Monthly Archives: March 2025

Gene Simmons KISS Will Hold True To the Promise at Vegas Show

Posted on by

Gene Simmons offered more details about Kiss‘ upcoming performance at November’s Kiss Army Storms Vegas event, which will mark their first show since their farewell tour concluded in December 2023.

The three-day convention will take place from Nov. 14 through 16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and include an unmasked, electric performance by Simmons, Paul Stanley and unspecified special guests. The announcement drew sneers from fans who have grown wary of Kiss’ multiple farewell tours, but Simmons insisted the performance will not invalidate their final voyage.

“We will not do the makeup. We will hold true to the promise,” Simmons told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “There’s no stage show. There’s no crew. We won’t have 60 people levitating drum sets and all that stuff. This is more personal gathering of the tribes, where we meet them, greet them, maybe have a Q&A.”

Simmons also hinted at several other attractions that will take place throughout the weekend. “There might be some Kiss tribute bands, almost like a convention, if you will,” he added. “So it’s much more personal. And of course, we can’t get by without playing, so we’ll get up and do some tunes. What they are, how long, I don’t know.”

Read more!

“I used a flange on the main riff and a wah-wah on the solo. I just said, ‘Hit the record button and I’ll let it rip!’”: Kiss legend Ace Frehley on his greatest cult classic song

Posted on by

“Paul and Gene weren’t the only lead singers in the band”

It was arguably the best song that lead guitarist Ace Frehley ever wrote and sang with Kiss.

And in a strange twist, it was a studio cut featured on a live album.

Its name: Rocket Ride.

By the time the band’s second double-live album, Alive II, was released in 1977, Ace Frehley had just one lead vocal under his belt in Shock Me, which came off Love Gun, the studio album released earlier in ’77.

Frehley’s lack of confidence in his singing voice while recording Shock Me is well documented. But after touring behind Love Gun and belting out Shock Me in front of audiences across the globe, his confidence had grown.

On vinyl, Alive II had three sides of live material plus a final side featuring five brand new studio tracks.

And without doubt, the pick of the bunch was Frehley’s Rocket Ride – with a slinky, flange-ridden riff meant to simulate take off, and not one but two rip-roarin’ solos.

Read more!

KISS-THEMED ROCK & BREWS CLOSES LUTZ/WESLEY CHAPEL LOCATION AMID CHAIN STRUGGLES

Posted on by

Fans of rock-themed dining in the Tampa Bay area will have to look elsewhere, as Rock & Brews in Lutz/Wesley Chapel has permanently closed. The State Road 56 location, situated across from the Tampa Premium Outlets, shut its doors earlier this month. The closure is part of a larger trend for the KISS co-founded restaurant chain, which has faced multiple shutdowns recently. The Plantation, Florida, location closed on January 13, 2025, and restaurants in Oklahoma City and El Segundo, California, have also ceased operations—with the latter filing for bankruptcy.
Despite these setbacks, several Florida locations—including Orlando, Oviedo, and Kissimmee—remain open and operating. Rock & Brews was founded in 2012 by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, along with Michael Zislis, Dave Furano, and Dell Furano. The vision? To create a family-friendly restaurant that blended American comfort food with a concert-like atmosphere. The concept was first sparked during a casual brainstorming session over “a cold beer” with restaurateur Michael Zislis and the Furano brothers.
The restaurant quickly gained traction, expanding to 17 locations across the country, offering an immersive rock-and-roll experience featuring memorabilia, an extensive craft beer selection, and a casual, music-infused vibe. With Rock & Brews in Lutz/Wesley Chapel now closed, the space won’t stay empty for long—a Portillo’s restaurant is set to take its place. Known for its Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, Portillo’s continues to expand in Florida, bringing a different kind of nostalgia to the location.
As Rock & Brews faces mounting closures, questions arise about the future of the chain. Will the remaining locations in Florida and beyond be able to keep the brand alive, or is this the beginning of the end for the KISS-fronted venture? Only time will tell.
From Tampa Bay Music News

Kiss details Vegas fan experience

Posted on by

The event will feature a live “unmasked” performance by the band and more

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legends Kiss announces, in conjunction with co-producers Pophouse, creators of the boutique music vacation Topeka, and music-led destination experience company Vibee, the epic experience Kiss Army Storms Vegas set to take place at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas November 14-16, 2025.

The “everything Kiss” paradise will take place in celebration of Kiss Army’s 50th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the first Kiss fan convention. Since retiring from touring in December 2023, this will be the first time Kiss has performed together and will be a one-of-a-kind Kiss “unmasked” electric show featuring Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and special guests. A full schedule of activities will be announced soon, but fans can also expect exclusive Q&A sessions with members of the band, a panel with longtime manager Doc McGhee, a special live performance from former Kiss member Bruce Kulick, along with sets from Kiss tribute bands, other special guests, interactive activities, exclusive experiences and more.

