During a recent appearance on Gibson TV’s The Collection, Paul Stanley explained why he stopped playing guitar after KISS farewell.
“Really good question,” the singer said when the host Mark Agnesi asked how long after the final show with KISS he picked up a guitar again. “Last week, I was trying to figure out why I haven’t picked up a guitar.”
Stanley continued, “I’ve played a couple of guitars in here, but really, I haven’t played much. And I couldn’t figure out why. Then I thought, if I started playing, I was afraid that I would miss playing with the band and doing what we do.”
“That’s my DNA. I just needed to back away for a bit. It’s 50 years with KISS. That’s pretty phenomenal. To cut it off, at least in terms of being a live band, takes some acclimating to and adjusting to. So I needed a little time just to sit back and get my bearings,” the musician explained.
KISS performed their final show on December 2, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, United States. After the farewell tour, Stanley admitted in an interview with Rock of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern feeling a bit lost.
“There’s no way to give that up and not feel a sense of, if not lost, kind of disoriented. It was time [for KISS to stop touring], and intellectually it made sense, but that doesn’t mean that emotionally, it doesn’t play a part in it. So, yeah, being home, as I am right now, is normal. What’s not normal is I’m not going back out,” Paul stated.
He added, “KISS remains. We’re so involved in what’s going on now and the future and this phenomenal, mind-boggling KISS avatar show. But, yeah, to not be up there — I see video from 10 months ago, 11 months ago, and it almost seems like a lifetime ago, because I’ve kind of come to grips with not doing that again. … Star Child is forever — but me up there, that’s done.”
KISS’ avatars were revealed at their final concert. Gene Simmons later shared on social media that the virtual band’s official debut will be in 2027.
