Gene Simmons’ Concept for Kiss Show Without Original Members
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have both talked up the possibility of Kiss continuing without any of the original members.
But in a recent interview, Simmons went into more detail, outlining his own idea of how a next-generation show could be staged – and allowed the possibility of the founders making guest appearances.
"Kiss will continue in ways that even I haven't thought of,” Simmons said in a recent episode of Let There Be Talk, which you can listen to in full below. "But I can conceive of – you know, the Blue Man Group and Phantom of the Opera tour around the world with different personnel. There could and should be a Kiss show, kind of live on stage with effects and everything else, but also a semi-autobiographical thing about four knuckleheads off the streets of New York that ends with the last third as a full-blown celebration, a full-on performance." He added: "Not with us. Although not a problem stepping in every once in a while."
He reported that he'd actually come up with a TV show titled Kiss: The Next Generation, but hadn't been able to find a production company interested in picking it up. "Kiss will continue in other ways," he emphasized. "I have no problems with four deserving 20-year-olds sticking the makeup back on and hiding their identity."
Simmons said in June that the band's End of the Road Tour would be extended to include at least 100 more shows. They'd originally planned to make their final appearance on stage in their native New York, but in the recent interview, he cast doubt on the idea. "We don’t know if it's New York," he said. "I have good reasons why it should be, but the important thing is when it's the last show, it'll be the last show."
Listen to Gene Simmons on ‘Let There Be Talk’