KISS has seen it all—screaming fans, sold-out arenas, even near-death experiences on stage. But nothing could have prepared them for what happened on October 3, 1988, in Belfast, Ireland. That night, Gene Simmons and his bandmates weren’t just cheered by the crowd… they were drenched in a disgusting and unexpected show of affection. And what happened next would go down as one of the most bizarre moments in KISS history.”
Bruce Kulick recalled an “incredibly horrific” gig KISS played in Belfast during the troubles, where fans ended up “drenching” the guitarist and his bandmates in “phlegm.”
After joining the famous NYC band in 1984, the Brooklyn-born musician was almost immediately embraced by the fans, while Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley found out soon enough, that finding common language with Bruce Kulick took surprisingly litte effort.
Even so, Kulick had to go through his fair share of unpleasant moments while in KISS, such as getting spat on mid-performance. The incident took place during the final years of The Troubles conflict in 1988.
He recalled:
“The religious and political strife in this region of the UK was not easily understood by this Brooklyn-born musician. The feeling of danger when arriving in Belfast and seeing the armed police in full force gave me an uneasy feeling…”
The guitarist added:
“At the time, I could never really figure out why – and maybe it was due to unrest in the city of Belfast – but the excited fans at King’s Hall were spitting all over us! They were quite gifted at spitting, even reaching my fingerboard, while I was doing my best to play guitar! As you can imagine, this was incredibly horrific. I had their spit in my hair and all over my clothes! Gene and Paul suffered as well, though Eric Carr was spared being behind the drum kit.”
“Later, we were told that’s how audiences in Ireland express their love for a band – by drenching them in phlegm. Sorry, no, thank you! I was glad when that show ended and happy to return home to America.”
