KISS is set to host a special three-day fan event called “KISS Army Storms Vegas” at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, running from November 14 to 16. This marks the band’s first public appearance since their “End of the Road” farewell tour concluded in December 2023.
Paul Stanley, KISS frontman, recently spoke about the event on The 500 With Josh Adam Meyers podcast, describing it as “a Kiss Kruise in Vegas. It’s a Kiss Kruise without a boat or without a ship.” He explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth) that they “will take over the Virgin Hotel, and all the things that people have come to expect on a Kiss Kruise will happen.” This will include “Q&As, time spent with each person in the band.” Stanley also noted that KISS will perform, “although looking more like this [without any makeup or special stage outfits] than in classic gear. It’s gonna be really, really cool, and A lot of things are being added to it.” He added that the “menu” of events is “still evolving,” promising “great people playing, great bands, all kinds of competitions, all the things that we’ve done in the past on the cruise. Just like a tribal gathering with music and entertainment. Like I said, it’s a landlocked Kiss Kruise.”
Gene Simmons, KISS bassist, also discussed the event earlier on New York City’s Q104.3 radio station. He clarified: “Well, this is not a KISS concert.” Simmons explained that after selling KISS‘s intellectual property rights to Pophouse, they “promised we would never tour again, because… While you’re on top, get out of the ring.” He stated, “50 years, half a century is plenty of time.” Simmons described the event as “a fan-run event” where they are “showing up.” He emphasized its purpose: “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?'”
The event also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army fan club. Stanley shared its origins: “The KISS Army, like the best armies, was volunteer. KISS Army started in Terre Haute, Indiana when Bill Starkey, a resident, and his friends weren’t getting any KISS music on their radio station and they called the radio station as the KISS Army and said, ‘If you don’t start playing KISS music by a certain time, we’ll surround the building.’ And, of course, everybody chuckled, until they surrounded the building. So that was the start of the KISS Army. KISS Army started as not a calculated fan club, but as an uprising of the army.”
Simmons, Stanley, and longtime guitarist Tommy Thayer are confirmed to attend. Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick is also expected to participate, while drummer Eric Singer’s involvement remains unconfirmed.
