KISS them goodbye, with 2 shows set for the Garden
KISS will perform two final concerts in New York City — before it kisses touring goodbye.
The rock band from Manhattan is set to conclude its farewell tour with backto-back Madison Square Garden shows on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, the members announce+d Wednesday.
“KISS was born in New York City. On 23rd St. Half a century ago,” KISS said in a statement. “It will be a privilege and honor to finish touring at Madison Square Garden, 10 blocks and 50 years from where we first started.”
Known for hits such as “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” KISS began its “End of the Road World Tour” in 2019. The makeup-and-costume-wearing rockers performed one concert at the Garden that year.
KISS consists of original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, as well as longtime members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. The artists insist the December concerts will be their last.
“Some people have kind of snickered and said, ‘Oh, this ‘End of the Road’ tour has gone on for years.’ Yeah, we lost 2½ years to COVID,” Stanley said Wednesday on SiriusXM’s “Howard Stern Show,” referencing dozens of postponed and canceled shows since 2020.
“We would’ve been done already,” he said. “So, yes, this is the end.”
KISS scheduled 19 concerts for its final leg in North America, including stops in Austin, Texas; Los Angeles; Toronto, and Chicago. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Friday on livenation.com.
The band has headlined dozens of tours since its 1973 debut, received its lone Grammy nomination in 1999 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Simmons said on “Stern” he is sure he will cry during the last show, while Stanley said the group is going out with a bang on its final tour.
“When you come to see the show, it’s awesome,” Stanley said. “It’s the most high-tech show out there. ... It’s everything KISS, just amped up and ramped up. Look, we’re giving it everything we have.”