Details will begin to roll out shortly. On March 8th selected fans from around the globe were invited to a panel discussion to help shape the event in conjunction with the Kiss production team. The fan feedback and ideas will be incorporated in the weekend’s festivities.

Experience packages, starting at $999 (without taxes) for the three-day event, will go on-sale to the general public on April 7th at 7 am PT. Kiss Army VIP Fan Club members receive pre-sale access starting March 28th at 7 am PT, with the Kiss Army & Fan pre-sale beginning April 2nd at 7 am PT.

Read more!

Gene Simmons Says No One Looked at KISS Twice When They Shot the Dressed to Kill Album Cover in N.Y.C. 50 Years Ago

Posted on by

Gene Simmons is always dressed to kill — even if the clothes don’t totally fit.

The KISS bassist said in an interview with the New York Post published on Tuesday, March 25 that when photographing their Dressed to Kill album cover in 1975, no one was fazed by their appearance.

Simmons, 75, and bandmates Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss were posing on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 23rd Street in their signature black-and-white makeup and voluminous hairstyles.

“There we are on a street corner, and the people who are walking by are going on about their day, not even looking at us twice,” he recalled.

Photographer Bob Gruen, who was behind the iconic album cover, said that the band wasn’t known at the time, which might’ve contributed to the band going unnoticed.

“And in New York City, you have to be more than weird to get attention. So we were standing on the corner, and basically, nobody stopped to talk to us or look at them or anything like that.”

Simmons also shared that there were no tailors or stylists on site for the photoshoot — and he didn’t own a suit or tie at all.

“I did not own a suit or a tie, so I had to borrow our manager at the time Bill Aucoin’s suit,” he recalled.

Added Simmons: “He was a much smaller man … So I put on his suit and nothing fits. If you look at the album cover, the sleeves were short, and the pants didn’t go all the way down.”

He also didn’t have dress shoes — hence the clogs that graced the album cover. “[Kiss guitarist] Ace Frehley had a pair of white clogs that he used to walk around with,” he continued, “and for no reason at all, I put on the clogs that are on the cover.”

Read more!

McG In Final Talks To Direct KISS Biopic ‘Shout It Out Loud’ As Project Lands At STX Entertainment

Posted on by

EXCLUSIVE: McG (Way of the Warrior Kid) is in final negotiations to direct Shout It Out Loud, a biopic about Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and their superstar rock band KISS, which will be produced by STX Entertainment, sources tell Deadline.

STX declined to comment, but we hear the studio is in discussions with Lionsgate to distribute the film worldwide and co-finance. The project previously had been set up at Netflix, following a bidding war, with Joachim Rønning attached to direct, as we first reported in 2021.

No word on the framing the film will take in looking at KISS’s decades-long musical journey. Financed by Polygram Entertainment, the most recent draft of the script is written by Darren Lemke (Shazam!, Gemini Man). The project is based on a prior script by Ole Sanders, who was involved with Rønning’s incarnation. William Herron was the first writer on the project.When the deal makes, McG will produce alongside his Wonderland producing partner Mary Viola. Other producers and executive producers for the project include Mark Canton, Leigh Ann Burton, Doc McGhee, Polygram Entertainment’s Jody Gerson and David Blackman, David Hopwood, Courtney Solomon, and Dorothy Canton, along with Simmons and Stanley. Christa Campbell and Annie Herndon are overseeing for STX.

Read more!

“It’s something younger players would do well to learn from”: John 5 on the one thing no one does better than Ace Frehley

Posted on by

What makes a guitar solo truly great? Is it sheer speed, jaw-dropping technicality or the kind of melody that lingers in your head long after the song is over? According to John 5, when it comes to crafting a solo you can sing along to, no one does it better than Ace Frehley.

In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, the former Rob Zombie guitarist and current Mötley Crüe shredder explains why the original Kiss lead guitarist remains his favourite. For him, it all comes down to the power of early inspiration.

“It’s just when you’re little and you see something, it could be a sports figure, it could be a race car driver or a hockey player, baseball or basketball. But mine was Kiss, and that’s what inspired me to do what I’m doing today,” says John 5.

“And I’m glad because I think inspiration is one of the most important things in the world. Because it stays with you forever, and it can change your life forever, as well.”

He adds that Frehley’s melodic style – featuring those solos you could sing along to – is something younger guitar players would do well to learn from.

“I was inspired by… I always liked things ‘to the limit.’ To the pinnacle, to the absolute most,” says the guitarist. “Like, the fastest race car driver, the best this, the best that. And with guitar, I wanted to take it to the absolute top, top, top. And that’s why I like all the crazy shredding.”

“But I love Ace and I love all that stuff. You know, like, with the melodic solos. No one does it better than him. I’m just so happy I got to be inspired by all these great players.”

Read more!