KISS has just announced the final dates of the End of the Road tour. The band has a long history in Michigan and we think they should play the last show here.

KISS has a long and storied history as a rock band, and a sizeable part of that legacy is tied to Michigan. The self-proclaimed "hottest band in the land" might not even be what they are today if it weren't for enthusiastic rock fans in the Mitten. We think they owe us the final show of the End of the Road tour. Here are three reasons it should be booked in Detroit.

"Detroit Rock City"

It's not "Tampa Rock City." Tampa? Really? You're ending the tour in Tampa? "Detroit Rock City" is one of the biggest and most enduring hits of the bands career. Side note: "Detroit Rock City" didn't do that well at first. Fans preferred the b-side: an apologetic ballad sung by drummer Peter Criss.The single was reissued with "Beth" as side 1 and "Detroit Rock City" on the flip.

KISS Alive

Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter may owe their entire career to the Motor City and fans at Cobo Hall. Their first three albums, KISS (1974), Hotter Than Hell (1974), and Dressed to Kill (1975) hadn't sold very well and the record company was beginning to become concerned about their investment in the band. Since live albums were cheaper to record than a studio record, they set up the gear for shows at Detroit's Cobo Hall, the Cleveland Music Hall, RKO Orpheum Theater in Davenport and WIldwoods Convention Center in New Jersey to capture the energy of a live KISS show. Alive was the album that broke the band and, although not all the album as truly live, a good part of what they used was from the Detroit concert. A highlight of the 1975 album is the definitive version of "Rock and Roll All Night."

Cadillac: 1975

Everyone who calls themselves a rock and roll fan knows the story of when KISS joined a Michigan high school's homecoming celebration. The Cadillac football team was  slumping, but they turned the season around when they started listening to KISS as pre and post game ritual. The Vikings finished as league co-champions. Word of the accomplishments got to the band and they decided, "Ah, hell, let's go there."

So, if it weren't for the work hard, play hard blue collar rock and roll fans of Michigan, KISS might not be what they are today. We think the final show of the End of the Road out to be in Detroit: rock city.

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