Gene Simmons explained his reasoning behind KISS’s decision to retire from touring, saying he wanted to avoid the fate of aging rock stars who stayed on stage too long, speaking about the band’s final tour on Billboard.
Simmons talked about why KISS chose to step back from the road. He stressed the importance of knowing when to leave the stage, rather than watching a band fade away over time.
“We’ve seen bands that wait too long to get off the road and it’s sad,” Simmons said. “I didn’t want to become fat, bloated, naked Elvis on the bathroom floor.”
He went on to clarify that stepping back from touring did not mean the end of KISS itself. “So you have to know when to get off the stage as KISS. But that doesn’t mean (the band) has to end,” he added.
Simmons made these comments in relation to KISS’s retirement from touring and their decision to end the band before it became another sad story in rock history.
The End of the Road World Tour ran from January 31, 2019 to December 2, 2023, serving as the final concert tour for the legendary rock band. KISS launched the tour in January 2019 but paused it in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, resuming in the summer of 2021. The band played 250 shows across the tour despite having to postpone dozens of dates because of COVID-19.
The final shows took place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023, marking one of rock’s most significant farewells. The last leg of the tour began on October 19 at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Empire State Building was lit in honor of the band’s final performances and its 50-year history, with silver colors representing the band logo and red, purple, green and blue to honor the band characters.
KISS released a documentary titled Kiss: End of the Road on November 19 that chronicles the band’s farewell tour. The film provides unprecedented access to the End of the Road world tour, capturing the camaraderie, conflicts, challenges and emotion behind the band’s journey to their final performance at Madison Square Garden, while also exploring how they plan to carry the legacy forward.
Since retiring from touring as KISS, the band has explored new projects. They reunited on the Kiss Kruise in 2025 for a special unmasked show, but have maintained their stance about leaving the traditional band in the past. An avatar-based KISS show is set to launch in Las Vegas in 2028, with the group declaring the digital replicas signal the start of a “new era” backed by millions of dollars in investment.
