VWMusic

All images courtesy of Getty Images/KISSonline

By Fábio Moniz
fabiorubenmoniz@gmail.com

Gene Simmons, when asked if he became emotional when playing shows at various locations for the last time, replied by saying, “Well, I don’t think it’ll be the last time.”

Paul Stanley’s prediction of KISS‘ final tour ending in early 2023 may prove inaccurate. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the kabuki-clad heroes were forced to postpone their ongoing End of the Road tour, which was first announced in 2018. The pandemic, combined with the additional dates seemingly will have KISS on the road for the foreseeable future.

In the same interview, Simmons went on to say, “We are adding another hundred cities on the tour before we finally stop. The band is strong. We feel good. We’re playing strong. So we’re gonna stretch it out a little more, but once we stop, of course, it’ll be like when you’re a part of the Olympics, where when you win a race, sometimes, they just fall to the ground, exhausted, because of the physical demands of the race. So even though you’re dead tired, you feel exhilarated. It’s like climbing the tallest mountain in the world, you know? Going up is really tough but when you get to the top, there’s no feeling like that.”

In regards to when the band may finally stop its final tour, Simmons quipped, “We don’t know. We’ve never retired before. This is our first time. It’s like painting a painting or writing a book. When somebody says, ‘When is it gonna be finished?’ You’re in the middle of it; you don’t know.”

The band also plans to launch a second KISS Kruise, as well, and Simmons covered that subject as well, “Due to fan demand – it sold out right away – and the fans demanded another one. The second KISS Kruise XI will start from Los Angeles, CA, and head to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico aboard Norwegian Jewel. It will be two weeks of non-stop rock ‘n’ roll on the high seas, and it’s set from October 24th through the 29th and then from October 29th to November 3rd.”

One unexpected, yet pleasant surprise is that the End of the Road Tour has stretched on long enough to where KISS will be able to celebrate its 50th anniversary on their road with their fans. Although, as Simmons went on to say, “We didn’t think about 50 years or anything like that. We just thought, ‘OK, I’m gonna be 70 years old. Let’s go out on top.’ This was all before the pandemic started, and at the time, we just thought, ‘Maybe it’s time to stop so we don’t go too long.’”

At this point, no one really knows when KISS will conclude its End of the Road Tour. When Simmons was probed further and asked if more dates might be added, the veteran bassist said, “Probably not, but I’ve said ‘Probably not’ before.”

– Fábio Moniz is a columnist for www.vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at fabiorubenmoniz@gmail.com