Gene Simmons says KISS’ farewell tour is “end of the road for the band, not the brand”
Gene Simmons has said KISS‘ farewell tour is the “end of the road for the band, not the brand” and hinted at what’s to come.
The glam rock band are currently on the final leg of their extensive last run of concerts, dubbed the ‘End Of The Road World Tour’. Simmons and co. are due to bow out with a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 2.
KISS announced last week that they’ll be live-streaming the NYC show worldwide, inviting fans to “rock out” with them “one last time”.
During a new interview with 519 Magazine, Simmons explained that the group’s imminent retirement doesn’t necessarily mean the end, and teased some other potential KISS-related projects.
“This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand,” he told the outlet. “KISS is a universe of its own – movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience… it’s immortal.”
Simmons continued: “It’s the end of touring. You’re very smart in seeing that. We are the hardest-working band on stage. I’ve got 40 pounds of armour and all the rest of it and seven-inch platform heels. Each of the dragon boots weighs as much as a bowling ball. Physically, it’s tough to do that.”
The musician went on to acknowledge the possibility of KISS continuing the music side of their career in a different style, given the band’s elaborate and demanding stage persona.
“I could do it into my [old age], like The Stones if I was like Keith, not Jagger, because Jagger keeps pushing the limit,” Simmons said. “But you could put on a comfortable pair of sneakers and a t-shirt and strum your guitar; you wouldn’t have to break your back.”
He added: “If any of these – The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, or whoever – had to put on my outfit, spit fire, and do that on seven-inch platform heels for two hours, they’d break their back.”
Simmons later reiterated that “KISS will continue” in other forms, explaining: “There’s a KISS museum in Las Vegas at the Rio called KISS World, and oh my goodness, we have KISS cruises, a movie coming out, and we’re working on a cartoon show, a lot of stuff. And of course, all the fun toys and games that will continue.
“The KISS show will live on in different ways. Yes, that’s being planned. It’ll also be four to 10 different travelling shows. So, you’ll be able to be in Japan and have Japanese actors, musicians being us, and at the same time you could go to Vegas or New York or London.”
Back in 2021, Paul Stanley said KISS could continue in the future without any of the original line-up: “If it were to happen, yeah, it would be really just a continuation of the philosophy that we’ve always had, and that’s that KISS is bigger than any member.”
In contrast, Ace Frehley previously said that the thought of KISS going on without any of its original members was “the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard [Stanley and Simmons] make”.
In other news, Stanley recently responded to rumours that KISS could be the next band to have a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
The post Gene Simmons says KISS’ farewell tour is “end of the road for the band, not the brand” appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME
