Are KISS Ever Retiring? Band Plans to Add 100 Shows to Farewell Tour
If you thought you saw your last-ever KISS show, you may have been wrong because Gene Simmons has said that the band plans to add an additional 100 shows to their ongoing farewell tour.
The initial announcement of a farewell run, dubbed The End of the Road tour, was met with hesitation from fans, but with Simmons and Paul Stanley both coming up on 70 years old before the trek began in early 2019, it felt entirely plausible. The tour's name will remain the same, just even more elongated after first being pushed out to additional years as a result of the pandemic.
"The tour is going so well and the band is so strong, every night is a really solid show. The crew is happy, everybody's happy so we've decided to add another 100 cities before we stop," Simmons told Chaoszine in a new interview (transcription via UCR, audio below).
"So, I don't know how long that's going to take. We were only going to do one cruise because usually we only do one KISS Cruise a year, but it sold out right away and the fans demanded another one, so we're doing a second cruise right after the first cruise. One will go from Miami and the next one goes right away from Los Angeles, so every day we're adding more stuff," the bassist went on.
Speaking about his own personal abilities onstage, Simmons declared, "I never lose my own voice and, yes, I sing every song. I'm not on tape and nor is my bass. What you see is what you get." Meanwhile, Stanley's performance remains in question as a drumming error lead to what appeared to be backing vocal tapes being exposed at a show earlier in June.
Reflecting more about adding another 100 gigs to the tour, Simmons, who will turn 73 in August, explained, "We had plans of stopping when we started the tour before the pandemic. We didn't think about 50 years or anything like that. We just thought, 'Okay, I’m going to be 70 years old before the pandemic started; maybe it’s time to stop so we don’t go too long. I don’t care who you are — at some point, you have to get off the stage, and it’s better for the fans and you and for the legacy to get off the stage while you’re still great. Don’t wait until you’re too old. Don’t do that."
When asked if it's possible that KISS will add even more shows beyond the next 100, the "Demon" replied, "Probably not, but I've said 'probably not before' — I don't know. A lot of it has to do with how we feel and how strong we are. This is a tour that will not stop until it stops. We're not going to take a year off and then resume. We're in the tour mode and we're going to stay out there until we stop. Do I know where the last show is going to be or when? I do not know. We're having the time of our lives."
See all of KISS' worldwide tour dates here and head to this location for tickets.