Paul Stanley took to X to reflect on KISS’ retirement anniversary.
“One Year Ago we began our final 2 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden,” the singer wrote along with a photo from that night. “Today I’m looking back with immense gratitude and deepest thanks to all of you for the first 50 years. I love KISS just like you and there are amazing things in our future. We’ll all be proud. Stay tuned.”
KISS played their final show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 2, 2023. In a November interview on Rock of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern, Stanley was asked if it’s been hard not going back on tour after the band’s ‘End of The Road’ farewell tour.
The rocker replied by saying, “I was gonna use the word ‘adjustment.’ 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 continued, “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 [Paul’s stage character] is forever — but me up there, that’s done.”
Stanley also talked about the idea of leaving the stage and not performing again because aging affects his singing voice, changing its pitch, volume, and clarity. He said, “I would be lying to say that I’m the singer I was 20 years ago, 30 years ago. 50 years ago? Of course not. No prize fighter is the fighter that they were, no basketball player.”
The technology for the KISS avatars, first used in ABBA’s ‘Voyage’ show in London, will let KISS stay on the road even after retirement. The avatars were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and funded by Pophouse Entertainment. Pophouse will create digital versions of KISS. The project was previewed at KISS’ final concert in New York in December 2023.
