Report: KISS Accused of Lip-Syncing Live, Fan Granted Refund for Concert
A KISS fan has accused the band of miming portions of their live performance, and a ticket holder to one of the group's shows was reportedly refunded after apparently watching guitarist Paul Stanley lip-syncing to a backing track. This, according to radio host Eddie Trunk of SiriusXM broadcast Trunk Nation, who recently dug up the issue when responding to a listener's inquiry on the air. Listen below.
As transcribed by Alternative Nation, Trunk listener Arch Hall wrote the radio personality to "find out how many ticket buyers have requested a refund due to terrible performances" before zeroing in on the rockers. "With bands like KISS for example, Paul Stanley's atrocious vocal performances would seriously upset me if I paid a substantial amount for a ticket and sit through some of the things I've seen uploaded to YouTube."
Trunk responded, "You’ve singled out KISS here but as far as what's going on there it's well documented and it's all over YouTube. Constant examples and proof that Paul is singing to a track. He has a track assisting him in his live performance. All you gotta do is Google that, YouTube that and there's a million — eventually they pull these videos down because they're so incriminating but it's been proven a thousand times online. So, he's not gonna sound all that bad on this tour because he’s using a track!"
The radio host continued, "I know a guy who spent a grand on four KISS tickets, in Boston, had never seen the band before, saw this stuff on YouTube that he wasn't gonna get a full live performance, went to Ticketmaster and said, 'I paid for live, this not fully live, I want a refund.' Twenty-four hours later, Ticketmaster issued the refund. That is interesting. This person sent me an email about it, this is a guy who is also in the business so this is not just a fan who is just trying to stir the pot."
The KISS lip-sync issue isn't new, and the group have been accused of giving less-than-live performances in the past. In their defense, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach said back in February the band aren't faking it.
"KISS is not lip syncing," the musician communicated via his official Twitter account. "There are too busy putting on the greatest rock show you will ever see. Or not." … "Paul is definitely singing live," Bach stressed.
The tour to which Trunk was referring is KISS' ongoing "End of the Road" farewell run, which was first announced by the band last year. See the upcoming KISS tour dates for the second, North American leg of that trek below.
KISS "End of the Road" 2019 North American Tour (Second Leg)
Aug. 6 - Sunrise, Fla. @ BB&T Center
Aug. 8 - Charleston, N.C. @ North Charleston Coliseum
Aug. 10 - Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music Pavilion
Aug. 11 - Bristow, Va. @ Jiffy Lube Live
Aug. 13 - Virginia Beach, Va. @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Aug. 14 - Newark, N.J. @ Prudential Center
Aug. 16 - Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Centre
Aug. 17 - Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena
Aug. 20 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Barclays Center
Aug. 21 - Hershey, Pa. @ HersheyPark Stadium
Aug. 23 - Darien Center, N.Y. @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
Aug. 24 - Saratoga Springs, N.Y. @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 27 - Syracuse, N.Y. @ St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Aug. 29 - Cincinnati, Ohio @ Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 31 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Sept. 1 - St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sept. 3 - Des Moines, Iowa @ Wells Fargo Arena
Sept. 5 - Little Rock, Ark. @ Verizon Arena
Sept. 7 - Bossier City, La. @ CenturyLink Center
Sept. 8 - San Antonio, Texas @ AT&T Center
Sept. 9 - Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
Sept. 11 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater
Sept. 12 - Denver, Colo. @ Pepsi Center
Sept. 14 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 16 - Oakland, Calif. @ Oracle Arena
KISS Albums Ranked