KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK, YESTERDAY AND TODAY....

Simply put, KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK had EVERYTHING to do with myself becoming a KISS fan.  It embodies everything I love about the band.  The era, the outfits, the tour, the songs, the fun.  To me it defines the spectacle and enjoyment of KISS.  Dan used KMTP to entice me into the world of KISS, and a few years later I used KMTP to entice David into the world of KISS.  I no few other people in the world that know, recite, and celebrate the film as much as our crew of nerds, including myself, Dan Thompson, Mike Jackson, Todd Cooper and David Westhoff.  It has become a way of life during the summer months.  If a trip to an amusement park is planned, LOVE GUN and ALIVE II are taken to supply the soundtrack for the car ride there.  If the weather makes for a perfect summer afternoon, someone will surely comment,  "This is a PHANTOM kind of day..." and lastly when the moment arises and we are actually present at a KISS concert, low and behold, before they take he stage, Dan (never missing a beat) will quote Calvin, and hesitantly ask,
"KISS where are you?"
It doesn't get any nerdier than that, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
As my love for all things KMTP grew, I added a trip to MAGIC MOUNTAIN to my bucket list, and held on to the dream for all it was worth.  My love for amusement park rivals my love for KISS, and to me nothing captured the fun of the 1970's like amusement parks.  Amusement parks were (and still remain) huge, excessive, and the kind of place, that if your family has planned on taking a trip to one, the day becomes an EVENT, magical, memorable, and ever lasting.
In the Spring of 2011, finally my day had come.  A trip to MAGIC MOUNTAIN was planned.  I was finally going to the holy land, it was a day to put in the record books.

(AMUSEMENT PARK SIDE NOTE) - Prior to visiting MAGIC MOUNTAIN, I had visited to 2 other Six Flags amusement parks.  Sadly, my review of Six Flags is the same.  Six Flags simply falls short in 'creating' that amusement park EVENT vibe. Granted, hardly any amusement parks still contain that magical 70's vibe, but of all the amusement parks I have visited over the last 8 years, Cedar Fair parks (WORLDS OF FUN - Kansas City, MO, CEDAR POINT - Sandusky Ohio) stay true to the "park vibe".  Both have a theme to all of their attractions, not to mention the wonderful aroma of freshly tarred pavement.  Six Flags?  It's all bland and very corporate.  The parks seem to be all about Looney Tunes and Warner Brothers versus the "great American theme park adventure" of wild roller coasters and fun.  Not to mention the mapping of Six Flags seems to just be scattered throughout the park, whereas Cedar Fair parks have a sectional (geographical) theme carrying the patron through the park and on to their next adventure.  None the less, as a park my thoughts were so-so, as a pilgrimage to the holy KISS land, I was quite pleased.

The first sight I had my heart set on seeing was a roller coaster called REVOLUTION. Historically, this roller coaster was the first ever to feature a loop, and still contains the warning to "hold on the safety bar" prior to venturing on the loop itself.  However, I could not wait to ride this coaster as it is the first coaster seen in the (European Release) KISS IN ATTACK OF THE PHANTOMS, and the coaster Sam and Melissa ride prior to Sam's abduction.

Below are some shots from KMTP and what REVOLUTION looks like today:

REVOLUTION as seen in KMTP:

REVOLUTION today...

Next up on my journey was to find the place in which Calvin took down Alister The Walrus and Freddy The Fox and put up a grotesque KISS cut-out.  The journey to find this was not as impossible as I had originally thought, as if you review KMTP you can easily see the tracks of REVOLUTION in the background as Calvin and Sam argue.  Here are a few shots from the film, and the location today:

Grotesque KISS Cut-out from the film:

The locations today...essentially the cutout was placed diagonally between the REVOLUTION tracks  and in front of the Carousel.  Below are both locations today. 

Mentioning the Carousel...today there is no evidence of the Carousel KISS rode on, questioning if "something was wrong?".  The main entrance carousel (featured above) only contains 'horses' no seats as Gene is sitting in, and the Children's Carousel (which may be the one KISS uses, given how they enter the attraction from the side) is now adorned with all Looney Tunes characters, and contains no visible way to determine if it was the one used in the film.  For reference, please see shot below:

Some shots from the opening scene, including the Jet Stream:

The Jet Stream from the film, 

The Jet Stream today, 

Sadly, a must see from the opening of the film, THE JOLLY MONSTER (The Octopus) was removed in 1981.  Apparently things were malfunctioning and even breaking down.

One main attraction from the film, and even mentioned in the film as a spot marker for Devereaux's laboratory is the SKYTOWER, which is still in use today as a museum.  Devereaux's actual laboratory was THE MAGIC PAGODA (the shiny structure to the right-below) which was removed from the park in 1984.  Below are some photos of the SKYTOWER as it exist today (notice some of the Japanese architecture from the film that still exist in the area):

The Skytower, Japanese architecture and Devereaux's Lab from the film, 

As it exist today, 

Another point of attraction, was where a distraught Melissa wetted her thirst as she searched for Sam. Again, I have no real evidence this is the exact spot, however by the woodwork of the ceiling and look of the tables, I can only assume this may be the same spot.  You be the judge...

Melissa at the snack bar in the film, 

The (assumed) snack bar today, 

Lastly on the journey of all things PHANTOM OF THE PARK, were the Fountains and COLOSSUS.  The fountains are seen at the beginning of the film, during the "Rock and Roll All Nite" opening intro.  COLOSSUS, of course is seen during the main fight between KISS and the android robots.  When actually at the park it becomes very apparent that low angles were used for shooting to make the (at the time, yet to be completed coaster) seem monstrous, when in reality it is rather small.  Below are some photos of both attractions yesterday and today:

The Fountains as seen in the film, 

The fountains today, 

COLOSSUS from the film, 

COLOSSUS today, 

COLOSSUS and the parking lot which held the KISS concert, and the spot where Devereaux was handed his walking papers,

Overall, the excitement of getting to see some of these attractions in real life was fantastic.  Although, they do not exist today as they did on film in 1978 it was still a joy and very cool to walk the streets of that park.  Had I made this trek many years earlier I might had been able to enjoy some of the cooler delights such as the CRAZY BARRELS or the JOLLY MONSTER (both seen in the movies opening), however thanks to a willingness to be a geek and a Magic Mountain Flash Pass, I was able to ride every roller coaster during my 7 1/2 hour day at the park...although I was never able to locate Sam...maybe next time...