When KISS embarked on its ‘End Of The Road World Tour‘ in 2018-2019, Gene Simmons sat down for an interview with the Evening Standard. Not giving away the final shows’ content, he hinted that the band ‘ramped things right up’ for the tour.
Then, he shared his views on some other bands’ performances, specifically mentioning The Byrds:
“When I was a kid, bands often disappointed me live. I saw The Byrds and thought, ‘I really like that song, but maybe I could close my eyes and like it even more.’ There was nothing going on onstage. They were just standing in front of their microphones.”
Touching on KISS’ stage dynamics compared to other artists, the singer added:
“We’ve always wanted to be the band we never saw perform. To work our asses off and give the fans bang for their buck. Ed Sheeran is terrific and can sell out Wembley with just a guitar. But I don’t want to do that. I have too much energy inside of me. I want to blow up the sky.”
Throughout the years, the band combined detailed costumes, pyrotechnics, and fireworks in almost all of its live shows. With that in mind, Simmons once mentioned that many artists, including Paul McCartney, took inspiration from KISS concerts.
He explained that his group’s shows gave fans what was needed in entertainment during a chat with Classic Rock:
“It’s uplifting, there’s nothing negative — we don’t do political commentary. There are enough problems in the world without guys that wear more makeup and higher heels than your mom waxing poetic and prolific on all sorts of issues. They shouldn’t. We make you forget about the traffic jam and the fight you had with your girlfriend, and, like all the other things, just ‘magic time’ — ‘electric church.'”
2023 is set to be KISS’ final year of performing, especially since their tour was called off due to the pandemic and health issues a few years ago. But the band’s vocalist didn’t signal a full stop after this year’s concerts.
Simmons hinted at new shows with ‘less effort’ with the Gene Simmons Band in the future while talking about his plans in another interview. He also revealed that he was teaming up with Gary Hamilton to produce 25 films in the next five years.
The first piece of the upcoming project is currently in the works. Renny Harlin will direct the movie called ‘Deep Water.’
