Gene Simmons Band Tour Kicks Off, Weather Cuts First Gig Short (Video)

Gene Simmons, the iconic bassist and vocalist of KISS, officially launched his 2025 solo tour with the Gene Simmons Band this past weekend. The tour began Friday night, May 2nd, 2025, at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City, Georgia. Joining Simmons on stage are guitarists Jason Walker and Brent Woods, along with drummer Brian Tichy.

The tour’s opening night faced an unexpected hurdle, as reports indicate the band played only six songs before severe weather forced an end to the performance. The band pressed on, playing their second show on Saturday, May 3rd, at the Beaver Dam Amphitheater in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Fan-filmed video capturing moments from both concerts has appeared online.

While the tour is now underway, fans should note that Simmons recently postponed nearly 20 dates, rescheduling them for 2026. The current leg of the tour is scheduled to continue through August 3rd, 2025, culminating in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Alongside the performances, this tour is notable for offering extremely exclusive (and expensive) fan packages. The most talked-about is the “Personal Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day” experience, also called “The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience.”

Priced at a substantial $12,495 (plus the cost of a concert ticket), this package is limited to only one fan per show. It offers an immersive day, allowing the fan to:

• Meet Gene and the band early in the day.
• Receive official Gene Simmons Band crew gear (shirt, hat, VIP laminate).
• Share a meal with Gene Simmons.
• Accompany the band for load-in and help with stage setup.
• Hang out backstage and attend soundcheck.
• Be personally introduced by Gene Simmons on stage during the show.
• Receive a signed setlist and a KISS-rehearsal-used bass guitar, signed by Gene.
• Take photos throughout the day and bring one guest.
• Bring four personal items (excluding instruments/parts) for Gene to sign.

Simmons Justifies the Price Tag: Insurance and Litigation

The $12,495 cost has drawn attention, but Simmons defended it in a recent interview with 95.9 The Rat’s Carl Craft (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), citing the desire to offer a unique behind-the-scenes look and the significant costs associated with it, primarily insurance.

“Here’s the deal: when I was a kid and I went to see [Jimi] Hendrix or somebody, of course I enjoyed the show and really got off on it — we talked about it forever and stuff — but I didn’t know what it was like. What’s the beginning of the day like? What’s it like to sit and have breakfast or lunch with my favorite rock stars, and then get in the limo, go to the gig, set up the drums, do soundcheck and then be on stage with your video, ’cause nowadays everything’s on video. You can’t take a poop without a camera coming in under the stall. And then you get pulled up on stage to sing along with them.”

He explained why the experience is limited to one person, pointing directly to the potential for lawsuits and the resulting insurance needs:

“Now, having said that, we only do one roadie for a day per show. And I’ll tell you why — because nowadays everything is so litigious. That’s a big word, like gymnasium. That means everybody sues everybody for no reason. So if you get a paper cut, somebody gets sued. And that’s just the way life is here in America — much more in California, by the way. It’s crazy out here. So, I can’t even, if I wanted to, bring out do roadie for a day with 10, 20, 30, as many people [as we would like]. So we do one, because the insurance costs for that are astronomical. And so this ain’t cheap. It’s not for everybody. And for that one person, you do have to pay premium numbers. That’s just life.”

Simmons emphasized that the price reflects more than just perks; it covers significant “financial and legal exposure.”

“Somebody has a bad experience and they sue you and it costs you hundreds of thousands of dollars. You need insurance for everything. Do you have a car? You’ve got insurance. Everything in life, apparently… In fact, you buy anything — a tool — they give you insurance. Would you like the one-year or three-year? Everything’s insured.”

For fans seeking a different kind of interaction (and perhaps a slightly less astronomical price), Simmons also offers the “Gene Simmons Bass Experience.” This package allows one fan and three guests to meet Gene backstage. The core of this package is taking home one of Simmons‘s bass guitars – priced at $6,500 for a “non-stage-played” instrument or $12,500 for one previously used live by Simmons (plus ticket costs), which can be signed and personalized.