With the concert behind them, Troy began making plans for Halloween, which was only four months away. Another personnel change came when Chris left the group after the concert and Paul Alberts stepped back in, this time as Peter Criss. The group felt they had been evolving in every way, and Troy decided to continue in that direction by taking their costumes to the next level. To do that, they would create costumes modeled after those KISS wore during the Love Gun era.

Shortly after the concert, the members began doing odd jobs to raise money for their costumes, wigs, and makeup. This was the first time so much time, effort, and money had gone into creating a look that closely resembled KISS. Troy had never designed costumes before but took on the job like a seasoned pro. He created patterns from newspaper and transformed them into elaborate costumes that came remarkably close to KISS' Love Gun outfits. With Jack's grandmother and Joey's mom handling the sewing, Troy's designs were brought to life.

Back in the 1970s, fabric and craft stores didn't carry the selection of materials, studs, rhinestones, and other items needed to put such elaborate costumes together as they do today. Nor was there an internet where they could find and order whatever they needed. Being creative, Troy improvised and found ways to make things work.

Silver fabric was impossible to find, so for Joey's Ace Frehley costume, they used "Even-Up Blankets," silver blankets approximately five feet long and three feet wide that were used for suntanning. Since platform boots were nearly impossible to find in their sizes, they used old roller skate boots and pieces of 2-by-4 lumber to make the platforms.

For Troy's dragon boots, he used fishing waders, cutting them down to the height needed for the upper portion of the boots. He made the platform heels from large Styrofoam blocks that were glued onto the boots. The heel and foot portions were then covered in papier-mâché to create the dragon faces and teeth.

A great deal of ingenuity went into creating their costumes, and the results were remarkable considering the materials available at the time and the fact that Troy was only sixteen years old.

By 1978, KISS was enjoying enormous success. Just days before Halloween, their made-for-TV movie, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, aired. KISS fans tuned in, along with many people who weren't familiar with the band but were curious to see what all the excitement was about. While the movie was cheesy by most standards, millions of kids and parents got a good look at KISS and became a little more familiar with the band.

On Halloween, the members arrived at Joey's house early in the day. They put the finishing touches on their costumes before beginning the makeup process in Joey's garage. They had a large table with a mirror running its entire length, giving everyone plenty of room to apply their makeup.

Troy's mom and Joey's dad helped with the makeup and finishing touches. Joey's dad began drawing Troy's makeup design, but Troy wasn't happy with how it was turning out. He decided to draw the design himself and then received some help applying the makeup. This was the first time Troy had done most of his own makeup.

By 6:00 p.m., they were ready to head out for the night. As in previous years, they were headed to Patterson Elementary School, but this time things were a little different. They were chauffeured in a white van decorated with large white banners featuring the KISS logo and KISS Army faces on both sides. They were also escorted by two friends, Greg Garro and William Robertson, dressed as police bodyguards. Before reaching Patterson, they made several stops to visit friends and family.

As in the previous two years, the group entered the Halloween Carnival at Patterson Elementary School. But this year, they did it!

From the moment they walked in, they were an overwhelming success. People stopped them to take photographs of them and pose for pictures with them. Others asked for autographs, and there were plenty of questions about their costumes. With so many people having seen KISS on television just a few nights earlier, everyone recognized who they were supposed to be and was impressed by how closely they resembled the band.

The guys loved the attention and realized they had achieved a level of success they never expected. The school principal, Mr. Lewis, said, "They made the whole night." He even brought them onto the stage and introduced them to the entire crowd.

Eventually, the moment they had been waiting for arrived: the costume contest. They were unable to enter the first category because of their age, but Paul was young enough to enter the second. While Paul was being judged, a gentleman named Walt Kohn approached the other members and asked who the leader of the group was.

Not knowing what to expect, everyone looked at one another before Walt was told that Troy was the leader. Walt handed them his business card and explained that he ran a production company. He was interested in having the group work for him by making appearances at parties. The guys were surprised and excited by the offer.

As their conversation with Walt came to a close, Paul rejoined the group with the news that he had won the $5 first prize in his category

Now it was time for Troy, Jack, and Joey to enter the final contest. After the group's impressive reception and introduction by Mr. Lewis, no one else came forward to compete against them. The guys walked away with another $5 first prize.

What a night it turned out to be! They had $10 in their pockets, an interested producer, and felt on top of the world. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined having such an incredible night. It was as though they were real rock stars, and they loved every minute of it.

What had started as something to do on Halloween just two years earlier had grown beyond anything they originally imagined. The group would continue to evolve and improve for years to come.

The 1978 Halloween lineup consisted of Paul Alberts as Peter Criss, Joey Capelli as Ace Frehley, Troy Correia as Gene Simmons, and Jack Standish as Paul Stanley. Their police bodyguards were Greg Garro and William Robertson, and their chauffeur was Donald Cambra.

Troy had spoken with Mr. Lewis on Halloween about the possibility of holding another concert in the Patterson Elementary School auditorium. In November, they had a couple more conversations about the idea. Mr. Lewis explained that the PTA was concerned about kids trying to imitate the group's performances after seeing a show on school property, along with any liability issues that might arise. In the end, the group was denied use of the auditorium for their second concert.

That didn't deter them. They immediately began making plans for another show and were able to secure the use of Jack's backyard.

Once again, the group took things a step further than they had with their first concert in Troy's garage. They built a full stage in Jack's backyard, using a stack of plywood they had found lying in a weed-filled field near their homes. The wood had been sitting there for months and, although it wasn't new, was still in good condition. They used it to construct the stage floor, along with a drum riser more than six feet high, flanked by sets of stairs and platforms on either side where the guys could stand.

