Ace Frehley, KISS, Madison Square Garden, Rock and Roll Over Tour, NYC, 1977

“This was the photo that steered me on the path of having a career as a rock & roll photographer. I took this photo of Ace on February 18, 1977 when KISS played Madison Square Garden during their Rock and Roll Over Tour. At the end of the year KISS was back in New York City to play three sold-out dates at Madison Square Garden. I printed up a few hundred photos from the MSG gig I had shot earlier in the year and headed down to the venue for the first show. I waited for the crowd to come out after the show, and then I started selling photos. I was arrested by the cops for selling my photos and spent the night in jail. After I got out, I spent the next few days putting together a portfolio of my work and then took it over to the offices of Circus magazine in Manhattan. As luck would have it, the art director was off deadline, and so he and the publisher, Gerald Rothberg, welcomed me into his office. They liked my photographs and told me to stay in touch and let them know what concerts I would be shooting. A year later I would be on assignment for Circus.” — Mark “WEISSGUY” Weiss