End date March 29, 1985 No. of shows 119 played 1 canceled | Start date September 30, 1984 Legs 2 | |
The Animalize World Tour was a concert tour by American band Kiss in support of their Animalize album.
Contents
It was divided into two halves: the European leg and the U.S. leg, with two very different shows and stage sets. The European staging was essentially the Unmasked Tour stage, decorated to resemble the Animalize album cover (amps painted with leopard spots and tiger stripes). One short-lived prop saw two growling panthers covering Eric Carr's bass drums.
When Animalize became a surprise hit in America, a much larger stage set was designed for the American leg of the tour by Tait Towers.
The shows would start much in the same manner as the Dynasty show, with the band being lifted onto the stage by a lift behind the drum riser. Sound effects of a large airplane landing would be played over the speakers while the band was coming up, and after the famous "You Wanted The Best" intro the band would launch into "Detroit Rock City". This was the first tour with Bruce Kulick on lead guitar, replacing Mark St. John who couldn't play due to his arthritic condition. Originally Kulick was a temporary replacement, but St. John's condition did not improve, and Kulick was named an official member on December 8, 1984. Bon Jovi was the opening act on the European leg, with Queensrÿche, W.A.S.P., Krokus and Dokken opening shows in North America.
The Animalize period was the band's most successful of the decade with the crossover success of "Heaven's on Fire" onto CHR/Top 40 radio, a very well-attended concert trek, and with Animalize selling nearly 2 million copies by the end of the tour.