Tommy Thayer will headline the official celebration marking half a century since Kiss first played Germany, with Doro Pesch joining him for the closing performance.
“50 Years Of Kiss In Germany: Official Fan Celebration” takes place October 30, 2026 at the Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf. Tickets go on sale August 11.
Kiss will not perform as a band. The organizers have stated this plainly, and it is worth noting up front given the billing.
Thayer, the band’s lead guitarist since 2002, appears as featured special guest and will play a live set with the Kiss Forever Band, a long-running European tribute act. A limited number of signing and photo sessions with Thayer will be offered separately.
Pesch is part of the wider celebration and joins Thayer and the Kiss Forever Band for the musical finale.
Also appearing as special guests are Ossy Hoppe, the veteran German concert promoter, and Didi Zill, the photographer whose images of the band ran in the German music press during their 1970s and 1980s peak.
The event additionally promises a rare Kiss artefact on display, exclusive merchandise, limited music releases and further announcements to come.
Registration is open at kissonline.com, though the organizers note that registering interest is neither a purchase nor a guarantee of admission.
Kiss played their first German concert on May 18, 1976 at the Rosengarten in Mannheim. The band announced this event on the fiftieth anniversary of that date.
Germany became one of the group’s strongest overseas markets in the years that followed, a relationship the October gathering is built around.
The pairing is not incidental. Thayer co-produced Pesch‘s 1991 self-titled album for Polygram alongside Pat Regan, and played guitar on the record. Gene Simmons oversaw the project and brought in Thayer, then known as the guitarist in Black ‘n Blue, a band Simmons had also produced.
That album included a cover of “Only You” from Music From “The Elder”.
Düsseldorf is also Pesch‘s home city. The singer, who came to prominence fronting Warlock in the 1980s, has staged several of her own career anniversary concerts there.
Thayer joined Kiss in 2002 and held the lead guitar position through the “End Of The Road” tour, which concluded in December 2023. The band has since stepped back from full-scale touring while continuing to appear at selected events.
One of those came in 2025, when Simmons, Paul Stanley, Thayer and Eric Singer performed unmasked across a three-night Las Vegas run marking 50 years of the Kiss Army fan club. Former guitarist Bruce Kulick made a surprise appearance during the electric set.
Outside the band, Thayer has recently released Bombshell, an EP recorded with his former Black ‘n Blue bandmate Jaime St. James.
