Photo: AFP
Paul Stanley never intended his tenure in KISS to stretch into a 50th year — or for the band's 'End of the Road' farewell tour to still be going four years after it was announced — but he says they have good reason.
First of all, nearly two years of 'End of the Road' shows were postponed due to COVID; the band launched the world tour in 2019 and intended to wrap it up in New York City by the summer of 2021.
But Kiss's Starchild admits in conversation with Yahoo! entertainment that since the pandemic, the band has booked more shows than it originally intended.
"The fact that we still not only survived but thrived is special enough," Stanley said of Kiss's half-century in business. "I'm thrilled that we're still here. I'm thrilled that the fans are still here. The fans seem thrilled that we're still here."
While Kiss plans to get back on the road this spring and tour through at least this summer, Stanley concedes that the end of the 'End of the Road' is near, despite the lack of a public commitment regarding where and when.
"This tour, interestingly, seems to go on forever," Stanley added. "That's because we lost two years to COVID. People go, 'Oh my God. This tour...' Well, yeah, there's two years that didn't count. And it's a big world. So, there've been some countries that I thought we were finished with, and the fans and the promoters wanted us to come back. So we have shows to do.
"The end is in sight — more so than some people know. But we'll have an announcement about that in the not-too-distant future."
At the time of this article, the final live date on Kiss's itinerary is July 15 in Norway. But Stanley confirmed that the band plans to perform in the U.S. beyond that, adding "it would make sense that we would end where we started."
Kiss formed in Queens, New York, and held its first rehearsals in a vermin-infested apartment. It's safe to say, however, that the frontman is considering a larger venue for his last show — perhaps one in Manhattan.