Peter Hartlaub | San Francisco Chronicle

From what I’ve seen, 1977 was a fantastic year to be a rebellious teenager in the Bay Area with a little bit of disposable income.

There was no greater night than Aug. 16, when KISS played the Cow Palace with Cheap Trick opening. It was just two months after the release of “Love Gun,” 10 days before the band recorded the bulk of “Alive II” in Los Angeles and one of the last tours with all of the founding members (before the original KISS reunited as a nostalgia in 1996). It was also the day that Elvis Presley died.

This week’s Let’s Go to the Morgue! is a tribute to the KISS Army, and their phenomenal showing at the Cow Palace in 1977. I hope you all got home safe. And even in middle age, may you continue to rock and roll all night, and party every day.

A few more notes below …

* If you’re one of the face-painted kids featured in this photo gallery, please contact me at phartlaub@sfchronicle.com. I’m hoping to interview at least one fan for my Let’s Go to the Q&A project.

* Chronicle music critic Joel Selvin, a noted KISS detractor, reviewed this show. He wrote his most scathing review during their first trip to the Bay Area in 1975. An excerpt from that piece:“KISS takes the cake. The ludicrous hard rock quartet that appeared Friday at Winterland may be the

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Alan Stout | 102 The Mountain

On Saturday, September 15, we here at 102.3-FM presented “KISS ON THE MOUNTAIN,” a three-hour radio special which celebrated the musical history of one of the most successful American rock bands of all-time. The show was done in conjunction with the group’s September 18 show at Montage Mountain in Scranton. We had a great time putting it together. And based on the feedback we received, we know a lot of people enjoyed it. In fact, thanks to the fact that info about the show was posted on the official KISS website and Facebook page, as well as some of the most popular KISS fan sites in the world, we knew we had people listening not just in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but also all around the globe.

We were also aware, however, that a show broadcast in Pennsylvania, USA, from 8-11 p.m. (EST) might not have been the best time for someone to listen in Australia, England, or Japan. And we also had some of our regional listeners tell us that they’d like to hear it again. Thus, in celebration of the recent release of KISS’ new album, “Monster”  – which is currently the No.1 album in Northeastern Pennsylvania – the entire “KISS ON THE MOUNTAIN” program is now also podcast. You can now listen to the entire radio special right here on our website, commercial-free. And to make it even more convenient, we’ve broken it down into six segments.

What will you hear?

1. Excerpts from a new 2012 interview with Gene Simmons, during which he talks about  “Monster,” as well as several other musical topics.

2. Audio excerpts from archived newspaper interviews that I had done with the band dating back 18 years. They include conversations with Paul Stanley, Simmons and former members of the group and include conversations from 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2011.

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