Kiss has officially rolled out its full Las Vegas residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, which includes a dozen shows set for this December and into 2022.
The new dates on the books are December 29th and 31; January 1st, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 26th, 28th, and 29th; and February 2nd, 4th, and 5th, 2022.
Gene Simmons chatted with Rolling Stone and spoke frankly about why Kiss decided to return to "Sin City," admitting, "There are matters of the heart and then there are matters of the pocket and it’s nice when they both converge. So it’s a very nice payday. They pay well and that’s reason enough. But it’s also easier for the band because you don’t have the wear and tear of traveling."
Although the ongoing pandemic has curtailed the band from their lucrative meet-and-greets, Simmons explained that Kiss has found a way to please fans — and line their pockets in a way that will leave everybody happy: "We do soundchecks before the show. So why not invite the fans to be in the audience and answer questions, play tunes, just kind of hang out together, but at a safe distance. The closest they’re going to get to us is, oh, maybe 100 feet. So maybe it’s a new experience for the fans who can sort of see the reality, and see the stage for what it is without the lights doing tricks. And we can have the back and forth of, 'Hey, why don’t you do 'Hard Luck Woman'?' 'OK, guys, remember the song? Let’s do it.'"
When asked if David Lee Roth will or will not continue opening for the band on the current leg, Gene Simmons said, "Not. But it bears noting that during Dave’s heyday, nobody did what he did. He was the ultimate frontman. Not (Robert) Plant, not Rod Stewart, nobody. He took being a frontman way beyond anything. And then, I don’t know what happened to him. . . something. And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, y'know, doing all that. I don’t want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor."
We asked Gene Simmons if the fact that Kiss has now spanned several generations validates the importance of the band: ["Yeah, it does. Y’know, despite the pundits and the peanut gallery and all the people who’ve never achieved anything in their lives and still live in their mother’s basement, and do the ‘bah humbug’ routine; I think they’re missing out on an important point, which is — go out and enjoy life. It’s, like, the Scrooge mentality simply does not work. You can hate Kiss, but you’ll have the time of your life. Come to the show, you’ll love it.”] SOUNDCUE (:23 OC: . . . you’ll love it)
UPDATED: Kiss North American tour dates (subject to change):
August 18 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
August 19 – Bangor, ME – Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
August 21 – Atlantic City, NJ – Mark G Etess Arena at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
August 22 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
August 25 – Toledo, OH – Huntington Center
August 26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
August 28 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
August 29 – Atlanta, GA – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
September 1 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
September 2 – Dayton, OH – Wright State University Nutter Center
September 4 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
September 5 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater at Summerfest Grounds
September 9 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
September 10 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
September 12 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
September 17 – Ridgefield, WA – Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
September 18 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
September 21 – Boise, ID – ExtraMile Arena
September 22 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
September 23 – Sparks, NV – Nugget Event Center
September 25 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 26 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
September 28 – Hidalgo, TX – Payne Arena
September 29 – Del Valle, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
October 1 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
October 2 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
October 5 – Biloxi, MI – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
October 6 – Lafayette, LA – Lafayette Cajundome
October 8 – West Palm Beach, FL – iThink Financial Amphitheatre
October 9 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
December 29, 31 – Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
January 1, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 29 – Las Vegas, NV – Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
February 2, 4, 5, 2022 – Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
