Gene Simmons: KISS to Launch Three Year-Long Tour in January 2019
KISS are planning to launch a tour beginning next January according to Gene Simmons, who disclosed some of the details in a recent interview with a Swedish newspaper. He says it will go around the world and will go on for a few years.
“It will be a three year-long tour, starting in January 2019,” the KISS co-founder told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper. “It will be our most spectacular tour ever. We will go to all continents, though exactly where I can’t tell you now.”
Simmons was in Sweden as part of the celebration of his 50 years in rock and roll where he does meet and greets and delivers his 150 track box set The Vault to fans who have purchased the collection. At designated locations, buyers of the set receive a pre-pack and join a small group of other fans for “Songs and Stories” from The Vault and a Q&A with Simmons. And while long estranged original KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss have taken part in recent Vault events, Simmons was insistent the ship has long sailed on them being a part of any KISS tour.
"No, you can not work with people with drug problems," he says. "Peter and Ace joined and started something unique, but they can not join the 2010's in KISS. You can not get as many chances as possible. On the other hand, when I go to Australia in August, Ace Frehley will be [opening] during my solo tour, I think it will be fun. We are, after all, a family but just because you are a family, you can not work together."
Earlier this year, it was revealed that the band had filed for a trademark to the title "End of the Road," which led many to speculate there would be a pending announcement of a KISS farewell tour. Last month however, guitarist Paul Stanley said that wasn't the case, and that it was simply a preemptive move.
"It's not the first trademark that's been filed," said Stanley. "I thought it was a terrific name, and I was surprised nobody had used it before. I wanted to make sure that when we used it, and there will be a time that we do, I imagine - I wanted to be sure that we own it and it's ours. When we wanted to go out and do the 'Hottest Show on Earth' tour, Ringling Bros. came to us and said, 'You can't do that.' It set off a light and bell for me. We've always had slogans or sayings that are synonymous with us, and this was another. Everything does end, in one form or another. When it's my time, I want to go out in style, and I want to go out guns blazing. So, when I came up with this idea, I thought let's make sure we tie this up."
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