KISS’ final tour looks set to be an emotional one for Gene Simmons, with the bassist explaining he’ll be crying “tears of happiness” at their last show.
KISS recently kicked off their ‘End Of The Road’ farewell tour in Canada last month, and many fans have been relishing the chance to see the rock icons one last time.
While there has been plenty said about whether the shows will see reunions with old members, it seems that no one will be affected by the group’s final shows than the band’s bassist, Gene Simmons.
As Blabbermouth reports, KISS recently sat down with US DJ Dan Neer for an ‘All Access’ special which saw them reflecting on their career, and upcoming retirement.
“It’ll certainly be incredibly emotional, because I have so much to look back on that the band has made possible, that the fans have made possible, and I wanna know at that last show that I gave it everything I could,” explained frontman Paul Stanley. “And I’ll walk away proudly.”
Check out Dan Neer’s interview with KISS:
https://soundcloud.com/user-700527792/sets/kiss-the-end-of-the-road-tour-all-access
Likewise, Gene Simmons explained that the majesty of KISS and their final live shows will likely move him to tears when they call it quits.
“I’m a fairly big guy — I’m 6’2″, I’m probably closer to 250 pounds. I’m not a skinny guy, and proud of it,” Simmons began. “But I know I’m gonna be weeping like a 12-year-old girl who has someone stepping on her feet at that last show. Tears of happiness, I might add.”
“Look what we’ve done. Wow. How many people on Earth get to do what we’ve done? You’ve gotta take that perspective,” Simmons explained. “Because KISS has always been more than a band. KISS has been a unifying force for different generations.”
“When you see a five-year-old kid at a concert — our concert — who has KISS makeup and is sitting on the shoulders of his dad who’s wearing KISS makeup, who’s next to his dad, who’s 50 or 60, and he’s wearing makeup. And that kid does my hand gesture for the first time in his life…”
“It’s hit me before. I turn around, and you’re in tears, because you realise it’s more than a concert and it’s more than songs — it’s a part of people’s lives. They tattoo their bodies with our faces, they name their kids after our songs. It’s a culture. It’s a nationhood.”
While we’ve looked before at the impact of the KISS Army and the dedication of the group’s fans, it seems that no one will be feeling the impact of the band’s absence more than Gene Simmons himself.
KISS’ ‘End Of The Road’ farewell tour will kick off its Australian leg in November, hitting up Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Newcastle, and Sydney, before wrapping up in Brisbane. Check out the details below.
Check out KISS’ ‘Rock & Roll All Nite’:
KISS End Of The Road Australian Tour 2019
Saturday, November 16th
RAC Arena, Perth, WA
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
Tuesday, November 19th
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide, SA
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
Thursday, November 21st
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
Friday, November 22nd
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
Saturday, November 23rd
Supercars Newcastle 500, NSW
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
Tuesday, November 26th
QUDOS Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
Thursday, November 28th
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets: Ticketek & 132 849
