The Lick it Up World Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Kiss, in support of their 1983 album Lick It Up. It was the first Kiss tour during which the band performed without wearing their trademark make-up. The "tank" stage design from the preceding Creatures of the Night tour was used again, keeping all the same gimmicks, with the exception of Gene Simmons' blood-spitting. The tour included the band's first European dates since the 1980 Unmasked Tour. In the tour program for the band's final tour, Simmons reflected on the tour:
Tour notes
"All Hell's Breaking Loose" made its live debut in New Orleans on January 8, 1984. Just one day later, Kiss performed to their smallest crowd drawn in a major venue when just 1,507 filed into the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. The poor sales were blamed on the close proximity of the New Orleans and Biloxi shows, which took place just one day apart. "Exciter" was performed briefly, making its first appearance on October 11, and its final known live appearance on March 7. The January 11 show in Nashville was recorded, and an edited version aired on The King Biscuit Flower Hour. In recent years, the entire show was made available among collectors. At the January 27 show in Long Beach, Kiss were presented with their first gold records since 1980 for the Lick It Up album. Lead guitarist Vinnie Vincent was fired after the European Tour due to "unethical behavior". Kiss did not have enough time to search for another guitarist, so they re-hired Vincent for the American Leg of the tour until his firing became permanent after the tour ended. Bass guitaristGene Simmons stated in various interviews that Vincent's dismissal was because he never signed his contract as an official member of Kiss and for unethical behavior. The supporting acts for this tour were Accept, Axe, Great White, Heaven, Heavy Pettin', Helix, High Fever, The Pat Travers Band, Riot, Tigres de Oro and Vandenberg.
Average Attendance – (7000)
Gene Simmons' visual effects
Simmons, when interviewed in August 1983, was unsure how his live persona would apply in the forthcoming "unmasked" shows. He commented, "There's still an element offinding out exactly who we are. I may possibly give up the blood-spitting onstage... The fire-breathing I'd like to do." "God of Thunder" was replaced with "Young and Wasted" early in the tour, and the reason for this was explained in an interview following the Madrid shows. Simmons commented, "I tried 'God of Thunder'...and I thought it was wrong. Certain musical pieces should be kept for certain occasions – out of respect. 'God of Thunder' is me; I am both people; but you have to adjust certain things." While Simmons would retain his fire-breathing routine, he was unsure, at the time, whether it would last: "If that begins to feel wrong I'll drop it as well. There's always a price to pay for something." It has been widely disputed whether Simmons spit blood for the first and only time without his trademark make-up at the tour's first show in Lisbon. Simmons has both confirmed and denied this claim. In 2007, a picture was put onthe internet of Gene Simmons supposedly spitting blood on this tour, but it was later found to be a fraud.
