The Cadillac KISS Monument
Cadillac, Michigan · The only monument to KISS in the world
On October 9, 1975, KISS came to Cadillac High School for homecoming — the parade, the gym concert, the Key to the City, and a helicopter departure from Veterans Memorial Stadium. Forty years later, Cadillac unveiled the only monument to KISS in the world, and in October 2025 the city celebrated 50 years of that legendary weekend.
Read the Full Story in UnmaskedWhat is the Cadillac KISS monument?
The Cadillac KISS monument is the only monument to KISS in the world — a midnight black granite monolith over 8 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and weighing 5,000 pounds. It was unveiled in Cadillac, Michigan in October 2015 during the KISS Cadillac Homecoming 40th Anniversary Celebration, and its permanent home is at the southeast corner of the Veterans Memorial Stadium complex on Chestnut Street, next to Cadillac Junior High. Fans can visit it 24/7/365.
Why is there a KISS monument in Cadillac, Michigan?
On October 9, 1975, KISS came to Cadillac High School for homecoming: the band joined the homecoming parade, played a concert in the school gym, received the Key to the City of Cadillac, and departed by helicopter from Veterans Memorial Stadium. The visit began a year earlier, when coaches Dave Brines and Jim Neff played KISS music to fire up the Vikings football team — which then won seven straight games and a conference co-championship. The bond between Cadillac and KISS has endured ever since.
Where is the Cadillac KISS monument located?
The monument stands at the southeast corner of the Veterans Memorial Stadium complex on Chestnut Street in Cadillac, Michigan, next to Cadillac Junior High, and it is open to visitors around the clock, every day of the year.
What happened at the Cadillac KISS 50th anniversary in 2025?
Cadillac celebrated 50 years since the 1975 KISS visit on October 10–12, 2025. Author and lifelong KISS fan Thad Zylka returned the original Key to the City — given to KISS in 1975 and later acquired and signed by the original members — for the 50th anniversary weekend, with book-signing activity covered locally in Cadillac News.
What is the Cadillac Key to the City story?
In 1975 KISS visited Cadillac, Michigan and received a Key to the City. Thad Zylka later acquired that key, collected original-member signatures over many years, loaned it for the 40th anniversary in 2015 when the monument was unveiled, and returned it for the 50th anniversary weekend October 10–12, 2025.
Where can I read the full Cadillac KISS story?
The full story is told in Unmasked: My 50-Year Journey with KISS, Thad Zylka's independent fan memoir and scrapbook, which covers the Cadillac 1975 visit, the Key to the City journey from 1975 to 2025, and the 50th anniversary celebration. Buy it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/46tOgxB (ISBN 9781957255491). Event updates: https://kisscadillac.com