Aurora Starchild
KISS is officially retiring after their forthcoming worldwide tour. KISS’s End of the Road farewell tour will be the final hurrah after nearly 50 years of rocking the planet. KISS bassist Gene Simmons recently told Full Metal Jackie on KLOS’ Whiplash that the band is retiring out of “self-respect” and “love” for their fans.
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In an interview about a new Gibson-Gene Simmons collaboration on the Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird Bass release, Full Metal Jackie presses the star on his future plans and why the band is hanging their….well, high heels?
“The reason for stopping touring is because of pride and self-respect and a love and admiration for the fans. The last thing you wanna be is to be a world-champion boxer and stay in the ring too long. It’s only a matter of time until your legs are not gonna be able to hold you up, and you’re gonna lose.
“We’ve all seen boxers who’ve stayed in the ring too long and bands who continued touring too long. And they forget lyrics and you can see the deep wrinkles in their faces. I mean, it’s just the nature of life as we know it on earth.
Simmons continues, “So we’re doing the right thing. We’re gonna quit while we’re on top, do the best we can, and it’ll be sad, but it’s also gonna be happy. On the last show we ever do as a touring band, I’ll be crying like a 12-year-old kid whose foot you’re stepping on.
“On the other hand, it’s gonna be happy, because it’s the next chapter.”
Simmons also tells fans that, if they want to feel like a rock star, they need to go comparison-shopping and try out the new G2 Thunderbird.
Additionally, Simmons recently told Entertainment Tonight about KISS’s End of the Road tour plans. The farewell tour had previously been postponed.
“We start playing the outdoor stadiums of South America, literally within two weeks, and continue on to Europe and Australia and eventually North America, Japan, all that stuff. Mexico… And this is going to be the last tour. We’re done.”
KISS will be a headliner at Donington Park’s Download Festival next month, alongside bands like Korn, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth.
