Hottest band in the world finally hang up their heels
This summer, Kiss fans will see the band take to the stage for the final time, introduced – as always – as ‘The Hottest Band In The World.’ Despite remaining the undisputed kings of rock and roll theatre, with their elaborate costumes, demonic face paint and propensity to breathe fire over the audience, the group are stopping touring.
‘I’m sure it’s going to be a multitude of feelings,’ says Gene Simmons, singer and bassist. The flamboyant musician, now 73, is characteristically upbeat about bookmarking their touring career. ‘It will be thrilling,’ he says. ‘A sense of accomplishment – 50 years, half a century of doing this, defying the critics, many of whom have become mulch!’
The story of the New York band, co-founded by Simmons and guitarist Paul Stanley in 1973, is one of the underdog winning out. What many initially dismissed as ‘shock rock’ has become one of the biggest musical franchises of all time, with more than 100m records sold worldwide and a dedicated museum in Las Vegas. ‘For me it’s going to be that sense of pride of having gone up to Mount Olympus and scaled the heights and defied all the odds,’ says Simmons.
Their final UK dates, part of their End Of The Road World Tour, were originally planned for 2021 but postponed due to Covid. As a self-professed Anglophile, Simmons is excited to get back to the UK.
‘Were it not for The Beatles, England would have been about Knights of the Round Table and
Guy Fawkes and all this other stuff – just another country with a history, and lots of countries have colourful histories,’ he offers. ‘The Beatles made it, and created a culture, almost a religion, and Liverpool became a holy ground… so when The Beatles hit, it was like an H-bomb.
‘I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing, it was unbelievable, and all of us kept pointing back to England and it affected me so much that I actually started to speak in a fake English accent.’
When their final live dates are over, Kiss’ legacy will live on – even through their vast range of often bizarre branded products. ‘The sense of pride is probably going to prevail above at all because of having 5,000 licensed products – everything from Kiss condoms to Kiss caskets.’
Simmons is famously one of the few tee-total rock stars of his generation. His laser focus on the music and spectacle of the Kiss live shows has been a driving force for the group. ‘Our whole thing was always a self-mandated idea of putting together the band we never saw on stage,’ he says, reflecting on their years together.
‘It’s partly music and partly making a spectacle out of yourself. That’s what it’s about. This stage is for the few. Most people are afraid to get up on stage because they will be judged – and they don’t want to do that. You’ve got to have a loose screw to be up on that stage.’
Kiss’ End Of The Road Tour starts in the UK in June at Plymouth FC’s Home Park and continues around the country. Tickets available at robomagiclive.com/kiss/.