Paul Stanley talks legacy, fire and dog collars ahead of last-ever Dubai gig
By Matthew Baxter-Priest / Esquire Middle East
Everybody has a KISS story. The first time they saw the band live, the first time they heard the band play, the urban legend of their wild tour stories – KISS are the quintessential rock band, and have been so for the past 50 years. Now coming to Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on October 13, 2023 – they are nearing to the end of their last ever tour: ‘End Of The Road‘, lead guitarist Paul “Starchild” Stanley dives deep in the stories behind the myths, revealing what he’s learned as a pivotal part of one of the biggest bands in history.
We’ve been on our final ‘End of the Road Tour’ for years now. Covid interrupted it all, so we actually should have been done a few years ago, but it’s been fantastic to continue touring and playing live. Although now it’s getting mighty close to the actual end of it—our final ever show in December in New York.
There was never a temptation to call the tour off after COVID. It wouldn’t have been fair to the fans, or us, because we still love touring. It’s getting mighty close to the night where we finally say goodbye—it’s really gonna be over.
KISS are looked up to as superheroes. People keep telling me, “oh you’ll go back out on tour again,” and the real truth is no, we wont. I think when people are saying that, they are really just saying: “Please go back out”
Our final show is a spectacular one. Is this the biggest show we’ve ever done? Yeah. Is it the best show we’ve ever done? Yeah. We know what we’re doing, and we’re going out with our fists up in the air. It’s a victory lap at the Olympics.
