GENE SIMMONS says KISS's farewell tour is not end of the brand
15-11-2023
In a new interview with Dan Savoie of 519 magazine, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons spoke about the band’s “End Of The Road” farewell tour, which is scheduled to conclude in early December in New York City. He said: “This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand. KISS is a universe of its own — movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience… it’s immortal.” He then clarified: “It’s the end of touring.”
Simmons went on to detail some of the ways in which the KISS brand will be kept alive.
“KISS will continue,” he said. “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.”
As for the future of KISS performances, he said: “The KISS show will live on in different ways. Yes, that’s being planned. It’ll also be four to ten 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.”
KISS‘s last-ever concert, set to take place on Saturday, December 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, will be streamed worldwide, live on pay-per-view, exclusively on PPV.com. It will also be available on PPV via cable and satellite operators in the U.S. and Canada. The live show begins at 8 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. PST.
PPV.com, which does not require a subscription, will offer the concert for $39.99 in the U.S. and Canada ($14.99 outside North America). iNDEMAND, the parent company of ppv.com, will also carry the event through its network of cable, satellite and telco operators in the U.S. and Canada via providers including Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, Optimum, Fios, DirecTV, DISH, Rogers and Telus.
KISS‘s final runs of shows will wrap up with a massive concert in the city where it all began for the legendary rock act. New York City has been a part of the band’s ethos and storyline for more than four decades, so they felt it fitting to culminate an iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame-worthy career on stage at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.
Tickets for the remaining KISS dates are available at livenation.com.
November 15 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
November 18 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
November 19 – Quebec, QC – Videotron Centre
November 21 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
November 22 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
November 24 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
November 25 – Indianapolis. IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
November 27 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
November 29 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
December 01 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
December 02 – New York, NY -Madison Square Garden
KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
KISS‘s current lineup consists of original members Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass, vocals),alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).
Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first “farewell” tour in 2000, the last to feature the group’s original lineup.
In a separate interview with Gulf News, Stanley addressed the fact that he and his bandmates have never allowed their concert theatrics to overshadow the music.
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