By Jem Aswad / Variety.com
KISS announced tonight their “End of the Road World Tour” — which, obviously enough, will be their last. While the group stopped short of announcing dates, the title suggests the tour will be on the scale of Elton John’s three-year farewell campaign , which launched earlier this month.
“All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who’ve filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years,” the band said in a statement. “This will be the ultimate celebration for those who’ve seen us and a last chance for those who haven’t. KISS Army, we’re saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we’ll go out the same way we came in… Unapologetic and unstoppable.”
The group made the announcement on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” and also performed their 1976 hit “Detroit Rock City.”
KISS Announces Final Tour Exclusively on America’s Got Talent
After an epic and storied 45 year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS announced exclusively on NBC’s America’s Got Talent tonight that they are hanging up their 9-inch tall touring boots. The news was delivered in trademark larger-than-life KISS style with a blistering performance of “Detroit Rock City”, proving why the band is known as one of the most iconic live performances that simply can’t be missed. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have toured to nearly every city on the planet and played every venue imaginable. Having played for Kings & Queens, for U.S. veterans, and for millions of devoted KISS Army fans, they will play their final shows as part of the multi-year END OF THE ROAD WORLD TOUR. Dates have yet to be announced but KISSonline.com will have all the updates in the weeks to come.
"All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who've filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years. This will be the ultimate celebration for those who've seen us and a last chance for those who haven't. KISS Army, we're saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we'll go out the same way we came in... Unapologetic and Unstoppable," said KISS.
Creative Director. Rockstar.
In 2018, the two titles – earned or self-appointed – carry more clout than three-letter acronyms like CEO or NBA with six-figure followings mean more to most than six-figure salaries.
50 years ago when KISS frontman Paul Stanley decided he wanted to be both, it was less about fame and fortune and more about imagining his own world.
“I started doing this because I wanted to live without rules,” reflects Stanley, the man behind not only the mic but also KISS’s image, costumes, stage design, album art and merch for nearly half a century. “My only rule was there no rules and to not be shackled by others’ limitations.”
Undefined by the expectations of others nor titles other lust to tote, the New York native is doing pretty, pretty good. The same hand that penned “I Want To Rock and Roll All Night And Party Everyday” and sketched the famous KISS logo decades ago now spends time painting in his family’s Beverly Hills home when he’s not rocking crowds of 80,000 in countries that register as #TravelGoals.
So, Paul’s designed massive stages, the look for the most famous band in the world and the art for numerous platinum projects — why not sneakers? Well, that’s exactly what he’s doing now and exactly why we spoke with him. Teaming up with PUMA for the Suede 50 celebration, we chatted with the man who set out 50 years ago to do what every kid dreams of doing now and is still doing it to this day.
Rock on.
Nice Kicks: Growing up in New York, what would you say was your relationship with sneakers?
Paul Stanley: In New York, everybody had sneakers and certainly they were of a different generation than what it’s evolved to. We had Keds, PF Flyers, and Converse. Over time it was interesting to see how sneakers evolved into a multi-purpose shoe and wearing it outside of sports. It’s amazing how sneakers have turned into a fashion accessory and how they have elevated above just function.
Preorder now - Only 300 bundles available worldwide!
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of four solo albums by the founding members of KISS with this limited-edition box set bundle! The glossy, foil-stamped slipcase contains four 180-gram LPs in band member colors. It also features four 12-by-12-inch album cover art posters, plus an exclusive turntable slipmat that shows all four of artist Eraldo Carugati’s iconic, painted album-cover face images.
Bundle set also includes limited edition tee, coaster and pin sets.
The Iconic Rock Band’s Four Same-Day-Released Solo Albums Come Together In ‘KISS: The Solo Albums - 40th Anniversary Collection’
A Limited-Edition 4LP Vinyl Box Set Via Casablanca/UMe
Forty years ago today, each one the four founding members of KISS — Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss — released their respective solo albums all on the same day to much fanfare, chart success, and platinum sales. And now, four full decades later, all four of these pioneering albums are being collected in KISS: The Solo Albums - 40th Anniversary Collection, a limited-edition 180-gram 4LP box set by Casablanca/UMe that’s earmarked for release on October 5.
Preorders commence today, September 18, for the limited run of 2,500 vinyl box sets being made available exclusively through KISS’ webstore (shopkissonline.com) and The Sound of Vinyl (thesoundofvinyl.com/us). Each heavy-grade 180-gram LP appears on virgin marbled white vinyl, in addition to sporting the unique color associated exclusively with each KISS bandmember. All four albums are housed together in a deluxe glossy black-matte slipcase that displays a high-gloss black-ink print of the infamous KISS logo text and related images.
Also included in this set are four 12-by-12-inch posters that are replicas of the ones that came with the albums upon their initial 1978 release, plus an exclusive turntable slipmat that shows all four of artist Eraldo Carugati’s iconic, painted album-cover face images all connected together.