The group spent every day after school and a couple of weekends building the stage. When it was finished, it resembled KISS' Love Gun stage set. Once again, the guys built their own guitars for the performance.

Greg Garro, who had been one of the group's bodyguards on Halloween, was heavily involved in the stage construction. Knowing that Paul Alberts wasn't comfortable performing in front of an audience, the group decided to replace him with Greg as their new Peter Criss.

Anxious to put on their second show, the group originally scheduled it for Saturday, December 9. Troy printed the tickets, but shortly afterward, they changed the date to Sunday, December 10, so their former principal, Mr. Lewis, and a couple of other friends could attend.

After adjusting the dates on the tickets, they began selling them for 50¢ for general seating and 75¢ for front-row seats. Mr. Lewis allowed them to display a flyer for the concert in the school office window at Patterson and sell tickets outside the office after school.

Sunday, December 10, arrived, and the guys got to Jack's house early in the morning. They spent the morning putting the finishing touches on the stage and laying out their costumes.

At about 3:00 p.m., they began preparing for the makeup process. Normally, it took two to three hours for everyone to finish their makeup. Troy would draw each member's design, which usually took ten to fifteen minutes per person. On this particular day, he managed to draw all four designs in approximately fifteen minutes.

That gave the guys some extra time to relax and talk about what lay ahead. There was plenty of excitement as they reviewed their plans and imagined performing on such a large stage in front of what they expected would be a bigger audience than at their first concert.

Around 4:00 p.m., they began applying their makeup, and by approximately 5:15, they were ready to hit the stage, even though the show wasn't scheduled to begin until 6:00 p.m.

As the backyard began filling with people, the excitement grew. Although they had already sold a fair number of tickets, word had spread about the concert, and people were arriving without tickets. The group decided to sell additional tickets at the entrance.

By showtime, Jack's backyard was filled with approximately eighty people. About fifteen were family members and friends who were there to help with the show.

Just before the performance, the guys climbed out of Jack's bedroom window so they could reach the stage without being seen. A curtain hung from a large frame at the front of the stage, concealing them from the audience as they took their positions high above the main stage floor. It was a dramatic entrance that KISS themselves would begin using years later.

Once everyone was in position, the curtain was lowered, and the show was underway. The guys were surprised by the size of the crowd when they got their first look at the rows of kids and parents seated in front of them, with plenty of others standing behind.

As the curtain came down, the speakers roared with the announcement, "You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world… KISS!"

The lights came on, and the show kicked into high gear as they began lip-syncing to the opening song, "Detroit Rock City." As the music started, the guys descended the stairs to the main stage floor, which was covered with a light layer of dry ice fog.

The songs continued with "Strutter," "Room Service," "Love Gun," "Rockin' in the USA," and "C'mon and Love Me." "Firehouse" followed, ending with Troy breathing fire.
They continued with "Calling Dr. Love," "Larger Than Life," "Do You Love Me," and "Shock Me," which featured Joey's smoking guitar.

You might think the fire breathing and smoking guitar would have been the highlights of the show, but the crowd went wild when Greg came down from his perch atop the drum riser to sing "Beth."

Afterward, Greg returned to the drums, and Troy took center stage. As the bass rumbled through the amplifiers, he let the stage blood begin dripping from his mouth before releasing the rest. The crowd went even wilder than it had during "Beth."

"God of Thunder" rocked the audience before the group launched into "Rock and Roll All Nite." Jack smashed his guitar and tossed it into the crowd. The show came to a close with "Shout It Out Loud."

The audience seemed very pleased with the performance. The guys exited the stage and headed into a room beneath it, still riding the excitement of the show.

As the crowd began to disperse, someone came back with a request for autographs. Enjoying their rock-star status, the guys headed to the side yard, where they spent about ten minutes signing autographs and talking with people who had stayed after the concert.

Eventually, they retired to Jack's garage to wind down before heading home. Once all the ticket sales were totaled, the group had taken in $33.50, which they divided among themselves. With the stage materials obtained for free and most of the other supplies already on hand, the concert had cost them very little to put on.

The group considered the concert a big success, although there were a few problems along the way.

The first was the temperature on that December evening. One of their parents reported that it was 56°F outside. In the photographs, the audience can be seen bundled up in jackets, hats, and even gloves. The guys felt the cold affected their performance somewhat since their costumes consisted of thin material, with very little covering their upper bodies.

There was also an audio problem during "Larger Than Life" when the main speaker went out. The group continued performing with minimal sound until the problem was fixed partway through the song.

Finally, someone set off the fireworks during "Firehouse" instead of saving them for "Shout It Out Loud" at the end of the concert. The audience had no idea anything had gone wrong and simply assumed the fireworks were for that part of the show.

Unfortunately, Mr. Lewis was unable to attend. The guys were disappointed because they knew how much he enjoyed what they were doing, and they had changed the concert date partly so he could be there.

Photographs from the concert appear below, and Super 8 movie footage of the performance can be viewed on the Videos page, accessible through the links at the top of this page.

A few weeks later, 1978 came to a close, bringing another year of the KISS Impersonators to an end.

It had been a year of tremendous progress. Their first concert in Troy's garage featured a basic stage and the costumes they had worn for Halloween 1977. By Halloween 1978, they had transformed their appearance with elaborate new costumes that took the group to another level. They finished the year performing on a large stage they had built themselves.

No one could have imagined that a group of kids looking for something fun to do on Halloween in 1976 would accomplish so much in just two years.

And in some ways, they were only getting started.