Kiss will bring their farewell tour to an end next month with a final performance at Madison Square Garden in New York. Gene Simmons has again stated that the band want to bow out before the physicality of their show becomes too much for them. But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be willing to be replaced by someone younger and fitter.
In a new Rolling Stone interview, journalist Andy Greene notes that “there’s been talk of a future version of Kiss with all new musicians”, and then asks Simmons if that’s actually a possibility.
“I’m totally open to that idea”, says the bassist. “Why not pass the baton, pass the crown to four new, young people who are deserving?”
I mean, lots of reasons. However, the idea isn’t unprecedented. Queen have had an official tribute act - Queen Extravaganza - out there touring the world for over a decade. So it’s definitely not impossible, even if it seems a bit silly.
Also, we all know how farewell tours go - when will the next one be? Never, insists Simmons. Reiterating past comments on the subject, he says: “At a certain point, you have to understand that it’s going to be a point of diminishing returns because of the kind of band we are”.
“I wear seven-inch platform dragon boots”, he points out. “Each weighs as much as a light bowling ball, armour, studs, leather, all that stuff, and that weighs about 40 pounds in total. And I’ve got to spit fire, and fly through the air, and all that, and you’ve got to do it for two hours”.
The final Kiss show is set to take place on 2 Dec. Then we just await news of the all-new line-up.
