with “I” in her bio.

[Kissoff]

Great review. Reading that in ‘75 would have made me intrigued to find out more about them.

Me too!!

[Coventry1973]

Fantastic review!!
As Enrico Pollazo from The Naked Gun would say......... BRAVEESEMO!!!!!!!

[CStomp1]

A great review that would leave me wanting to see that band pronto!