KISS co-founder Gene Simmons has provided further details on the band’s upcoming unmasked appearance at the “KISS Army Storms Vegas” event, emphasizing that it will be an informal, fan-driven gathering rather than a traditional KISS concert and reiterating the band’s commitment to no further touring. He also addressed the possibility of original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss participating, deeming a full reunion “dreamland.”
The three-day event, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army fan club, is scheduled for November 14-16, 2025, at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. It will mark the band’s first significant appearance since their “End Of The Road” farewell tour concluded in December 2023.
Speaking in a new interview with Greg Schmitt of Noize In The Attic, Simmons sought to manage expectations. He said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “People misunderstand what that is. The Virgin event in November is really the fans, the KISS Army — they’re taking over the hotel. This ain’t a concert. No [makeup]. Certainly not. We promised we would never do that again. No touring.”
Regarding the band’s involvement, he added, “We’ll get up and jam. In fact, I’m not even sure how many of us are gonna be there. I know Paul [Stanley] and I are gonna be there. I think Tommy [Thayer]’s gonna come, but [former KISS guitarist] Bruce Kulick might pop in. It’s very informal.”
When asked if original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would be welcome to appear, Simmons simply stated, “Of course.” However, he tempered any hopes for a more substantial reunion with the classic lineup. After Schmitt noted that all original members are still living, Simmons responded, “I like the way you think, but it’s dreamland, my friend. That’s not how life works. You can lead a horse to water, but that’s all you can do. We invited — I personally invited Ace and Peter to jump up on stage with us at Madison Square Garden. ‘Hey, why don’t you invite him on the show?’ I did, but they said no. ‘I want this and I want that.’ ‘Well, you can’t have that, but join us to celebrate the beginning.'”
These sentiments echo comments Simmons made earlier in May to Jim Kerr on New York’s Q104.3. He stressed then that KISS had promised Pophouse, the company that acquired their intellectual property, that they “would never tour again,” believing it’s best to “get out of the ring” while on top.
“So that’s what we’re doing,” Simmons explained regarding the Vegas event. “We are showing up for a fan-run event… It’s really for the fans. There’ll be lots of questions — if they want a back rub or anything. But it’s not a KISS concert. We will jump up [and] jam, but certainly we are not bringing the flying rigs and 60 people on the crew and the jets and all that stuff… Other bands will pop up on stage and stuff, but it’s really a chance to be more intimate with the fans — actually, to be cornball about it, to our bosses. Because without the fans, I would surely have been asking the next person in line, ‘Would you like some fries with that?'”
